The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Paer Johansson
The humble tumbler
(Credit: Benjamin Thompson/Wikimedia Commons CC BY 3.0)
Whisky and computers. Two not often associated words. However, since a month ago you can now use your computer, from the comfort of your own home, to learn the basics of the whisky industry and whisky knowledge and even prepare for an industry-recognized certification.
Recently the Edinburgh Whisky Academy (EWA) released an addition to their onsite diplomas in whisky – an online Introduction to Whisky Certificate. This online self-study course is certified by the Scottish Qualifications Authority and covers the topics of:
- The History of Distillation and Whisky
- Whisky Now
- Pre-production
- Production Process
- Batch Distillation
- Maturation
- Bottling
- Grain Distillation & Blending
The information given up front as well as the registration process are very clear, well formulated and complete. When starting the course, the student is presented with the picture of a well-known distillery with choices on the screen corresponding to each topic.
The course is very well structured, utilizing varied presentation techniques such as well-written short texts, pictures, animations, videos, quizzes and games. Throughout the course, you are encouraged to test your understanding through answering small quizzes and playing quick games such as designing your own whisky bottle with all the right information in the right places or picking the ingredients for making your own Scottish whisky.
The information is on a high level and easy to understand, but the authors still manage to go into quite some depths in some areas such as the composition of the barley grain, the construction of a Coffey still and the laws governing whisky production and taxation.
Some of the highlights are the distillery video presentations by whisky expert Vic Cameron and the 360 degree distillery tour that walks you through a distillery, highlights features and allows you to control the viewpoint just like if you would have been there.
Who is this course then suitable for? Well, it is easy enough to digest for any novice in whisky that might want to learn a bit more in order to enhance their hobby or being able to discuss further at whisky tastings. Yet, it is still comprehensive enough for industry professionals such as bartenders to gain talking points and enough knowledge to being able to answer questions from their patrons.
The course costs £120 and can be booked through the EWA website. This course forms the Academy’s first tier of whisky education and would make a great present for any whisky enthusiast.
After course completion you could continue your learning journey by attending one of EWA’s diploma courses or pay an additional £180 for an invigilated assessment which, upon passing, will gain you a SQA certification based upon the course you’ve just completed.
