Whiskey & Whisky
There’s a Dublin Irish Festival going on in Columbus, OH where tasters can have the opportunity to try whiskeys (and whiskys) with a master of whiskey. That’s not too relevant though, unless you live in Ohio. However, this article continues on to cover a bit about Irish whiskey and Scottish whisky, which is a nice, short introduction for those who know little about the drink.
August 4th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
What exactly IS a “master of whisky?”
I know there really is a “Master of Wine” certification, and a “Master Sommelier”
certification. But I’ve never heard what makes a “master of whisky.” I think it is just a term that people make up to sound neat, or else it is a term that diageo uses to refer to their promo folks. Is there a test? A list of qualifications? Can anyone be one?
What do you think?
August 4th, 2006 at 7:05 pm
When I read your comment, I realized I had absolutely no idea! I emailed Diageo and the author of the linked article, Bill Mayr, for more information. The former hasn’t replied yet, but the latter says that it involves training and licensing through distilleries in Scotland, Ireland, and North America. Whether it’s directly associated with Diageo or not, I have no idea yet. I’m still rooting around for information. In the end, it doesn’t seem to be at quite the level of Master of Wine, but it sounds like there’s still a good deal of training and learning involved.
August 4th, 2006 at 7:47 pm
I’ve been looking around, and now I see that “Master of Scotch” is Diageo’s own invented certification. Still no word on “master of Whisky though.
Jimmy
August 9th, 2006 at 11:15 am
I finally received a definitive answer from Diageo, and your suspicions are true! Here’s the relevant portion of the message verbatim:
To the best of my knowledge `Master of Whisky’ is a Diageo term.
They are experts who have been in the industry for many years and who have a vast experience and knowledge of the industry.
In the past they were called Master Blenders in recognition of their blending experience but this term became misleading as there is no such role nowadays. They were then called Brand Ambassadors but that term has recently been broadened to describe anyone involved in the promotion of our products. So, we now have the current term ‘Master of Whisky’.