In short, a Whiskey Sommelier is a term made up by some marketing folks in Texas who run a thing called the Wizard Academy (aka The Whisk(e)y Marketing School). It isn’t endorsed by or accredited by any other reputable industry association. It has zero association with the actual Court of Master Sommeliers and to become a Whiskey Sommelier zero prior knowledge of whisk(e)y is needed. It’s a $4,000 “certification” you obtain in a weekend, not one you earn after years of work and study like a real Sommelier.
To earn your level 1 Sommelier (the wine kind that’s been around for decades) it takes a minimum of 3-4 years of study to pass 2 series of exams spaced a year apart. As you go up the ranks, the time, dedication and knowledge needed increases. As does the failure rate; only 9 people have ever passed the Master Sommelier exam on their first attempt.
A certified Sommelier title is earned, not bought, and is a mark of achieving a specific level of knowledge and professionalism. You do have to pay a fee ($600+) to take your tests. These tests are administered by Master Sommeliers with decades of experience.
A Whiskey Sommelier “certification” on the other hand is more-or-less something you buy. Pay your $4,000, show up for a 2-day seminar and leave a certified “Whiskey Somm”. No prior knowledge, work or dedication needed.
Don’t believe me? Here’s a quote from the Vice Chancellor of the Wizard Academy.
“Is whiskey sommelier school something you have to study for before you arrive? Nope. Each of the five levels is a beginning, not a destination. That means graduation is not your arrival as an expert, but rather the start of a new path.”
That’s some dandy marketing speak, but culturally that’s not what a Sommelier signifies; it’s synonymous with expertise not with being a novice. If it was, it wouldn’t be a professional career and the Wizard Academy wouldn’t be appropriating the term. When you go to a restaurant you don’t expect the Somm recommending a wine to be someone with a weekend certification. And this is where my problem with the appropriation of the Sommelier term begins.
They could have used any other term, something vastly more appropriate like “Whiskey Appreciator” or “Certified Whiskey Beginner”, but it seems they chose Whiskey Sommelier because of its cultural connotation. It’s a lazy shortcut to give a grander meaning to a weekend course in public speaking and storytelling that has some whiskey info threaded through.
That associated cultural prestige is why they can take advantage of people and charge them $4K to get in and $12K total to “graduate” at level 5. No one pays that much to learn “fundamentals”, they pay for the title… even if it is meaningless and not recognized or taken seriously in the industry it’s meant for.
What It Takes To Become A Whiskey Sommelier
At the Wizard Academy/Whisk(e)y Marketing School, you can flop down $12,000 and be a Level 5 Whiskey Sommelier after only 10 days of seminars; they do recommend spacing each 2-day level 6 months apart. However, it seems there are no requirement for high levels of independent learning between so, in theory, your total dedication needed to achieve the grand-sounding Level 5 title is just 10 days and $12,000.
edit: they’re now saying they have requirements between levels (they updated after my post), but it doesn’t exactly add up.
Looking at their program – quoted below, bolded for emphasis, and prices added – it’s clear the main focus of the Whisky Marketing School is public speaking around the subject of whiskey. Which makes sense, it’s what they know and what they do at their Wizard Academy.
To create the Whiskey Sommelier program It seems they’ve taken those skills and knowledge, sprinkled some whiskey over it and glommed on to the title of Sommelier so they can charge a premium.
Whiskey Sommelier Levels (recommended to be spaced 6 months apart)
- Level 1 – History and Practical Knowledge of the primary whisky regions, Public Speaking and Storytelling, Palate competency training and deductive tasting, pass a written test with a 75% grade: $4,000
- Level 2 – Focus on Bourbon and American Whiskey, Public Speaking and Storytelling, Palate competency training and food pairing science, Training in the art of competitive whisky judging, pass a written test with a 75% grade: $2,000
- Level 3 – Focus on Scottish, Irish, and UK Whisky, Public Speaking and Storytelling, Palate competency training and food pairing science, Training in Whisky blending, pass a written test with a 75% grade: $2,000
- Level 4 – Focus craft distilleries and cocktails, Public Speaking and Storytelling, Palate competency training and food pairing science, Training in Whisky blending, pass a written test with a 75% grade: $2,000
- Level 5 – Practical knowledge of how a distillery operates, Public Speaking and Storytelling, Palate competency training and food pairing science, Hands on training in a fully operational commercial distillery, pass a written test with a 75% grade: $2,000
I’m not going to list everything you need to know in order to become a wine Somm level 1 because it would take up this entire post. Instead, I’m going to link out to the Court of Master Sommeliers so you can see what is needed to pass just the intro exam. If you have a second, look at the other levels as well; it’s overwhelming to explore.
To give some added perspective, I am going to quote the intro level exam Sommelier FAQ and we’ll compare it to the Whiskey Marketing School’s view on the subject.
“I have no prior knowledge/experience with wine…Is this program for me?
It is expected that students walk in the door with strong knowledge of all major wine producing countries and regions of the world and basic wine service. A minimum of three years in the wine/service industry is recommended, but not required.”
