The Meunier Distillery has 200+ history in its expertise. In 1809, a botanist-enthusiast merchant, Charles Meunier, partnered with a liqueur manufacturer, Camille Teissere, to start their winemaking journey in Grenoble. Charles used local resources, utilizing alpine plants grown at an altitude of 1600 meters in the Alpes as the primary material for making Génépi. After repeated experiments and adjustments, he finally created the first generation of “Génépi des Alpes.”
To this day, the Meunier Distillery has been through three generations of inheritance and has accumulated countless medals and honors at various international exhibitions in Paris, Brussels, Melbourne, Marseille, and other cities.
In 2020, they established their own distilling and cultivation base in the Vanoise Massif of the Savoie region in France, at altitude of 1600 meters. With a focus on natural cultivation, they have currently planted over 12,000 plants, with the goal of meeting all the distillery’s plant needs by 2025, prioritizing for the best quantity possible. Here, many Artemisia plants used specifically for making Génépi are cultivated, as well as the Alpine treasure, Génépi.
The golden liquid held in the glass bottle—an exclusive herbal liqueur from the Alpine region. The French call it “Génépi,” while the Italians refer to it as “Génépy.” Every household in the area has its own unique recipe! The origins of Génépi can be traced back hundreds of years. Due to the cold climate of the Alpine region, the locals have traditionally used this liqueur to ward off the cold, and it is customarily used as a healthy digestive liqueur after meals. The process of making Génépi is both simple and complex, with the main ingredient being Artemisia plants, supplemented by various flowers and herbs according to each family’s recipe. After soaking and resting, it becomes the most unique herbal liqueur.
Meunier Distillery is very focusing on the distillation process of herbal liqueur. Their winemaking tools are divided into a “distiller” for distilling “alcohol concentration” and a “plant distiller” for extracting the aromatic flavors of plants. These two types of distillates respectively capture the alcohol content and fragrance in the herbal liqueur, making each distillation process more precise and pure. This unique and professional ancient winemaking craftsmanship gives their Alpine Génépi a unique aroma and quality.
Génépi typically has an alcohol content of over 40%. Traditionally used as a healthy digestive liqueur after meals, it can be enjoyed neat, mixed with tonic water, or with ice, allowing experiencing its Alpine aromatic flavors with various levels of richness. Génépi pairs well with citrus fruits and can be blended with grapefruit juice to create a refreshing cocktail with the warmth of a sunset. It can also be mixed with gin and lemon juice to make a cocktail with a herbal aroma.
