St-Rémy’s Master Blender, Cécile Roudaut, wins Blender of the Year
at The Spirits Business Awards 2022

Cécile Roudaut, Master Blender for St-Rémy Brandy, has been awarded Blender of the Year at The Spirits Business Awards 2022. The awards took place at the Ivy Club in London on Thursday 3rd November, where Cécile was in attendance to collect the coveted prize. Receiving one of the most prestigious awards of the ceremony, Cecile was selected ahead of talented legends across the spirits category from Whisky to Tequila. 

Cécile Roudaut has been Master Blender at St-Rémy Brandy since 2016. Her role involves selecting eaux-de-vies and nurturing them whilst they are aging in small French oak barrels, before she creates the blends which will become St-Rémy brandy.

Cécile comments: “This is a truly special moment for me to be awarded Blender of the Year by The Spirits Business, and see my work celebrated on such a prestigious, global scale. I am truly honoured to be Master Blender for St-Rémy and take my role very seriously in respecting the brand’s values and ensuring that St-Rémy retains its authenticity throughout the blending process.”

This award celebrates Cécile’s exceptional savoir-faire, where her success has been demonstrated through continuing the legacy of the brand’s VSOP and XO expressions to shaping a new face for brandy with St-Rémy Signature. Her highly acclaimed Cask Finish Collection which launched in 2018 has also been recognised across the industry, with her most recent creation ‘Finished in Port Casks’ launching this October.

The Spirits Business is the leading international spirits trade publication, and its annual competition is respected across the world. Earlier this year, Cécile’s work was also recognised at The Spirits Business’ Brandy Masters when St-Rémy XO and St-Rémy Signature were both awarded Gold Medals.

Who is Cécile Roudaut?

Growing up in the Loire Valley, Cecile took an early interest in the grapevine and began working at a winery. This inspired her to study oenology before joining Rémy Cointreau in 1997 in the R&D department. Cécile honed her skills over the following two decades, eventually succeeding Martine Pain as St-Rémy’s Master Blender in 2016.

St-Rémy is France’s largest and most successful brandy and is the leading brand in more than 70 markets worldwide, with a market share of 18.2%. Cécile respects this heritage by staying true to its history, whilst still letting her curiosity spark new innovations. Her skill is in her work maintaining consistency for the brand, selecting eaux-de-vie from across France and nurturing them whilst they age. Responsible for creating the blend which will become St-Rémy brandy, she expertly balances the flavours of multiple eaux-de-vie from different regions, carefully perpetuating the iconic fruity and harmonious style of St-Rémy VSOP and XO, each year, and her most recent expression, St-Rémy Signature which is quickly expanding across the globe and aims to reach a new era of brandy-drinkers.

Cécile’s creativity has become most evident through the St-Rémy Cask Finish Collection, which launched in 2018 with the Chardonnay Casks Finish. Her oenological expertise was put to work, culminating in a sensational mix of flavours. The series expanded in 2019 with the Barbados Dark Rum, Islay Scotch Whisky and Cabernet-Sauvignon Casks Finish, in 2020 with the Oloroso Sherry Casks Finish, and in 2021 with the Sauternes and second batch of Barbados Dark Rum Casks Finish, each a showcase of her expansive knowledge of casks and the interaction between eaux-de-vie and wood. Most recently, Cécile released her latest expression ‘Finish in Port Casks’, which consists of St Rémy brandy rested in oak barrels that have been used to age Tawny Port, a fortified wine from along the banks of the Douro River in Portugal.