VS
It should be painfully obvious a Whiskey Sommelier has nothing to do with a real Sommelier and should not be placed in the same neighborhood in our cultural perception. The whole point of a Sommelier is you’re supposed to be one of the most knowledgable people in the room, if not the most, in addition to being a service professional. A Sommelier is supposed to have far more than just “an understanding of the fundamentals” after a 2-day class.
Want to know the fundamentals of whiskey? Read Lew Bryson’s fantastic book Tasting Whisky. It’ll only cost you $16. You can then spend your remaining $3,986 on great whisk(e)y to taste and explore with your friends. Experience is where you get the real education.
Who Runs The Whiskey Sommelier Program?
Education is only as good as the instructors and the experience they bring with them. That’s a universal fact, you can’t teach with experience if you don’t have any experience. It’s pretty simple.
When real Sommeliers get certified the tests are administered by professionals with decades of experience in the industry. Same with the beer Cicerone certifications and any other legitimate, industry-recognized, certifications.
Folks like the Stave & Thief Society or the prestigious Edinburgh Whisky Academy are either accredited by or endorsed by other reputable organizations. This goes for professions beyond booze, whether it’s in the medical, financial, technical or legal fields. That’s how legitimate certification works. Veterans of the industry certifying certain levels of knowledge and experience within a system that’s recognized and endorsed by the industry it’s in.
The Whiskey Marketing School isn’t accredited or endorsed by any reputable organization I could find (which they’ve confirmed since I posted this). One simple reason for this could be that the people running it are not industry veterans. They’re marketers and ex-musicians with no meaningful work history or experience in the industry they’re certifying others for.
This is important. If you’re considering their Whiskey Sommelier courses be aware that the people in charge didn’t earn those titles and “certifications” from other industry veterans. They didn’t pass exams from any form of governing body to achieve the titles like “Somm level 3”. They made them up and gave them to themselves.
There is also no professional governing body overseeing the quality of their programs. I’m going to repeat this again because it’s crucial. The people charging $4k – $12K to “certify” Whiskey Sommeliers are not whiskey industry vets, they are marketing people; NONE of them come from the whiskey industry… says so right on their page.
- Daniel Whittington – A musician who has been involved with the Wizard Academy for 5 years per his LinkedIn. No industry experience. Though he does claim 5+ years of “cumulative bartending” and owns a small craft distillery that opened in August of 2018. More on that here – Daniel’s LinkedIn
- Chris Maddock – The founder and owner of Maddock Marketing & Communications and the Wizard Academy. All marketing, no whiskey – Chris’s LinkedIn
- Steve Rae – Owned radio stations, sold them and now consults with business on effective advertising. More marketing and communications, zero whisky industry experience. Steve doesn’t seem to have a LinkedIn.
- Kate Van Name – The COO at Warrior Centric Health, LLC and previously the CFO for a chemical engineering firm and has been involved in the wine industry and certification industry… nothing to do with whisky More on that here. – Kate’s LinkedIn
- Tom Fischer – His bio on his own site for the school he co-founded doesn’t work. Big ol’ 404. Anyways, he’s the owner of Bourbon Blog and is the “co-founder of the first of its kind Whisk(e)y Marketing School and Sommelier program, a 501(c) (3) non-profit in Austin, Texas.” Still, no actual, or meaningful, industry experience – Tom’s LinkedIn
These are the people who are supposed to be teaching you about detailed subjects like whiskey blending, palate competency training, food pairing science, cocktails, “competitive whisky judging”, etc. Let that sink in.
The people charging thousands of dollars to “teach” subjects that people dedicate their lives to (like whisky blending) have no meaningful professional experience doing it.
They aren’t even ex-bartenders of any renown (just some questionable experience), but they’re going to charge $10K to teach you about cocktails. Their backgrounds are in marketing and communications, blogging and music. The people who created the Whiskey Sommelier certification program are not whiskey industry, or even bar industry, veterans.
edit: They have confirmed The Prichard’s are involved, but it doesn’t appear to be to a significant level. More on that here.
Now, compare that to something like the aforementioned Edinburgh Whisky Academy who are fully accredited by a governing body, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, and is staffed by people who actually work in the industry.
- Vic Cameron – 23 years of industry experience with Diageo… and that’s just the beginning of his involvement in the industry
- Gavin D Smith – A Keeper of the Quaich and author of over 20 books on whisky.
- Geraldine Coates – Over 20 years of experience as a writer and journalist in the spirits world who also works as a gin consultant.
- Gordon Steele – Director of the Scotch Whisky Research Institute with over 20 years in the industry
- Pete Robson – A Master Maltster with over 33 years of experience
- Dominic Roskrow – Drinks Journalist for over 20 years, A Keeper of the Quaich and a Kentucky Colonel
- Prof. Michael Moss – Wrote “The Making of Scotch Whisky”, the most detailed book on the subject you’ll find. Which makes sense because he’s been a University level Archivist/researcher since 1974. He’s the current lead Archivist for the Lost Distillery Company.
- John Ramsay – Has over 40 years in the industry and for the last 17 oversaw Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark, The Glenrothes and Highland Park… hmm sounds like a guy who might know a thing or two about whiskey blending.
