10 THE NAVIGATOR | FEATURE It was the late-1980s, and Georges Bénitah was in Scotland. Georges was something of a household name when it came to whisky in France. Together with his two brothers he’d founded La Maison du Whisky in 1956 and transformed the French palate for single malt. They signed on new brands and pioneered the concept of single-cask bottlings in France. Georges was an astute salesman with a refined palate, but his English was limited. And so, his son Thierry had been asked to travel with him to Scotland as an interpreter. But stepping into the distilleries for the first time Thierry was bowled over by the pungent smell of the mash tuns and the malted barley, the heady scent all too overwhelming. “I told my father, I will never work in this industry!” says Thierry with a chuckle. He was, happily, to be proven wrong. Thierry Bénitah began his career in the world of finance and the stock markets, later spending two years in the United States to pursue his Master of Business Administration. Although he’d grown up in one of France’s most famous spirits families, it was only here that he first began to learn to enjoy whisky. When Thierry returned to France, and a presumed career in finance, Georges announced he was thinking of selling the family business. Though Thierry’s uncles were partners, Georges was the face of La Maison du Whisky. Thierry’s interest was piqued, and by 1995 they had bought out his uncle’s share of the business. With annual sales of just €1.5-million and a staff of six people, “it was a tiny, tiny company,” remembers Thierry. “No website. Always split between trade and consumer sales.” Until 1995 La Maison du Whisky had focused on well-known Scottish brands, but as Thierry took the reins he saw the potential in stocking and selling lesser-known distilleries. He expanded the portfolio, went searching for new brands in the USA, and established La Maison du Whisky as a home for the most exciting brands spirits enthusiasts had never heard of. “I started to grow the portfolio, and it was quite easy because nobody else was doing this apart from the big players,” recalls Thierry. “We were alone.” Using the new-fangled technology of the time – dubbed ‘email’ – he worked on building a direct relationship with customers. That direct connection, and the immediacy of digital communication, sparked a fervent interest in the swathe of new single malts La Maison du Whisky was introducing to the market. “It really tapped into a new generation of drinkers,” recalls Thierry. “It reminds me of what we see today with rum drinkers. It was the same in 1995 with single malt. People were queuing outside the doors of La Maison du Whisky to buy a single bottle!” THIERRY BÉNITAH: A MASTER OF MALT LOST CASKS AND A LOVE FOR WHISKY
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