A few months after his birth, Jean-Sébastien's parents moved to Cambodia. As a child, he followed his mother to the markets, and this memory is still vivid in him: scents, aromas, and flavors are etched in his mind. Twenty years later, when he left to develop the cognac trade in Singapore, these same aromas would awaken his senses once again.

His "olfactory dictionary" was further enriched when Jean-Sébastien grew up in a small village a few kilometers from Bordeaux. There, surrounded by vineyards, he participated in vineyard work, discovered grapes and musts, and absorbed the aromas of nature. His father participated in his taste education. Later, as an oenology student in Bordeaux, in the laboratory of Jean Ribéreau-Gayon (1905-1991), one of the founders of modern oenology, along with Louis Pasteur, Jean-Sébastien had the privilege of professionally training in tasting.

His training continued with law studies and the writing of books dedicated to wine, combining, from this time on, his two passions: taste, tasting and the passion for sharing, communicating, exchanging to help people discover this art of living that is wines and spirits.

Jean-Sébastien's connection with spirits began when he was approached by Hennessy, the world leader in cognac, to help develop the market in Singapore. There, he immersed himself in local life, meeting and sharing with the Chinese community. After Hennessy, Jean-Sébastien collaborated with Hine cognac before joining Bernard Magrez, the owner of famous Bordeaux châteaux.

The turn of the century marked the beginning of Jean-Sébastien's creation of one of the very first internet portals dedicated to distributing French wines and spirits to the American market. In 2001, Diageo set out to create a new, exceptional, different, and uniquely flavored French vodka. The world leader turned to Jean-Sébastien, who poured all his talent into creating this vodka made from French grapes: Cîroc, which was born in 2003!

Ten years later, Cîroc entered the TOP 10 of the most prestigious brands in the world (source IWSC 2014). The development model on which Jean-Sébastien Robicquet would rely from then on was established: creating, developing, and supporting international luxury spirits brands with the aim of making them global benchmarks.

This is where experts imagine, design, develop, and ship more than 50% of the exceptional spirits* consumed worldwide. 280 million bottles in 150 countries (cognac, gin, vodka, and other spirits) represent €4 billion a year.

Jean-Sébastien Robicquet is undoubtedly one of the pioneers of Spirits Valley, having created the first vodka (Cîroc) made from grapes in 2003 and the first gin in France (G'Vine) made from grapes and vine flowers in 2006.

Today, Jean-Sébastien Robicquet is one of the most influential spirits creators of his generation. He is responsible for iconic brands such as G'Vine , June , Nouaison , La Quintinye Vermouth Royal , Excellia Tequila , La Guilde du Cognac, etc.

A visionary of taste, he was inducted into the Gin Hall of Fame , recognizing his pioneering role and contribution to the reinvention of the gin category. His signature? Combining innovation, terroir and elegance in each creation.