- Prof. Charles Spence – Leading world expert in Neurogastronomy… at Oxford. Think he might know something about food pairing science?
- Blair Bowman – Founder of World Whisky Day and working in the industry for over 8 years… he’s the young blood.
The EWA offers a 2-day Diploma on Single Malts (no silly single malt Sommelier title) for ~$725 and at the end of it you’ll get a classy pin instead of a gaudy Flavor Flav medallion.
Add to that a roundtrip flight for as little as $600 and ~$150/ night for hotel and you can go to Scotland and get a truly world-class whisky education, at an accredited learning facility, from actual whisky professionals for as little as $1,800.
That’s $200 less than the Whiskey Marketing School’s level 3 course which focuses on “Scottish, Irish, and UK Whisky, Public Speaking and Storytelling, Palate competency training and food pairing science, Training in Whisky blending”.
Buuuut… you can’t get to the Whiskey Sommelier level 3 unless you’ve already paid them $6K and flown to Texas 2x. Then you have to pay them another $2K and pay to fly to Texas again to get that level 3. So…
To recap: You can either learn from people with decades of experience in the actual industry doing the things they’re teaching and visit Scotland. OR you can go to Texas and get taught by marketing and communications people who haven’t professionally done this for any meaningful amount of time…
I know where I’d put my money.
What’s the big deal? Whiskey Sommelier is just a term
If you made it this far you’ve likely formed an opinion of some sort. Some of you might be looking at this and thinking “what’s the big deal?”, and that’s fair. The big deal is that they’re trying to pass off a weekend seminar as a serious certification.
People who don’t know what it actually is, like business patrons, often think it’s something truly earned and demonstrates a high level of experience and knowledge, not just a weekend seminar on the “fundamentals”. The name Whiskey Sommelier is giving a false idea of what it is by capitalizing on our cultural understanding of the word Sommelier.
I’m obviously a whiskey nerd and love the industry. I feel like letting this go unchecked is bad for the industry and will ultimately end up having a negative impact.
If a term that’s supposed to mean Professional actually just means “I have at least 2 days of knowledge” it soon becomes meaningless as there’s no quality control. With the way the Whiskey Sommelier “certification” is built, there is no possible way to distinguish between actual levels of knowledge.
In their system, someone who has spent years studying and researching whiskey, working in bars and traveling to distilleries is indistinguishable from someone who just got into whiskey last week. So long as they shelled out the $4K, they both walk away from the same weekend with the same “certification”.
This style of lazy “certification” is bad all around. When all it takes is 2 days, that’s all anyone can assume your “experience” means. Also, it’s making a mockery of actual Sommeliers who dedicated years of their lives to earn the titles they have.
Isn’t a Sommelier Just A Job Title?
It is and it isn’t. I’ve been to plenty of restaurants that have a wine “Sommelier” who isn’t certified and they’ve been fantastic. I’ve also had some that were awful, you can imagine how they got that position (hint, they’re always friends with the owner).
But, when you talk to the good ones they all have something in common: despite not being certified they’ve still spent years studying, learning and traveling for their craft before getting that position. They put in the work before getting the title, not the other way around.
Heck, one of the worlds most celebrated Sommeliers, Rajat Parr, isn’t “certified”, but he’s claimed his title through a ton of hard work. He didn’t taste 36 wines at a weekend seminar and then walk around calling himself a Sommelier. He put in years of hard work, studied under knowledgable and respected industry veterans and had years of hands-on experience before donning the title.
In the wine world, for the most part, you have to WORK to EARN the title. You have to WORK to EARN your certification. That work and dedication is why it’s regarded as prestigious. If they could buy it in a weekend from people who have never done the job it would hold little value.
Now, there are some in the whiskey world who, before this “certification” appeared, were considered Whiskey Somms. People like Heather Greene who had massive amounts of experience before the term was applied to her while working at the Flat Iron. However, she put in years of work in the industry before the title, not the other way around.
But consider this. It took about 20x more time for me to research and validate my recent Wild Turkey Distillery History and Timeline piece than it takes someone to become a “certified” level 1 Whiskey Sommelier…
So what else should I do with this $12K burning a hole in my pocket?
If you’re actually serious about learning about whiskey and you’re not just looking for shortcuts via vanity titles and gaudy medallions it’s really simple. Buy some good whiskey books, read them, buy the whiskey they talk about and share and discuss it with your friends.
$4,000 can buy you a nice set of books and a good set of whiskeys. $12K can buy you a great set of whiskeys and allow you to travel to distilleries where you can talk to people who actually do this for a living. People who have done it for decades and impart info that only comes with experience.
What you’ll get out these kinds of real-world experiences – with friends, family, other knowledgable drinkers and industry vets – is invaluable.
What Whiskey Certifications Exist Besides Whiskey Sommelier?
I’ve already touched on a couple, but there are plenty of Whiskey Sommelier “certification” alternatives out there that are A) cheaper, B) accredited or endorsed by other reputable organizations C) are recognized in the industry and D) Taught by actual industry veterans.
Edinburgh Whisky Academy
The course work has been accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, ie it’s a quality education. And it only costs about $725 to get.
