We are delighted to share with you the prestigious awards recently received by Mr. Benoit, Saint James’ Master distiller, as well as Saint James Distillery during the latest « World Drinks Awards » competition.
Mr. Jean-Claude Benoit, director of the Saint James distillery, received the Icons of Rhum award at the World Drinks Awards competition as the best Master Distiller of the year! This a well-deserved award in view of his career in the world of rhum as he devoted a big part of his life to the production and distillation of Saint James and J.Bally rhums.
Jean Claude Benoit, born in 1945, began his adventure on the island of Martinique in 1970. He acquired unrivaled experience with the raw material he cherished so much: sugar cane. One of the greatest projects of his life was surely the creation of the first protected geographical indication for a rhum-producing territory, the AOC in 1996. His knowledge led him to become one of the best Master distillers in the world of rhum.
The distillery and Saint James Habitation are also granted the prestigious award “Visitor Attraction of the Year“. All year round, our local team welcomes you to Saint James’ home, you will be able to visit our Museum of Saint James Rhum as well as the distillery premises. We also provide guided tours of the Distillery during the harvest period from March to June.
Last but not least, Marc Sassier, our master blender responsible for production at the Saint-James distillery, has been rewarded as a “highly recommended icon of rhum”.
He is undoubtedly one of the leading technicians in the field of agricultural rhum. His expertise has led him to chair Martinique’s AOC.
All three awards translate the team’s dedication and effort producing rhum of rare quality.
It highlights Saint James’ know-how and confirms its position as Martinique’s number one Rhum producer.
