Chartreuse, for those of you who have not had it, is a powerfully tasty French liqueur, old enough to have the color named after it.

But if you haven’t tried it in its present form, your chances are dwindling.

Chartreuse Diffusion, the company which bottles Chartreuse, announced in Wine Spectator recently that ownership of the centuries old recipe has become the center of an intellectual property battle within the order of monks who make it.

The recipe, a trade secret which dates back to 1605, has been held by monks of the Carthusian Order for centuries. As lore would have it, only two monks from this order are ever in possession of the recipe.

From the Chartreuse website:

“Only two monks have been entrusted by the Order with the secret of producing the liqueurs. Only these two know the ingredients. Only these two know how these ingredients are prepared for incorporation into the base of wine alcohol.”

Well, apparently, these two had a falling out, and the ownership of the actual manuscript which describes the ancient process is currently in contention.

With this announcement, the price of Chartreuse has spiked to record highs, as the the distributor finishes what may be the last run of the ancient elixir for a while.

So if you have an unopened bottle of the stuff, you may want to stick it in the cellar. And if you have an opened bottle, please come on by!