It’s staffed and taught by people who have decades of experience in the industry. You can rest assured they’re not just regurgitating something they read or watched on YouTube. They’re teaching from actual experience.
Their key certification is the Diploma In Single Malt, but they have several other classes including an intro you can take online.
Society of Wine Educators
They offer 10 levels of learning for their Certified Specialist of Spirits and tests range from $525 – $800+. If you want a certification that means something in the industry start here. Their programs are sponsored and endorsed by the biggest names in the industry.
Certified Bourbon Steward
Founded in 2014, the Stave & Thief Society has the only industry-recognized bourbon certification. It was deemed so robust that the Kentucky Distiller’s Association has fully backed it as their “official bourbon education course”. It was created by the Distilled Spirits Epicenter (DSE) which is staffed by actual experts in distilling, bourbon history and the hospitality industry.
Also, there is the actual Sommelier certification. Real certified Sommeliers need to have a working knowledge of all major spirits and sake.
There are several other programs out there that are either accredited or endorsed by other reputable organizations and/or recognized in the industry. All of them will cost a fraction of the price for a Whiskey Sommelier level 1. Do some research and find the one that aligns with your goals.
Something Nice To Say About The Whiskey Sommelier Program
Removing the distasteful and lazy practice of glomming on to the Sommelier name via a 2-day seminar, I see some use for what’s being offered. The Whiskey Sommelier courses do sound like the perfect thing for Brand Ambassadors.
Brand Ambassadors need public speaking and storytelling skills. These are necessary communications skills for their job and wrapping that up in a whiskey bow makes it applicable and manageable.
If I owned a whiskey brand what they’ve outlined is EXACTLY the kind of training I’d want my reps to have. I would want marketing and communications people, who have an appreciation for whiskey, to teach them marketing and communication skills.
I wouldn’t pay $12K per head for that training, but it’s the kind of thing new/young reps could benefit from… though there are always MUCH cheaper local training for the same thing (minus the whiskey) in every major city.
We had one such person come to my day job and we did 3 hours a day for 5 days straight with them. It only cost $500 per head, we learned a TON, got a lot of practice and even took home a detailed video critique of our final presentations. So…
Finally, Whiskey Sommelier “Certification” is nothing like martial arts
I want it to be clear that my entire beef with the utterly ludicrous, and potentially damaging, Whiskey Sommelier title is that… the title. It’s an opportunistic grab at an industry that doesn’t have entrenched titles like the beer and wine world. Though recognized titles like Certified Bourbon Steward are gaining that ground.
If they had used something more appropriate like “Certified Whiskey Appreciator” I’d have no major problem with the program and this post wouldn’t even exist. Though they probably wouldn’t sell many $4,000 programs with a name like that.
However, even if they change the name tomorrow I’ll still have a problem with how they position their course and I think these quotes from their site wraps up this lazy approach to “certification” perfectly.
Not even close. I would hope this is obvious but a black belt is earned, not bought. It takes far longer than 2 days to EARN and requires literal blood, sweat, and even some tears. A Black belt takes over a decade to achieve in most serious martial arts.
Go look at the sites for any of the recognized orgs I listed above and see if any of them say crap like that. They don’t have to because they can rest on actual, knowledgable, industry veterans administering their programs. This kind of desperate reach for equivalent validation reeks of the kind of workshops ran by people who called themselves Social Media Gurus/Ninjas/Mavens, etc. in the mid-2000s.
I remember the era well, I’ve been in digital marketing for over 14 years; I co-wrote one of the early books on Social Media Marketing. I’ve seen all of this before in the exact industry these guys come from and this is the type of overblown hyperbole that should be shooting up red flags everywhere. But if that first quote didn’t do it, then this gem should.
So, not only do these guys not have any industry experience of any major consequence, but they also don’t appear to have any real martial arts experience. They’re demeaning two pursuits that require intense work and dedication all at once… well done.
Though I’ll give them this. They are correct, elsewhere on their site, that a black belt isn’t an endpoint. There is no actual end-point in martial arts like Jiu Jitsu. BUT, a black belt is far from a starting point. It’s a signifier of proficiency, dedication, knowledge and experience. It’s a signifier of a high level of skill and mastery.
You can’t step to the mat on your second day and even hope to go toe-to-toe with a black belt, you will get destroyed. What they’re offering in the Whiskey Sommelier “certification” are five different levels of white belt. Starting points.
Cheers, Josh Peters –
Whiskey Sommelier Level 50 (1,800 reviews / 36 whiskies per level)
Jiu-Jitsu 1-stripe white belt, Muay Thai 2-stripe purple band, Kenpo Green Belt and 3-year MMA practitioner.
UPDATE: The WMS wrote a response to this post. Read it here. I also wrote a response to their response here: Whiskey Sommelier Certification – More To Think About
EDIT: I’ve been sent the below video, by several people, where the WA guys explain what is meant by “Whiskey Sommelier” and I want to thank those folks for linking it because it makes my point perfectly. This is an Ambassador / Marketing communications course and not an actual Sommelier certification.
