Hall of Fame

The destiny of Thierry Bénitah crossed with that of whiskey during his adolescence, when he worked as an intern for his father, Georges, who founded La Maison du Whisky in Paris in 1956. First attracted by the world of finance, he spent two years in the USA, and it was in Philadelphia that he shared his enthusiasm for whiskey with his fellow students. Returning to France, he joined La Maison du Whisky, where he became managing director in February 1995.

He turned this modest company, initially a simple retailer, into one of the most dynamic spirits distributors in Europe. From the end of the 1990s, he developed numerous brands in distribution, first on the French market, then on the European continent, following the creation of an export department. Today, he remains very attached to the brands he works with, some of which he has been involved with since their creation.

In the mid-1990s, Thierry launched whisky.fr, the first French e-commerce site dedicated to whiskeys and spirits, then, a few years later, the French edition of Whisky Magazine. The company also organises Whisky Live Paris, which will celebrate its 18th anniversary this year and now brings together more than 40,000 visitors over three days.

Curious, demanding and committed to the concept of independence, Thierry considers that distribution is only part of the job. Thus, he creates initiatives to develop a unique and holistic experience around spirits for consumers.

Thierry had particular involvement in the early days of Japanese whisky, as it emerged onto the Western scene, and he still works closely with Nikka to this day. Regularly in contact with merchants, distillers and the greatest whisky experts, he has implemented his global vision for the world of spirits and developed a unique distribution model that maintains complete independence.

Involved and enthusiastic about his work, perseverance and consistency are fundamental drivers for Thierry. Today, La Maison du Whisky continues to evolve in a dynamic market and takes advantage of its great adaptability, going from strength to strength during this incredible era of popularity for whisky.

In 2002, when Four Roses became a sister distillery of Mt. Fuji, Jota was assigned to transfer various functions from Seagram North America Operations and integrate them into Four Roses Distillery LLC. While working in Kentucky as director of quality in charge of product development, he created Four Roses Small Batch and its Limited Edition series, and refined other product portfolios.

After working at Four Roses Distillery with Jim Rutledge, Al Young, and other passionate fellows for seven years, he returned to Japan in 2009. He was appointed as chief blender for Kirin Whisky in 2010, then as master blender in 2017, only the second person to hold that post in 50 years of its history. He was named Master Distiller / Master Blender of the Year in 2017 at the Icons of Whisky awards. He was also recognised by the bourbon whiskey industry in 2019, when he was inducted into the Order of the Writ – Spirit of Kentucky Bourbon society’s inaugural class of members. He was appointed executive fellow on top of master blender in 2019 and played a leading role in the Kirin Whisky business.

Jota has also been actively involved in Japanese whisky industry activities to protect the integrity and reputation of Japanese whisky domestically and internationally, by assisting in the setting of standards for Japanese whisky labelling. Today, he is pouring all of his passion, skill and experience into the flagship whisky brand FUJI.