France, 40%
Benedictine is a herbal liqueur produced in France.It was developed by wine merchant Alexandre Le Grand in the 19th century,and is reputedly flavored with twenty-seven flowers,berries,herbs,roots and spices.
In 1863 Alexandre Le Grand developed a recipe for an herbal liqueur, helped by a local chemist, from old medicinal recipes that he had acquired from a religious foundation where a maternal grandparent had held office as a fiscal prosecutor. To market it, he embellished a story of it having been developed by monks at the Benedictine Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy, and produced by them until the abbey's devastation during the French Revolution. He began production under the trade name "Bénédictine", using a bottle with a distinguishing shape and label. To reinforce his myth, he placed the abbreviation "D.O.M." on the label, for "Deo Optimo Maximo" ("To God, most good, most great"), used at the beginning of documents by the Benedictine Order to dedicate their work.
In 1982 just 15% of the production of the liqueur was sold in France with 45% of the product going to the United States of America.Benedictine is sold in over two hundred markets. The United Kingdom remains a significant market in Europe where much of the Bénédictine is consumed in the Burnley area of England.This is as a result of returning Great War soldiers of the East Lancashire Regiment acquiring a taste for the drink while stationed in France during the War. Traditionally people in East Lancashire drink Bénédictine with hot water, known as "Bene 'n' 'ot", and the Burnley Miners Club is reputedly the largest single customer.The abbey at Fécamp was used for a convalescence hospital.
In 1986, the Martini & Rossi group took control of Bénédictine. In 1992 they in turn were bought out by Bacardi for a reported $1.4 billion.
By 2010 around 75% of the production was exported. This marked a significant increase in its popularity in France. The biggest consumers of Bénédictine are the United States, Malaysia and Singapore.
