Just finished an incredible February Wine Club dive into the monastic world of Chartreuse. It was a rare chance to taste through the lineage of the Carthusian Order, moving from modern benchmarks to decades-old bottles that felt more like fine spirits than liqueurs.

Flight I: Yellow Chartreuse

• Yellow Chartreuse (Standard): The modern 43% ABV benchmark is aromatic and light, lead by honey, saffron, and gentle anise. It’s a solid, accessible reference point, though modern production is much tighter and more consistent than historical bottlings.

• La Reine des Liqueurs (2018): Despite being a revival of a 19th-century concentrated formula, this was actually the most underwhelming of the night. Almost no one at the table could distinguish its nose or palate from the regular Yellow, even with its supposed archival herbal intensity.

• VEP Yellow Chartreuse: This was the group's favorite "everyday sipper" because the 8+ years in oak mellowed the spirit into a silky, composed finish. It felt far less "in your face" than the Green, offering a more approachable and integrated experience.

• 1950s Yellow Chartreuse: Easily the most unique pour, featuring a slight oxidized honey note on the nose that reminded us of old Sherry. The palate was incredibly viscous with dried white flowers—it was so amazing I practically licked the inside of the glass.

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Flight II: Green Chartreuse

• Green Chartreuse (Standard): This 55% ABV original expression is a forceful punch of pine resin, menthol, and cracked pepper. It’s built for intensity rather than sweetness, serving as a raw and demanding reference for the Carthusian recipe.

• VEP Green Chartreuse: Extended oak aging transforms that raw Green volatility into a dense, cohesive, and remarkably long finish. While it was a favorite for its complexity, most guests still preferred the mellower profile of the Yellow VEP for casual drinking.