““What we’re doing has more to do with marketing and presentation and people than it does to do with the real nitty-gritty every detail of whiskey. Now we do teach you a shit ton about whiskey. Because it would be really awkward to have a Whiskey Sommelier who doesn’t know about whiskey. But it’s actually about sharing the love and enthusiasm about whiskey. But if all we did was teach you about whiskey we could do it in one day. Because we also do public speaking, marketing communication, written advertising communication and deductive tasting it takes us 2 days.”
Not what a Sommelier is, not what it culturally signifies and what people think of when they hear the term Sommelier. “2-Day Certified General Whiskey Ambassador” would be more appropriate, or “Whiskey Evangelist” or heck even “Whiskey Wizard”. But Somm… nope.
UPDATE: In a video titled “Idiot” one of the Wizard Academy guys insinuates I’m a former member of “The Tribe” and got kicked out. I’m publicly stating that I have never been a member of their “Tribe”. Which makes it really hard for me to be kicked out, let alone ask to be let back in. Before starting to dig into this ridiculous Whiskey Sommelier certification program I’d never heard of “The Whiskey Tribe”.
The thing I’m still perplexed by, which was pointed out in this video, is how on one hand they champion making whiskey approachable and fun, almost to the point of demonizing being super knowledgeable about it. Heck, they even say the certification doesn’t have to do with the “real nitty-gritty every detail of whiskey” and in the linked video he goes into how knowing every detail is snobbish.
Yet they started a certification program using the term Sommelier… people who are supposed to know the details, down to the soil type and seems to be associated with wine snobbery all too often. I’m having a hard time making that one sit fully flush.
Tribe, Cult, Educational Institution, or Scam?
I’m torn on the tone of this article and some of the comments. Is the hook & punchline of this article simply attacking something the Whiskery Marketing School is not trying to achieve? As a whiskey connoisseur and fanatic I too looked into the credentials of the Whiskey Marketing School. The name of the institution these guys run is called the “Whiskey Marketing School” after all…”Marketing”. To give them grief for their institution being nothing but marketing BS seems a bit crude since they are in fact in the business of marketing with whiskey being the vehicle for their business. If the beef it in them using the term “Sommelier” that seems to be a matter of semantics to me; but perhaps that’s much more important to others than it is to me. Anyone in the industry will take their credentials for what its worth…It’s no different than an account/engineer/nurse/licensed professional attending a non accredited university; a respectable employer will see through the lack of credentials if that institution is in fact not respectable or worthy of providing a true validation of the attendees abilities.
All that said a license is not required to enter the profession of selling whiskey. Who is to say one form of training is better than another? Example, what makes one college better than another? Opinions? The Professors? Who gets to judge their validity? It’s an interesting subject…There are thousands of credentials available to people regardless of profession, whether society chooses to accept any those credentials is simply up to the masses.
These guys did “invent” terms and credentials related to whiskey (level 1,2,3. sommelier etc.) but such is life, those credentials might mean something to someone! And those credentials very well might progress someone’s career who is pursuing a life in whiskey marketing. Perhaps their program is not as formal or snooty as other programs available (and mentioned in this article) but it may still have value in some circles.
I do agree their prices are steep and their credentials are not founded but simultaneously the dollar is not backed by gold in the United States Treasury but we let the dollar control our lives daily! These guys do provide quality tasting notes and they offer a lot of knowledge to those who learn in the methods from the way they teach. Viewing their content I have always felt they’ve been upfront on the nature of their business endeavors. The lack of seriousness plus inclusion of shenanigans in their YouTube content only shows the emphasis on marketing in their business plan. It’s fun. Is it worth $12k to attend and obtain their highest credential? Maybe not. Maybe yes.
As an example, if you’ve obtained a level X certification from the Whiskey Marketing School and are applying for a position at a new and upcoming distillery it’s hard to see how the training from ANY institution including the Whiskey Marketing School couldn’t be an asset. The “Formal” trainings or certifications mentioned in this article may not hold as much weight in some circles as the article makes it seem. Audience is everything. If you’re in sales this credential may be worthwhile.
I do think a lot of candid discussion around this institution is worthwhile. I don’t plan on giving them my money; But I also feel they are a valuable addition to the whiskey industry.
Hi Brian,
Thanks for the great and candid thoughts. I completely disagree in that some yahoos with no professional background just making up a random certification with no accreditation is not a valuable service nor addition to the professional pursuit in the industry. It would be no different than you or I or any other random yahoo making a certification. The only difference is that they use shenanigans (and a fair amount of bad / wrong information) to gain a large following. The fan base is the only difference between them and any other whiskey fan, they have no background or history in the field, they are fans and connoisseurs like you and I. Not experts with decades of experience, they’ve just read the same blogs and books you and I have.
My biggest gripe with them is that they say this isn’t serious and whiskey is supposed to be fun and unpretentious and they sucker people in and get them wrapped up in the cult and then they do a 180, tell people if they give them a huge sum of money they too can be whiskey experts. The parallels to Scientology and late-night TV get-quick rich schemes are palpable. Heck, they have the perfect personalities for the latter.
