The Council of Whiskey Masters
| Formation | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Type | Education and certification organization |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Website | www |
The Council of Whiskey Masters is a United States–based education and certification organization focused on whiskey. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Los Angeles, it provides training programs and examinations covering Scotch whisky, Bourbon, and other global whiskey styles.[1][2] The organization and its members have also been referenced in coverage of global whiskey rankings and evaluations in publications such as Forbes.[3]
The organization has been described in industry publications as an effort to establish relevant training and merit-based credentials for whiskey, comparable to professional certification systems in the wine industry.[4]
History
The Council of Whiskey Masters was established in 2019. According to coverage in trade publications, it was created to provide structured certification for aspiring and established whiskey professionals.[2] Since its founding, candidates from more than 50 countries have participated in its programs.
Programs
The organization offers a multi-level certification structure covering different categories of whiskey. Programs include remotely conducted introductory and intermediate levels, culminating in advanced master-level examinations held in person.
Certifications include four levels, with candidates choosing an initial area of focus in the Scotch or the Bourbon track, an expansion to world whiskey styles in the second level, a return to their track for a first master level examination, and ultimately mastery of all global whiskey styles:
- Level 1: Certified Scotch Professional (CSP)
- Level 1: Certified Bourbon Professional (CBP)
- Level 2: Certified Whiskey Specialist (CWS)
- Level 3: Master of Scotch
- Level 3: Master of Bourbon
- Level 4: Master of Whiskey
A tertiary certification program, Certified Spirits Judge (CSJ), focuses on tasting and evaluation skills necessary for those who will serve as judges in professional spirits competitions.
In-person examinations have been held at distilleries and other venues in the United States and Scotland, including Rothes Glen Castle in Speyside, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Isle of Raasay Distillery and Garrison Brothers Distillery. The 2026 examination is taking place at Atholl Palace in Pitlochry, Scotland.[5][6]
Organization
As of 2026, members of the organization include its president, an advisory board of senior whiskey professionals and industry experts, and several dozen master-level title holders.[1] The advisory board includes industry figures such as Dave Broom, Lew Bryson, John Campbell, Charles MacLean, Stephanie Macleod, Hans Offringa, Paul Pacult, and Peggy Noe Stevens.
An essential part of the organization’s purpose is to facilitate an intergenerational passing down of the knowledge and skills developed by past generations of whiskey professionals. From the organization’s beginning, the role of its advisory board has been to cultivate and name the next generations of masters in the field—who would in turn educate, mentor, examine and name the next generations. Thus, as the exam process carries forward, those who have been named masters in past exam years take on significant mentorship and examination roles.
Examinations
The Council’s certification process combines theoretical knowledge with practical assessment. Examinations at the advanced and master levels typically include written components, oral theory examinations, and blind tasting evaluations designed to assess a candidate’s ability to accurately assess and identify whiskey styles, production and maturation methods, quality characteristics, and ultimately the specific distillery and expression. [5][6]
The 2024 exams of the Council were the subject of the documentary film Masters of Whiskey, available on YouTube.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Council of Whiskey Masters adds 16 members". The Spirits Business. 21 May 2025. Retrieved March 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Council of Whiskey Masters names 16 new masters". Whisky Magazine. 23 May 2025. Retrieved March 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Joe Micallef (18 December 2025). "2025's Best World Whiskey—According To The Council Of Whiskey Masters". Forbes. Retrieved March 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Council of Whiskey Masters names new Masters of Bourbon and Scotch". Whisky Magazine. 11 May 2023. Retrieved March 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Council of Whiskey Masters names new masters". Whisky Magazine. 5 June 2024. Retrieved March 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The Council of Whiskey Masters Announces Its 2026 Master Examinations in Scotland". WineBusiness.com. 15 January 2026. Retrieved March 2026. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help)
External links
This article "The Council of Whiskey Masters" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:The Council of Whiskey Masters. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
