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
Tracing its origins to 1605 when the Carthusian monks received a mysterious manuscript detailing an 'Elixir of Long Life,' Chartreuse is one of the world's most iconic and secretive spirit producers. Perfected in 1737 at the Grande Chartreuse monastery near Grenoble, France, the sacred recipe remains strictly guarded by just two monks who oversee the selection, maceration, and distillation of 130 natural mountain herbs, plants, and flowers. Production has traversed historic milestones, including a famed period of distillation in Tarragona, Spain, before settling at their modern state-of-the-art distillery in Entre-Deux-Guiers. Renowned globally for its distinctive natural coloring and profound herbal complexity, Chartreuse produces revered expressions such as Chartreuse Verte, the softer Chartreuse Jaune, and extended oak-aged V.E.P. bottlings that evolve magnificently with age.