They then go on to defend the program by #1 Removing or changing info I posted about and try to re-write their own history and #2 Write a damning letter admitting everything I wrote and admit they’re trying to build a professional certificate for an the industry they are actively not working with to create… If you’re avoiding the industry you’re trying to make a certificate for something is VERY, fundamentally, wrong. Imagine going to one of the unaccredited universities you mentioned (which are looked down on in the industries) and they actively avoided even working with the industry they’re trying to sucker you into paying for your unaccredited degree… that wouldn’t be worth the paper it’s printed on.
You’re welcome to your opinion and thank you for sharing it, but my opinion has only gotten stronger over the years that this is nothing more than a way to separate suckers from their money and the people behind it are disingenuous at best.
Cheers.
used to watch their videos quite a bit before trying for the first time which became a 6 vial testing pack with Singleton 15Y, Caol Ila 12Y, Knockando 12Y, Oban 14Y, Mortlach 12Y and Lagavulin 8y which were quite nice.
whilst i quite jived with the “drink what you like the way you like” spirit, it really helped with my “First time drinking something stronger than beer” anxiety, when stuff like a 16k dollars Sommelier title comes peeking around the corner i felt a bit turned off. today i decided to research Whiskey Sommeliers a bit more, and this is one of the first articles ive found, all i can say is that it feels a bit underhanded and wouldnt have been nearly as much of a problem had they named it something else.
Good article nontheless. will likely read up on some of your Whiskey reviews
Thanks for sharing your experience and welcome to TWJ Toasty. I have the same philosophy here, drink what you want how you want and don’t let anyone tell you your business. Cheers!
You okay bro?
Yeah man I’m fine. Just calling some bullshit out for what it is. How about you?
As someone relatively new to bourbon I have started a few of their YouTube videos. I was curious about their program and looked at it. Didn’t make it past the $4000 for 2 days, figured that had to be a typo. Your review sums it up nicely. Every year colleges and universities bestow “honorary doctorates” upon people. Personally, I believe accomplishments should be earned through education, hard work, and continued development. Certain titles mean something and they should always be earned. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to Hogwarts so I can earn my doctorate in bourbonology…. Keep up the great posts and reviews.
Ha, good luck on your courses. Say hi to Harry Potter for me :P Cheers CJ!
I got my start with Ralfy some three or four years ago, so perhaps my standards are a bit high, but Whisky Vault’s success seems to point towards a greater trend, what with the newer, more popular “review” channels focused more on entertaining and selling their product(s). You’ll notice that some of my favorite channels (Jason Debly, Straight Talk Whiskey, The Single Malt Review) have been at it for a while, but don’t upload every day (or week!), are low-tech, don’t ask for donations, have a legitimate passion for the hobby, and would never proclaim themselves to be some sort of experts (even those, like LiquorHound, who are certified and in the business), can spend ten, twenty, minutes going in-depth.
Is it coincidence that so many American “craft” distillers are suddenly popping up all over the country? It seems more than a few might be in it just to jump on an already growing trend… guys like St George, Balcones, McCarthy’s, I have tremendous respect for. Definitely pioneers. Drawing parallels, many of them are on the younger side, might or might not hold up to single malts from Scotland, ask a lot more in some cases… Its the same mentality craft beer started with decades ago, and many of these “distillers” have migrated from that scene and bringing their philosophies with them. Will be interesting to see where that goes…
We just have to be more vigilant with where we spend our time and money
“We just have to be more vigilant with where we spend our time and money” <- Amen to that. Cheers TheSherryBomber!
Smoke and Mirrors
Just come across this article, and I agree with it entirely.
I live within the Speyside Region, and can see a distillery from my living room. I can assure you that if you mention you are a Whisky Sommelier here, the resultant “WTF?” and look of disdain you will get from any distillery worker will explain that this concept is all BS.
It is just a money grab. If it has no accreditation from a professional body, it is worthless. An amateur whisky enthusiast can have just as much knowledge, and if they are connected to people in the industry, probably a lot more.
The very fact that the Tribe’s first whisky was MGP sourced says it all. If they are true appreciators of the art, then they would just wait but they need that money money money.
At least I can’t get kicked out either.
Slainte!
They also made a claim with that same MGP sourced whiskey to be the first “Scottish Style Independent Bottlers” in America. Completely brushing over the fact that Single Cask Nation was founded here almost a decade ago and before them was the Wild Scotsman. But you know, if you have a giant medal you can be an expert that just makes shit up left and right and people will believe you. Everything they do is smoke and mirrors.
Cheers ScottyDog, thanks for sharing!
Just what we need. A whisky version of a wine snob.
I read your review, you have yet to update this with actual responses from the WMS. I’d simply like to point out that a Erik Wait actually visited the site, spoke with the Daniel and Rex, and had a video about the pricing of their course(s). Also, the WhiskeySmiths posted about your article and the WMS’s response. Maybe you should take a second look???
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zkTchrmsAA&t=782s
https://whiskysmiths.com/whiskey-wednesday-newsletter/2019/1/22/the-truth-about-whiskey-marketing-school
And if you had read the entire article you would have seen I linked to the follow up I wrote here https://thewhiskeyjug.com/whiskey/whiskey-sommelier-certification-more-to-think-about/
You would have also seen that I specifically called out that they made a response and in that response I point out that they backtracked and tried to change things on their site after my post to reflect their brand new, wholly changed, stance.
