The Chartreuse Cellars

For over 400 years, the Chartreuse Cellars in Voiron have closely guarded their secret recipe of 135 plants... their green and yellow liqueurs were once considered to be elixirs that bestowed long life!

Since 1970, the company CHARTREUSE DIFFUSION has been responsible for the packaging, promotion and sale of all the products made by the Carthusian monks.

The production of the liqueur is the main occupation of the monastic order and its recipe is known only to the monks.

Indeed, the formula remains a mystery in spite of many attempts to pierce the mystery using modern investigative methods.

The liqueurs made by the Carthusian Monks contain no chemical additives. The colours come solely from the plants used to make the drinks.

The process begins with the 135 plants being steeped in alcohol before being distilled. The resulting liquid is mixed with distilled honey and sugar syrup to give the liqueurs their rich green and yellow colours. The drinks are only sold to the public after a long ageing process in oak barrels.

If the ageing process is particularly long, the resulting Chartreuse liqueur is labelled "Chartreuse V.E.P." which stands for Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé (exceptionally long ageing).

Tours  

Guided tours and tastings are free.

The free tour includes a 3D film recounting the story of the Carthusian Monks from the founding of their order in 1084 and the various activities that have occupied them through the centuries: farming, smithying, cutting wood, pharmacy, and liqueur making.

Contact

Caves de la Chartreuse
10 Bd Edgar-Kofler
38500 Voiron
tel. +33 (0)4 76 05 81 77