Learning about Wine in Small Groups

The Spirits School.

We’ve teamed up with Adam Chapman, Head distiller of Sunshine & Sons (Gin and Vodka) and Nil Desperandum Rum, to bring the very best of Spirits education from the Sunshine Coast, to New Zealand. We have chosen to work with Adam because of his passion for education and his willingness to share this knowledge with others. He embodies the philosophy of lifelong learning that we share, and his commitment to the craft of distilling across a wide range of classic spirits provides real life experience which he brings to his classes.

Our Spirits Education Director

Adam Chapman

Adam Chapman has been active in the wine and spirit industry for 35 years, mostly as a winemaker for wineries in France and Australia (Barossa Valley, Hunter Valley, South Burnett Valley and the Granite Belt). He has held leadership roles for numerous wineries, notably 2 large Queensland wineries/distilleries where he developed projects between $2 and $30 million operation from green field start-up sites.

This is where his skills and attention to detail have created demonstrable success, not only in winemaking, blending and tasting, but also in winery design, process flow streamlining, eco installations, waste management and plant installation, and environmental building design including co-generation and tri-generation.

For the last nine years his focus has been on wine and spirit education, teaching the WSET wine and spirit courses from Level 1 to Level 3 in wines and Level 1 and 3 spirits. Adam is the ONLY educator in Australia that can teach Level 3 in Wines and Level 3 in Spirits.

He is currently head distiller at CAVU Distilling. (Sunshine and Sons – Gin and Vodka and Nil Desperandum – Rum).

Our Courses

Our WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) courses are the most popular trade qualification in the world for wine and spirits. They are a qualification that is overseen by Ofqual (UK’s version of NZ’s NZQA) and are globally recognised.

WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits

This is an introductory course for students to gain confidence in spirits, whether you are working in a resort, bottle shop or a restaurant. This will create good posture and lift your overall profile in service, spirits knowledge and result in higher customer satisfaction.

This is a great start to the WSET world of spirit education. This course is designed to give the student confidence in basic spirit knowledge, spirit consumption and in the following areas:

  • What are the main types and styles of spirits?

  • Name common spirit styles and their characteristics

  • What is best practice in storage and serving spirits?

  • What are the principles of food and spirit pairing?

  • Taste and learn to differentiate 7 or 8 different spirits from around the world

  • Learn how to describe wine using the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirit® (SAT)

Further Information & Course Specification

WSET Level 2 Award in SPirits

The Level 2 Award in Spirits is designed for the student who has graduated from Level 1 in Spirits or been involved in the spirit and hospitality industry for a few years. Level 2 is a great course for students wanting to know more about what is behind the labels of spirit both in Australia and around the world.

The course includes tasting a range of spirits from around the World, such as whiskies, vodkas, gins, cognac, tequila and rums. As well as learning how to distinguish individual flavor characteristics and quality levels, the other topics covered are:

  • How are spirits made?

  • What factors influence spirits’ styles?

  • The key spirits and liqueurs from around the world and their characteristics

  • The important spirit-producing regions of the world in which these raw materials are grown

  • How are rum, gin, vodka, whisky and others produced?

  • What does label terminology mean?

  • What are food and spirit pairing principles?

  • What are the principal categories of spirits and liqueurs, and how are they made?

  • Learn how to describe spirits using the WSET SAT in spirits

  • WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirits® (SAT)

    Further Information & Specification

 

WSET level 3 Award in Spirits

The WSET Level 3 Award in Spirits is an advanced-level qualification for professionals and enthusiasts wishing to acquire a detailed understanding of the spirits of the world and develop the tasting skills required to accurately describe and evaluate a spirit.

This qualification is intended to build on knowledge and skills gained from the Level 2 Award in Spirits. You’ll acquire a deep theoretical understanding of the techniques used in spirit production, from the processing of raw materials to post-distillation operations. Through a combination of tasting and the application of theoretical knowledge you will learn to explain confidently why spirits look and taste the way they do and how and why they differ from each other.

What you’ll learn:

A detailed understanding of the techniques used in spirit production:

  • Processing of raw materials

  • Alcoholic fermentation

  • Distillation

  • Post-distillation practices

  • Factors affecting the style and quality of spirits, studying eleven core spirit categories in detail:

    • Scotch Whisky

    • Bourbon

    • Rye Whiskey

    • Tennessee Whiskey

    • Cognac

    • Armagnac

    • Caribbean rum

    • Tequila

    • Mezcal

    • Vodka

    • Gin

  • An overview of 23 additional spirit categories, focusing on:

    • Principal production methods

    • Key styles

    • Key labelling terms

  • How to taste and describe spirits using the WSET Level 3 Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirits®(SAT).

  • This qualification has a minimum requirement of 84 hours* of study time:

    • 30 hours delivery time with a WSET course provider

    • 51 ½ hours personal study and revision

    • 2 ½ -hour examination

    A full course specification is available here.