Chartreuse 1966-1982

The Chartreuse of 1966-1982 (Voiron)

In France, the 1960's to 1980's saw a rise in Chartreuse sales, as well as a boost in popularity for the brand since the liqueur was very present during the 1968 Winter Olympic Games. Chartreuse Diffusion, the new company created in 1970, came up with the ad campaign "Osez le verre vert" (which roughly translates to "Dare the green glass" in English). It's also thanks to Chartreuse Diffusion that the monks decided to diversify their line of products, with the creation of the Anisette Chartreuse, Blueberry Chartreuse, Orange Chartreuse... The brand was more prominently featured in shops and the export to the United States now represented more than 180,000 liters sold each year!

During this time, you could say that there was a real Chartreusemania going on in France and the company entered a sort of golden age. The Carthusian Fathers seized this opportunity to upgrade and expand their storage cellars located in Voiron, where they kept thousands of bottles for aging. In 1968, once the work was finished and the new cellar complete, the building opened its doors to the public once again.

Everything seemed to go well... until 1981. That year, it all changed: the "Swampwater", a famous cocktail made with pineapple juice and Green Chartreuse, was now snubbed by American customers. The monks' liqueur itself soon followed and exports to the United States began to drop. In 1982, the following year, the French market was also hit by this growing disinterest for digestif drinks. As they watched all of this unfold, the people at Chartreuse Diffusion started to panic and had to go back to the drawing board. The brand needed to be revitalized fast.

Looking to buy some Chartreuse online? Pleasure Wine is here for you! Since 2011, we are the rare and ancient Chartreuse specialists in France, with dozens of historic periods in store and almost 300 of the finest bottles available for sale.