La Tarragone du Siecle
⏳ Drinking Window
As a highly stable, high-proof herbal liqueur of unmatched quality, it is virtually immortal and can be enjoyed now or cellared indefinitely.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Dark chocolate tart, blue cheese, or enjoyed neat as a digestif.
✨ Technical Specifications
La Tarragone du Siecle is an extraordinary, legendary release from the Carthusian Monks, created to commemorate the centenary of their historic distillery in Tarragona, Spain, which operated from 1903 to 1989 following their expulsion from France. Released in 2003, this mythical bottling is a master blend of exceptionally rare, historic distillates of both Green and Yellow Chartreuse produced in Tarragona throughout the twentieth century. Handcrafted using the monks' closely guarded recipe of 130 botanicals, the spirits matured in oak casks under the unique, warm Mediterranean climate of Catalonia, which imparted a distinctively rich, sweet, and intensely complex character compared to their French counterparts. This liquid time capsule offers an unparalleled sensory journey through monastic history, blending notes of anise, wild thyme, citrus peel, honey, and warm baking spices.
🍾 About the Producer
Chartreuse represents one of the world's most legendary and enigmatic spirit traditions, rooted in an alchemical manuscript for an 'elixir of long life' presented to the Carthusian monks by François Annibal d'Estrées in 1605. Brother Jérôme Maubec and Brother Antoine spent decades unraveling its formula, establishing the Élixir Végétal in 1764 and Green Chartreuse in 1840. While production historically migrated from Fourvoirie to Tarragona during monastic expulsion, and later Voiron, primary distillation moved to the Aiguenoire facility in Entre-Deux-Guiers in 2018. Surrounded by the limestone massifs of the Prealps, only two designated Carthusian monks hold the complete secret formula, overseeing the selection, weighing, and blending of 130 alpine herbs, plants, and botanicals. The complex multi-stage macerations and copper pot distillations age in colossal uncharred oak foudres, creating peerlessly complex liqueurs capable of decades of bottle maturation. Benchmark expressions include the intensely herbal Green Chartreuse (55% ABV), saffron-tinged Yellow Chartreuse (43% ABV), and extended-cellared V.E.P. bottlings.