Chartreuse shortage has bartenders crying and an Ottawa distillery innovating

The French liqueur Chartreuse has become a cult favourite in the bartending community in recent years. That popularity, plus a production cap by the monks who make it, has resulted in a shortage in many markets. 

In Ontario, a hold on orders has some establishments rationing their supply.

“When we felt this was coming on, we stockpiled as much as we could,” said Stephen Flood, head bartender at Ottawa’s Riviera restaurant

“Right now, we’re down to what is in that gigantic bottle at the back. We’ve been pouring into smaller bottles, but that’s going to run out pretty soon.”

Flood describes the flavour as like nothing else, making it an indispensable weapon in a bartender’s arsenal, one that he’ll miss if he can’t get it in the future.

“Green Chartreuse is a little higher proof and zingy, I guess, the best word. I know it’s kind of a vague word, but you do sense this sort of like a sharp, herbaceous note,” he said.

“The yellow Chartreuse is a little lower in alcohol and it’s a bit more honeyed, a little bit more mellow, but it also has those under notes of herbaceousness.”

Limited supply 

Chartreuse is reputedly made of 130 plants and herbs, distilled according to a secret recipe that only two, or at times three, monks know. They aren’t likely to divulge the details either, as the order takes a vow of silence.

“It’s the flavour that has me in and coming back to it so often, but with the story on top of that, I then get to go 1,000 layers deeper,” said Paul Einbund, a restaurant owner, sommelier, and Chartreuse expert based in California. 

That story is steeped in mystery, but the cliff notes version says it all started when the Catholic monks of the Carthusian order in France received a manuscript from a Marshall of France in 1605. The document contained a list of plants and directions for making an elixir of long life.

The monks worked on the recipe over the years and began selling it as a medicine, then when it became popular, as a drink. Along the way, it became the primary source of income for the monastery. Now, centuries later, after a business arm was developed to market the liqueur, it is a brand known throughout much of the world.  

The herbaceous flavour has gone in and out of fashion over its history, but recently, has experienced a fresh surge in popularity. 

“It’s less than a decade, probably eight years, that it’s been blowing up in America at least. And I believe that we were the creators of the renaissance of Chartreuse in cocktails,” said Einbund. 

“The real blow up probably happened during the pandemic where global consumption of everything … blew up.”

In 2021, the monks announced that despite growing demand they would not be increasing production beyond their current record levels.

In Ontario, Chartreuse is out of stock at the LCBO because of a pricing dispute, a person with close knowledge of the situation told CBC. The source spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive commercial matters. 

In a written statement, the LCBO said that to keep prices competitive it has a long-standing policy of requiring that any product ordered be available at a price equal to or lower than the price at any other government liquor board or purchasing body in Canada. 

CBC’s source explained that Chartreuse recently raised its prices but made a deal with the Quebec liquor corporation SAQ for a lower price than the LCBO.

The LCBO didn’t answer direct questions about its dealings with Chartreuse, but said in its statement that it continues to work with vendors to fulfil orders, without providing a timeline for the product returning to shelves. 

Chartreuse’s business arm did not respond to a request for comment.

An alternative?

But the shortage isn’t bad news for SFR Distillery in Ottawa’s Kanata neighborhood. 

Master Distiller Adam Brierley is seizing what he sees as an opportunity. 

“Our Monk’s Secret Herbal Liqueur is our answer to the Chartreuse shortage,” he said.

When Brierley noticed the shortage in Ontario, he was inspired to create an alternative. 

“I grabbed the only bottle that I could find over a year ago, and we’ve been smelling and tasting and working on it since,” Brierley said.

After 18 test batches, the resulting liqueur was “85 per cent there”, Brierley estimated.

They are now ready to sell their concoction, with plans to make their next batch even better.