Distillery La Salettina

A jewel of authentic heritage in Corps and Matheysine
Nestled in the heart of the historic village of Corps, crossed by the famous Route Napoléon (where the Emperor stayed the night of March 6-7, 1815 at the Hôtel du Palais during his return from Elba), the Maison Salettina Distillery has occupied since 1961 the birthplace of Maximin Giraud. This boy was, together with the young girl Mélanie Calvat, one of the two shepherd children who witnessed the apparition of Notre-Dame de La Salette in 1846. Just about 200 metres away stands the birthplace of Mélanie Calvat, now converted into a small museum dedicated to her life and the Marian message, where ex-votos offered in gratitude for graces received through the intercession of Notre-Dame de La Salette are notably displayed.
This history-laden neighbourhood harbours an exceptional living heritage: a century-old copper alambic (dating from 1860) still in operation. As the reference work L’Inventaire du patrimoine culinaire de la France – Rhône-Alpes: Produits du terroir et recettes traditionnelles (Albin Michel / Conseil National des Arts Culinaires, directed by Alexandre Lazareff) explains: “Around 1860 Maximin Giraud created in Corps a liqueur for which he registered the name: ‘Liqueur de la Salette’ Mentioning on the label its manufacture from plants of the holy mountain. In 1870 Maximin Giraud transferred the preparation recipe to Alfred Vivien, and in the process the word ‘Sainte’ disappeared from the label...”. Although this original composition based exclusively on plants from the Holy Mountain (La Salette) has not been practised for a long time, and no original recipe from Maximin has been preserved in the current distillery archives, this historical passage bears witness to the early rooting of the liqueur in the Alpine terroir.
Today, the distillery perpetuates an authentic Alpine artisanal know-how: maceration and distillation of local plants (Alpine génépi IGP, vulnéraire, hyssop, wild fruits…), handed down and adapted through generations. It thus embodies the spiritual heritage linked to the apparition of Notre-Dame de La Salette, the 19th-century industrial legacy with its historic equipment, and the authenticity of a medieval village with typical narrow streets, marked by the Napoleonic epic and mountain traditions. A sincere and living testimony to the soul of Matheysine.