Biography

Sébastien Gavillet
Master Distiller & Master Blender | Chief Operating Officer | Winemaker | Author

Sébastien Gavillet is a Swiss Master Distiller, Master Blender, winemaker and international business executive with more than 25 years of experience in the wine and spirits industries. His career combines hands-on production, sensory evaluation, product development and executive management, with professional experience spanning Europe, North America and Asia.

He serves as Chief Operating Officer of Wine Aromas – Le Nez du Vin, overseeing U.S. operations and supporting the development of professional sensory education. He is also the Co-Founder and Master Distiller of NOCO Distillery in Fort Collins, Colorado, where his work encompasses the development and production of whiskies and other premium spirits. His expertise extends across fermentation, distillation, maturation, blending and product development, connecting the technical decisions made during production with the final sensory character of a spirit.

Gavillet is a member of the Advisory Board of the Council of Whiskey Masters, where he serves as an examiner and panel chair for advanced Master of Whiskey and Master of Bourbon examinations. His experience in professional wine evaluation includes international competitions such as the Mondial du Pinot Noir and Mondial du Merlot.

Gavillet is the author of Discovering & Mastering Single Malt Scotch Whisky and The International Whisky Guide editions of 2016 and 2017. He founded WineVibe, a multilingual wine education platform, and continues to write about wine, spirits, sensory science, production and the business of the beverage industry. Through Master Barrel, he also provides advisory services in winemaking, distillation, blending and product development.

Born and raised in Switzerland, Gavillet developed his understanding of aromas long before entering the wine and spirits industries professionally. Growing up among vineyards and small wine producers, he was introduced to sensory evaluation by his father, a professional coffee taster and blender. That early exposure shaped an approach to wine and spirits grounded in disciplined observation, technical understanding and the relationship between aroma, production and quality.

Today, his work brings together the perspectives of a producer, a sensory specialist and an international business operator, applying practical experience to the development, evaluation and management of wine and spirits.