Salers

ZONE 01 — VERIFIED FACTS

Founded

1885, by Alfred Labounoux per the producer's page (French Wikipedia gives Ambroise Labounoux, a distiller originally from Haute-Corrèze — the first-name discrepancy is real on both fetched pages)A·1

Founding location

Montaignac-Saint-Hippolyte, near Tulle, Corrèze — the liqueur takes its name from the village of Salers in neighbouring Cantal, around which the family sourced its gentian rootsC·4

Gentian sourcing

Yellow gentian (Gentiane lutea) collected in Auvergne on the slopes of Puy Mary, near the village of Salers; roots pulled manually per the producerA·1

Gentian supply (since 2008)

Supply secured via contract with a gentian grower based at Bourg-Lastic (Puy-de-Dôme)C·4

Current ownership

Acquired by the Védrenne family group (Pagès Védrenne, via holding company Dolfi) from the Labounoux family in 2006; corroborated as current by the owner's live brand pageC·4

Current production site

Distillerie des Terres Rouges, Turenne, Corrèze (near Brive-la-Gaillarde), since June 2008C·4

Ageing

Aged more than three years in Limousin oak vatsA·1

Range

Sold at three strengths — 16% (flagship), 20%, and 25% ABVA·1

Strength coding

Bottles of the three strengths are distinguished by cork colourC·4

ZONE 02 — AI-COLLATED SUMMARY

ZONE 03 — PRODUCER-SUBMITTED NOTES

PRODUCTS ON RECORD

SERVES

ZONE 04 — COMMUNITY TASTING NOTES

COMMON QUESTIONS

Where is Salers made?

Salers is made in Turenne, France, and was founded in 1885.

What style of amaro is Salers?

On The Amaro Atlas, Salers Gentiane Aperitif is recorded in the family ring, within the Gentiane tradition. The producer describes it as "Producer's own description: 'the oldest gentian aperitif made in the Massif Central' (vedrenne.fr); sold as 'SALERS Gentian Liqueur' / Gentian Apéritif".

SOURCES — A–D GRADED (4)

1. [1]ASalers — official brand page · Groupe Védrenne (Pagès Védrenne) · producer-official · accessed 2026-07-05Current owner's official brand page, fetched live. Confirms: 1885 founding (attributes to Alfred Labounoux; French Wikipedia gives Ambroise — see Founded row), yellow-gentian base collected in Auvergne on the slopes of Puy Mary near the village of Salers with manual root-pulling, ageing 'more than three years' in a Limousin oak vat, the three strengths 16%/20%/25% including the 16% flagship, 2006 entry into the Védrenne family group, current production at Turenne near Brive-la-Gaillarde (site spells it 'Brive-la-Gaillard'), the 'oldest gentian aperitif made in the Massif Central' self-description, and the Salers Tonic recipe (40ml Salers 16%, 100ml tonic, orange twist).
2. [2]BSalers Gentian Apéritif — product page · Haus Alpenz (US importer) · other · accessed 2026-07-05US importer product page, fetched live. Spec table states 16.0% ABV (B-grade corroboration of the producer-stated strength); lists Gentiane lutea; verbatim tasting notes ('Vegetal/cut-grass notes; hints of citrus peel, mint and anise', 'Adds earthy, floral and bitter notes', 'Lightly sweet'); serves on-the-rocks with lemon, San Pellegrino Limonata, and Blond Negroni with gin and Dolin blanc. Does NOT mention the 20%/25% variants or cork colours. Importer-channel source: serve suggestions are the importer's, not the distillery's.
3. [3]BDistillerie de la Salers — producer profile · Haus Alpenz (US importer) · other · accessed 2026-07-05Importer's producer-level profile, fetched live. Corroborates 1885 founding, 16.0% ABV, Puy Mary ('Puy Marie' sic) gentian sourcing, and the 'oldest gentian liqueur of the Massif Central' positioning. Its 'highest mountain in the area' claim is loose marketing (Plomb du Cantal is higher) and is not relied on for any verified fact.
4. [4]CSalers (liqueur) · Wikipédia (French) · database · accessed 2026-07-05Encyclopedia entry, fetched live. Source of: founding by Ambroise Labounoux of Haute-Corrèze at Montaignac-Saint-Hippolyte near Tulle (Corrèze); name taken from the Cantal village of Salers around which the family sourced gentian roots; 2006 transfer to Pagès Védrenne via the Dolfi holding; June 2008 production move to Distillerie des Terres Rouges, Turenne; the cork-colour coding of the 16/20/25 range; three-year oak ageing; and the since-2008 gentian supply contract with a grower at Bourg-Lastic (Puy-de-Dôme).

A producer-official / regulatory · B reputable published · C secondary · D community/unverified

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