Le Grand-Olan in its brand new bottle!

Grand-Olan, one of Distillerie Meunier's historic recipes, has recently been bottled in a redesigned bottle. After Suc des Glaciers, it's now the turn of this liqueur, made from 23 plants, to get a makeover. The bottle's packaging and label have been entirely redesigned by Juliette Villard, an artist based in Voiron (Isère, France), the Distillery's historic birthplace. Let's take a look behind the scenes of the creation, and discover the approach that inspired her.

The history of Grand-Olan

In the early 19th century, Charles Meunier received a recipe from the Carthusian monk Dom Emmanuel Nivière for an elixir made by distilling 23 aromatic plants.
This recipe was marketed a few years later in the form of a liqueur called Grand-Olan, in reference to the peak in the Alps where some of the plants in the recipe flower. The recipe for this liqueur has remained strictly unchanged ever since.

Grand-Olan, with its naturally golden colour, can be enjoyed as an after-dinner drink (serve in a tasting glass or wine glass, slightly chilled or over ice) or in cocktails.

On the palate, this liqueur has a very long-lasting aroma. The herbaceous flavours are followed by spicy, peppery aromas.

A modern design for traditional markers

Juliette Villard, a graphic designer and painter based in Isère, specialises in historic brands and houses. She brings her graphic and artistic skills to bear, offering support that combines a contemporary and manual approach, and draws her inspiration from studying archives.

To create this new bottle, we had to delve into the historic bottles of the Distillerie Meunier. As Juliette says: "go back into history to create the future".

The aim was to create a simple label, faithful to the 'iconic' Grand Olan bottle that had been selected as a model, with some ornamentation. Drawing on history to bring out the emotion of an era.

A study of the archives of all the Meunier liqueurs was therefore undertaken, and many of the House's historical elements and codes came to light. 

As part of her creative process, Juliette took her best pencil and drew all the elements of the label by hand, using the historical codes as a starting point. It's a manual process that allows us to rediscover this authenticity, and highlights the heritage of the Maison Meunier, in particular that of Grand-Olan.

Juliette's meticulous work blends tradition and modernity, and is an intrinsic part of the Distillery's expertise.

A modernised design with traditional markers, in a nod to this historic recipe.

The bottle, for its part, offers a promise of experience, wonder and the extraordinary. It has been chosen to be the same as the entire Génépis Meunier collection: N°1, Altitude and Héritage, as well as Gin and Suc des Glaciers. 

You can find Grand-Olan liqueur in our shop in Saint-Quentin-sur-Isère, on our online shop or via our distribution network throughout France!