Chartreuse Yellow Liqueur 700mL

Chartreuse Yellow Liqueur

French Herbal Liqueur | 43% ABV | 86 Proof | 700mL | France | 130 Plants, Flowers, Bark, Roots & Spices | Natural Color | Created in 1840

Process & Profile

Chartreuse Yellow Liqueur, also known as Yellow Chartreuse or Chartreuse Jaune, is an iconic French herbal liqueur produced by the Carthusian Fathers from a closely guarded botanical recipe. Created in 1840 and inspired by the historic Élixir Végétal, Yellow Chartreuse offers a softer, sweeter, and more floral interpretation of the distinctive Chartreuse style.

The recipe incorporates 130 plants, flowers, bark, roots, and spices along with alcohol, sugar, and water. The monks prepare the botanical mixtures at the Grande Chartreuse monastery before the ingredients undergo distillation and multiple macerations to extract their aromatic compounds and create the liqueur's entirely natural yellow color.

After production, Yellow Chartreuse undergoes extended maturation in large oak vats before bottling and continues to develop complexity in the bottle. Bottled at 43% ABV (86 proof), it delivers remarkable aromatic intensity with turmeric, citrus, anise, floral notes, warming spice, and herbal sweetness.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Fresh and spicy with aromatic herbs, flowers, citrus peel, anise, and subtle sweet spice.

• Palate: Soft and rounded with turmeric, citrus, anise, floral notes, honeyed sweetness, herbs, and warming spice.

• Finish: Long, smooth, and aromatic with lingering flowers, citrus, sweet herbs, anise, and delicate spice.

What Makes It Special

• Created in 1840 as a softer and sweeter counterpart to Green Chartreuse.

• Still produced by the Carthusian Fathers using their closely guarded traditional formula.

• Made with a complex combination of 130 plants, flowers, bark, roots, and spices.

• Its distinctive golden-yellow appearance comes from natural botanical ingredients rather than artificial coloring.

• Production involves botanical preparation, distillation, multiple macerations, and extended oak-vat maturation.

• Bottled at a substantial 43% ABV (86 proof).

• Official flavor profile highlights turmeric, citrus, anise, floral notes, and warming spice.

• Can continue to evolve and develop additional complexity after bottling.

• Used both as a traditional digestif and a cocktail ingredient for generations.

• A foundational bottle for drinkers and bartenders seeking French herbal liqueur, botanical spirits, and classic Chartreuse cocktails.

How to Enjoy

Yellow Chartreuse can be enjoyed as a digestif, with the producer recommending it served chilled at approximately 12–13°C (54–55°F) or poured over ice. Chilling highlights its soft texture while allowing the floral, citrus, anise, and herbal aromas to remain expressive.

Its combination of sweetness, botanical complexity, and 86-proof strength also makes it an important cocktail ingredient. Yellow Chartreuse works particularly well with gin, whiskey, agave spirits, citrus, and other herbal ingredients, adding sweetness and aromatic depth without the more assertive vegetal intensity of Green Chartreuse.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Chartreuse Yellow Liqueur?
   Chartreuse Yellow Liqueur, commonly called Yellow Chartreuse or Chartreuse Jaune, is a historic French herbal liqueur created in 1840 and produced by the Carthusian Fathers from a secret recipe incorporating 130 plants, flowers, bark, roots, and spices.

2. What is the difference between Chartreuse Yellow Liqueur and Green Chartreuse?
   Yellow Chartreuse is softer, sweeter, more floral, and lower in alcohol than Green Chartreuse. Yellow Chartreuse is bottled at 43% ABV and emphasizes citrus, turmeric, anise, flowers, and gentle spice, while Green Chartreuse is stronger and generally more intensely herbal and vegetal.

3. What proof is Chartreuse Yellow Liqueur?
   Chartreuse Yellow Liqueur is bottled at 43% ABV, equivalent to 86 proof.

4. What does Chartreuse Yellow Liqueur taste like?
   Yellow Chartreuse has a complex sweet and herbal profile featuring turmeric, citrus, anise, floral notes, gentle spice, and botanical sweetness. Its texture is softer and rounder than Green Chartreuse while retaining the distinctive aromatic complexity of the Chartreuse style.

5. Where can I buy Chartreuse Yellow Liqueur?
   Chartreuse Yellow Liqueur is available directly from The Barrel Tap, a trusted online source for Chartreuse, French herbal liqueurs, specialty spirits, and hard-to-find releases.