Sidney Frank & Francois Thibault
Built from the ground up, GREY GOOSE was the first vodka to express the true essence of flavour. Capturing the natural characteristics of only the finest ingredients, GREY GOOSE is exceptional in taste and quality – thanks to the personal commitment of Sidney Frank and Francois Thibault. In the mid-nineties, most vodkas shared nothing but cold neutrality until Sidney Frank, a spirits distributor from the US, decided to break the rules and create a vodka that reflects quality craftsmanship, emotional depth and a distinctive character. To bring his vision to life, he turned to Francois Thibault – a maître de chai working in Cognac. Inspired by the French tradition of identifying, nurturing and retaining the flavours of the finest ingredients regardless of cost, GREY GOOSE tastes unlike anything that had gone before.
Sidney Frank Founder
American businessman and philanthropist Sidney Frank is best known for his work in spirits imports. The owner and founder of the Sidney Frank Importing Company, he rose to fame with his game-changing relaunch of an obscure German digestive. This set the stage for his life’s most recognized work, the founding of a brand-new vodka from one of the most unexpected places in the world, France – a country which Frank famously said “has the best of everything”.
François Thibault Maître de Chai
Francois was the son of a winegrower and grew up in the heart of Cognac. In 1982, he joined the respected cognac house of H. Mounier as the head of its wine production department, and went on to receive formal instruction in the production of spirits and liqueurs to become a cognac maître de chai – a title that requires a seven-year apprenticeship. But shortly after he received the title, Sidney Frank gave him his biggest challenge yet – to create a vodka with character and taste. To do this, Francois demanded three things:
One. – 100% control over the process from field to bottle.
Two. – Freedom to select and source the best ingredients, regardless of cost.
Three. – The development of a custom-calibrated production process.