US-based whisky education body the Council of Whiskey Masters has named five new 'Masters of Scotch' following an intensive examination process.
The organisation held its inaugural Masters of Scotch examination at Rothes Glen in Speyside, where candidates underwent three days of masterclasses, tastings and exams.
Designed to test candidates' knowledge on all aspects of Scotch whisky, the examination included a blind tasting of single malt Scotch whiskies, an oral theory exam, and a written exam. The international judging panel comprised global whisky authorities Charles MacLean, Hans and Becky Offringa, Tobias Gorn, Arthur Nägele and Bernhard Schäfer.
The Masters of Scotch examination is the third step in a challenging certification process overseen by the Council of Whiskey Masters. To be considered for the Masters of Scotch programme, candidates had to first pass the organisation's Certified Scotch Professional and Certified Whiskey Specialist exams.
The following candidates passed their Masters of Scotch examination during the inaugural three-day course at Rothes Glen earlier this month: Daniel Crowell, United States brand ambassador for Glenmorangie; Jerad Justesen, an ardent analyst and student of Scotch whisky based in Minnesota; Guy Sporbert, a Scotch ambassador at the Westin Kierland Resort's Scotch Library in Scottsdale, Arizona; John Wabeck, beverage director for the Richard Deshantz Restaurant Group in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Samuel Wright, an engineer based in Colorado who has spent decades studying the production and history of Scotch whisky.
The Council of Whiskey Masters said that it would support those candidates who were unsuccessful in this round of exams towards success in a later examination. The next Master of Scotch exam will take place in Bardstown, Kentucky, in April 2023.
The Council of Whiskey Masters currently consists of 36 full members, including advisory board members, executives, and the new Masters of Scotch. For more information on the Council and its examinations, go to www.whiskeymasters.org.
The organisation held its inaugural Masters of Scotch examination at Rothes Glen in Speyside, where candidates underwent three days of masterclasses, tastings and exams.
Designed to test candidates' knowledge on all aspects of Scotch whisky, the examination included a blind tasting of single malt Scotch whiskies, an oral theory exam, and a written exam. The international judging panel comprised global whisky authorities Charles MacLean, Hans and Becky Offringa, Tobias Gorn, Arthur Nägele and Bernhard Schäfer.
The Masters of Scotch examination is the third step in a challenging certification process overseen by the Council of Whiskey Masters. To be considered for the Masters of Scotch programme, candidates had to first pass the organisation's Certified Scotch Professional and Certified Whiskey Specialist exams.
The following candidates passed their Masters of Scotch examination during the inaugural three-day course at Rothes Glen earlier this month: Daniel Crowell, United States brand ambassador for Glenmorangie; Jerad Justesen, an ardent analyst and student of Scotch whisky based in Minnesota; Guy Sporbert, a Scotch ambassador at the Westin Kierland Resort's Scotch Library in Scottsdale, Arizona; John Wabeck, beverage director for the Richard Deshantz Restaurant Group in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Samuel Wright, an engineer based in Colorado who has spent decades studying the production and history of Scotch whisky.
The Council of Whiskey Masters said that it would support those candidates who were unsuccessful in this round of exams towards success in a later examination. The next Master of Scotch exam will take place in Bardstown, Kentucky, in April 2023.
The Council of Whiskey Masters currently consists of 36 full members, including advisory board members, executives, and the new Masters of Scotch. For more information on the Council and its examinations, go to www.whiskeymasters.org.