Edinburgh Whisky Academy Takes Flagship Single Malt Diploma to New York – Whisky Education News
Edinburgh Whisky Academy Takes Flagship Single Malt Diploma to New York
Whisky enthusiasts and industry professionals in North America are set to benefit from in-person access to one of the most extensive whisky learning experiences available when Scotland’s Edinburgh Whisky Academy takes its flagship Diploma in Single Malt Whisky to Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn this September (Saturday 10 & Sunday 11).
The Scottish Qualifications Authority-certified diploma is the only one of its kind and is the Academy’s highest award.
Previously offered only in a two-day, face-to-face teaching setting near Edinburgh, the Academy launched the online Diploma in Single Malt Whisky in 2021 to increase access for brand ambassadors, sales staff, distillery staff and whisky enthusiasts across the globe.
While the online option is still available and popular, this New York date will offer a one-of-a-kind classroom environment for modules ranging from raw materials, batch distillation, maturation and world whiskies to a session on sensory skills. Two modules are delivered online upon purchase for self-study (the history of whisky and distillation and the business of whisky).
To achieve their SQA certificate, candidates take a final assessment that includes nosing and tasting nine different whiskies. A maximum of 25 people will be allowed on the course, taught by Edinburgh Whisky Academy lecturer, Vic Cameron, an experienced industry and teaching professional.
The Edinburgh Whisky Academy was founded in 2015 by Managing Director, Kirsty McKerrow, who has worked as a brand ambassador for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg and whose family is steeped in whisky heritage with her forefathers starting Mackinlay’s whisky in 1815. The Academy was created to fill what she felt was a significant gap in the Scotch Whisky education market and has since provided training for some of Scotland’s top distilleries and brand owners including The Macallan, Whyte & Mackay, Brown Forman and Diageo.
Kirsty McKerrow said: “We’re thrilled to be travelling to New York this September to teach the Diploma in Single Malt Whisky. Open to all, our first in-person stateside course will host up to 25 candidates at the Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn.
North America is a key market for us. Over the past year, more than 1,000 candidates have accessed our courses from the region, with the vast majority studying online. To be able to travel and teach our flagship course in-person really complements our hugely accessible online offer and further strengthens our position as the go-to Scotch whisky educator.
With the travel and hospitality industries finally opening again at scale, it seemed like the perfect time to take EWA across the Atlantic where we’ll hopefully meet with candidates – past, present and future – to share a dram and talk all things Scotch whisky.”
Booking for the Diploma in Single Malt Whisky (New York, 10 & 11 September 2022), which costs £1,100, is now available.
