Jean-Sébastien Robicquet

Founding chairman, Maison Villevert

As founding chairman of France’s Maison Villevert, Jean-Sébastien Robicquet has been in pursuit of spirits innovation and excellence for more than 20 years. One of the greatest steps the company has made in this direction came with its G’Vine Gin de France, launched in 2006. At the time, the use of grape base spirits – perhaps a natural choice for a French distillery, although still a novelty in the gin world at the time – and botanical vine flowers set it apart from other gins, and it has maintained a reputation for its unconventional composition and unique taste. Drawing on his family’s rich history in the Cognac industry, Jean-Sébastien has earned Maison Villevert a name as a challenger of norms and producer of world-class spirits. Simultaneously, through his natural charisma and prodigious knowledge, he has built a name for himself as an innovator, while also working fiercely to protect and celebrate the heritage of his home region, and French savoir-faire.