Forgive me if I don’t believe that you actually read the whole article as it seems you missed an entire chunk at the bottom.
Cheers!
Oops EWA is 780gbp now. Still a good value.
Great piece. I think the EWA is 725gbp so it’s about 940usd. There’s also the WSET program and whisky ambassador programs! There’s also an Islay Whisky Academy also. There’s a lot of educational programs out there for whisky/spirits that’s not so expensive!
Agreed, lots of great, accredited, options out there. Thanks for sharing Alex!
First of all I would like to say wonderful blog! I had a quick question that I’d like to ask if you do not mind.
I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear your head prior
to writing. I have had a hard time clearing my mind in getting my
thoughts out. I truly do enjoy writing but it just
seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are lost simply just trying to figure out
how to begin. Any ideas or hints? Thank you!
Hey Malt,
Thank you!
I have the same problem, but I usually start with a quick minute of meditation (just a minute of thinking about nothing at all) and then if it’s a long piece I do an outline. If it’s a review it’s easier because I have a set structure I follow and that makes it easy to get into a groove quickly and knock out like 5 reviews in a sitting. Hope that helps,
Cheers!
https://punchdrink.com/articles/the-myth-of-sommelier-certification-debunked/
Came upon this article after a “wine somm” reviewing box wine YouTube video popped up in my suggestions.
The article has somewhat similar criticisms as Josh states, but does so more fairly and essentially lines up with my thinking on this. Experience and the results dictate whether you are a sommelier or not. Key argument below:
“So, if interested, anyone could sign up, pay the fees, take a course, pass a test and then—like a caterpillar into a butterfly—magically transform into a sommelier. Most programs, including the CMS, don’t require you to have any restaurant experience before enrolling in a “certifying” level course. And as much as they can be a useful source of education, they don’t determine whether or not you are a sommelier. The fact that you oversee the wine list and wine service in a restaurant alone determines that.”
That Daniel offers a wealth of knowledge, and his stake in running a distillery and selling whiskey, in a fun and interesting fashion attests to his expertise, nuff said.
https://vinepair.com/articles/patrick-cappiello-profile/
Google Patrick Capiello. No certs at all. How do we know that he’s actually good at wine selection? By Josh’s logic, he has no cert. He says he has experience doing this or that…But do I really want to trust this guy who isn’t certified when buying a $4000 bottle of wine (or should I register for a whiskey somm class instead? Choices choices…)
Oh, you’ll say he’s not teaching a CMS somm certification (which BTW is only self-study for level 1 – no instruction ourse offered) but instead only offers guidance, expertise, tasting notes..which sounds a lot like instruction (but no cert, just good bottle of wine with your food)
Bush Williams
Exactly! This reply nailed it, well said.
At some point, you just have to stop feeding the trolls.
https://xkcd.com/386/
Haha, I love XKCD :)
Oh my goodness, Lord A. I know this is going to sound condescending, but do you really believe that Daniel’s bit of drivel that you linked to is anything more than some hastily prepared damage control? Even if taken at face value, it does not adequately address the issues raised in the article. Not in my mind. And, I dare say, not in the mind of any objective observer.
My brother (or sister) tribesman, I implore you to remove the magnificently bastardized rose-tinted glasses you don so proudly. This is some obvious shit here. For a school to go around touting the “alumni” of a day-and-a-half marketing seminar as “certified sommeliers” is fraudulent — as is a supposedly not-for-profit entity charging $4,000 for said seminar.
Words like “scammer,” “huckster” and “snake-oil salesman” pop into my head. But, let’s be kind and just say that Daniel and Rex are entrepreneurs. This is what they’re good at…marketing. The seminar and the “tribe” are well-calculated marketing schemes. They’ve done a great job at building up and conditioning their fanbase…and marketing to them. Hell, they’ve even got them donating on a monthly basis for the privilege of helping them produce their own product! Remarkable!
But, like I say…this the land of the free. Free to do our thing…and to call out others we feel are doing theirs in a not-so-cool way. But, be careful with your freedom of speech within the tribe, Lord A. You may get bounced…like Bush Williams did. He was an otherwise outstanding member of the group with great contributions (including to Patreon, I believe!). But, he dared to speak his mind freely on this issue and was promptly terminated by the powers that be. Truly un-magnificent.
ST
Will you shut the hell up about the price tag already! It’s already been said that a fair chunk of that price is for room/board/food/ and expense of whiskeys. I think it would be fair to call that $800-$1000 of that $4000. That leaves $3000-3200 of supposed profits. Have you looked at taking a seminar from a Fortune 500 type seminar? I would bet for most seminars of that caliber you’d be looking at $1000+ for half day or day. I work at a top 100 Hospital in US and have seen some of the price tags to bring in a team to talk about new safety checks or building teams that focus on safety. (I’m using example of workplace seminar). It was something like $50k per day for a room of about 25-35 people.
So charging $3200 for 2 days is not out of scope for a course aimed at business minded situations.
