Chartreuse (liqueur) - Types

Types

The two types of Chartreuse are:

• Green Chartreuse (110 proof or 55%) is a naturally green liqueur flavored with extracts from 132 plants with its coloring coming from chlorophyll.
• Yellow Chartreuse (40%), which has a milder and sweeter flavor and aroma.

Also made by the monks of Chartreuse are:

Chartreuse VEP

VEP stands for Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé, meaning "exceptionally prolonged aging" in English. It is made using the same processes and the same secret formula as the traditional liqueur, and by extra long aging in oak casks it reaches an exceptional quality. Chartreuse VEP comes in both yellow and green.

Elixir Végétal de la Grande-Chartreuse (138 proof or 69%)

The same base of about 130 medicinal and aromatic plants and flowers; far stronger. It can be described as a cordial or a liqueur, and is claimed to be a tonic. Sold in small wooden-covered bottles.

Liqueur du 9° Centenaire (47%)

Created in 1984 to commemorate the 900 year anniversary of the foundation of the abbey. It is similar to Green Chartreuse but slightly sweeter.

Chartreuse 1605 – Liqueur d'Elixir (56%)

Created to commemorate the return of a mysterious manuscript concerning an elixir of long life to the Carthusian monks by Marshal François Annibal d'Estrées.

White Chartreuse (30%)

Produced and sold between 1860 and 1900.

Furthermore, the monks make a "Génépi". Génépi is the general term in the Alps for a homemade or local liquor featuring local mountain flora. (There are hundreds or even thousands of different Genepi liquors made, many simply by families for their own use each year.) As they have been making Charteuse from local plants for centuries, the monks have recently (2000s) made a Génépi as a sideline product. It is labelled "Génépi des Pêres Chartreux" and is generally only available locally in a 70cl bottle, usually labelled 40% alcohol.