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Scottish whisky school teams up with drinks industry educator in China

By EARLE GALE | China Daily Global | Updated: 2019-11-27 10:24

Chief Whisky Society teachers display their Diploma in Single Malt Whisky certificates. [EDINBURGH WHISKY ACADEMY]

A school in China that aims to teach the finer points of whisky appreciation to hotel workers, bar staff, and connoisseurs has teamed up with a similar institution in Edinburgh, Scotland, with the intention of expanding the quality and scope of its offering.

The partnership between the Shanghai-based Chief Whisky Society and the family-run Edinburgh Whisky Academy was first reported in the lifestyle and general interest magazine Scottish Field.

The magazine said the Edinburgh Whisky Academy will provide training in China for teachers at the Chief Whisky Society. The Scottish organization will also endorse the Chief Whisky Society's training facility and name it a center of excellence in China for whisky education.

The Edinburgh Whisky Academy is Scotland's only whisky educator to have been endorsed by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, which is the branch of the Scottish government that is responsible for accrediting educational awards. The authority's "higher" level examinations are the generally acceptable level for entry to Scottish universities.

It is the first time the Edinburgh Whisky Academy has forged such an international partnership.

The collaboration was marked with a signing ceremony in Shanghai that was attended by the founder of the Chief Whisky Society, David Lee, and by Kirsty McKerrow, Edinburgh Whisky Academy's founder and managing director. Vic Cameron, one of the Edinburgh Whisky Academy's expert instructors also attended. Cameron will deliver the first course in China provided under the partnership.

McKerrow told Scottish Field:"The international market for Scotch whisky has grown substantially in recent years and with that has come a desire by customers across the globe to learn more about this complex spirit."

She said sellers of Scotch whisky "are recognizing the business benefits of having staff who understand" the beverage.

And she noted attendees of the courses in China will learn "Scotch whisky, from its history and production and maturation processes to the ability to demonstrate how to nose a whisky".

"We're delighted that our first international partnership has been created in such an important emerging market for the Scotch whisky industry," said McKerrow, who has worked as a brand ambassador for Glenmorangie, Ardbeg and others and whose family started the Mackinlays brand in 1815.

The Edinburgh Whisky Academy was established in 2015 and teaches three whisky courses aimed at brand ambassadors, spirits retailers, whisky and hospitality professionals, whisky writers and bloggers, and distillery guides. The company has provided training for top distillers and hospitality providers, including Ian Macleod Distillers, Macallan, Interbev, Chivas, Montpeliers and Whyte & Mackay.

The Chief Whisky Society provides training in China and is also the organizer of the Whisky L festival, which it says is China's largest festival dedicated to whisky.

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