Whisky enthusiasts and industry professionals around South Wales 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 the original Penderyn Distillery in the Brecon Beacons this June (Monday 26th & Tuesday 27th).
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 Penderyn 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 15 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 delighted to be taking our flagship Diploma in Single Malt Whisky to South Wales.
Penderyn produces award-winning single malt whiskies and – with a third distillery on the way this year in Swansea following the already operational second site in Llandudno – the company is the driving force behind the growth of Welsh whisky as a legitimate and distinct category.
We’re also fascinated by their unique Faraday pot still and look forward to taking candidates on a private tour of this truly innovative distillery as part of the two-day course.”
Booking for the Diploma in Single Malt Whisky (Penderyn, 26 & 27 June 2023), which costs £985 is now available.