Tarragone El Licor Cumbre Yellow -59
⏳ Drinking Window
Ready to drink now, this historic bottling has reached a peak of maturity but possesses the structure to remain in pristine condition indefinitely.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Dark chocolate truffles, mature blue cheese, caramelized apple tart
✨ Technical Specifications
During their period of exile from France, the Carthusian Monks established a distillery in the Catalan port city of Tarragona, Spain, producing what would become some of the most legendary spirits in history. Among these prized liquid relics is 'El Licor Cumbre' Yellow Chartreuse, bottled between 1951 and 1959. This historic bottling represents a fascinating chapter of monastic heritage, combining the secret recipe of 130 botanicals with the unique Mediterranean climate and aging conditions of the Tarragona cellars. The Yellow expression is naturally sweeter and milder than the Green, showcasing a complex, honeyed profile infused with saffron, anise, thyme, and citrus peel. Decades of bottle aging have transformed this spirit, integrating its alcohol and sugars into a seamless, ethereal elixir of unparalleled depth.
🍾 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.