So yes they are good at marketing. I feel you are out of line calling them scammers. Should they not have called it a Sommilier certification, maybe not. As Josh said in last line of his reply last night: “But I fully admit, had a whole section on it, that this is a great Ambassador / Evangelist program and if that’s what they called it… no issue. The issue is the low bar for attaining a title synonymous with expertise.”
But Daniel’s rebuttal for using Sommilier: “The term sommelier originally began as French slang for “butler in charge of the wine cellar”, and eventually grew into wine expert. Because the English language is a fluid, living thing, it’s now commonly used as a term denoting expertise in a food or beverage category – which is why it isn’t a trademarked word.
We treat “sommelier” as a term for a knowledgeable drink steward. We specifically attach the word “whiskey” so as not to confuse our accreditation with the Master Court of Sommeliers”
Again this goes back to the connotation of what people feel a Sommilier is. NOTE the word connotation because I feel that is a basis for most of the strong feelings in the replies. My connotation for what a sommilier is someone with a lot of knowledge for food and beverage pairing. I do not see a sommilier as a all around expert. Especially seeing as I have yet to meet a sommilier who has been certified or extremely knowledgeable on the subject. (referring strictly to people who work in restaurants as supposed wine experts) . This is my opinion/connotation. NOT a definition.
As far as not addressing some of the main issues discussed in the article here is a quote…
To recap: You can either learn from people with decades of experience in the actual industry doing the things they’re teaching and visit Scotland. OR you can go to Texas and get taught by marketing and communications people who haven’t professionally done any of this for any meaningful amount of time…
I know it was either stated or insinuated a few times in the article or replies that the Whiskey Marketing school has no experience in the industry and have no right teaching it.
Daniel clearly addresses this. Two of the class teachers are Kate and Joe Van Name
“Kate and her husband Joe both obtained Diplomas in Single Malt Scotch from the Edinburgh Whisky Academy, are avid investors in barrel projects and start-up distilleries, and own a company that provides guided tastings and food pairings for restaurants, private tasting events, and whiskey blending experiences as well as travel consulting and planning to distilleries in Scotland and Ireland.
Then there are the Prichards who are of the “Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskey” family.
But if you are still stuck on your connotation of what a sommilier is then there can’t be much more discussion here.
Full disclosure I am a Patreon member of the Tribe. I do not see the Whiskey Sommilier program as worth it to me. I am a Patreon member because I find a lot of entertainment in their videos, I like their outlook on what a whiskey community should look like (enjoy whiskey how you like it while sharing information in a friendly don’t ram it down your throat manner), are sarcastic bastards, and I get to see a lot of unique bottles of whiskey that my local liquor store does not carry but I can order. You can rant all you like how they mispronounce names or slip and say its from the wrong region but I don’t care. I’m also a Patreon because I get to see a lot of behind the scenes decisions/ vote on decisions on what goes into a whiskey at their distillery. Call me stupid or someone who has been conned but I am getting my money’s worth out of the experience.
I read the rebuttal in its entirety several times and am writing an update. The update did nothing but open even more questions and nothing stated in the rebuttal changed my mind in the slightest. Daniel even says “In the service industry, we are expensive. In the business world we are not.” A core piece of my criticism is that this is a marketing and communications seminar gussied up as a legit certification for “beverage expert” aka targeting the service industry. Go look at who they say this cert is for. Bar owners, Bartenders and Enthusiasts. 2 of those are service industry. Your comparison of a highly regulated business training to certification of service/whiskey industry expertise is nonequivalent… unless you’re calling the Somm cert a business cert in which case the use of the Somm term is even more egregious and is actually part of my point. There is no safety Somm (I know it’s hyperbole, but I would hope you get the point).
As for targeting the Enthusiast so they can help you “deepen your love and knowledge of whisky while teaching you how to communicate that knowledge to those around you in a way that won’t make people avoid you at family gatherings.” … Not what a Sommelier is, it has always been a service industry and wine industry term. And yes I think all the water somms, milk somms, etc. are equally ridiculous and deserve just as much criticism if they don’t measure up to the cultural perception and understanding of the term and what it takes to get it. And if I ever start a water or milk blog I’ll jump on that too.
As for the references to investing and etc. that still doesn’t make them veterans of the service industry/whiskey industry; especially following the confirmation that the whiskey industry was circumvented in creating the cert. Business veterans absolutely, that was never in question. Whiskey Industry, not at all. The EWA is a 2 day deep dive delivered by whisky industry veterans and never presents itself as anything else. It’s all above board and I’m enrolling in their online course and will do the Scotland visit soon… still won’t make me an industry veteran despite my years of knowledge and booze consumption.
As for the Prichard’s involvement. That’s awesome they “help teach the courses focused entirely on bourbon” and they should call that out on the site. But consider this. The Level 2 curriculum is a “focus on Bourbon and American Whiskey, Public Speaking and Storytelling, Palate competency training and food pairing science, Training in the art of competitive whisky judging”. Inside American Whiskey you have rye, single malts, corn whiskey, “moonshine”, various blends and more that would exist outside of a bourbon focus. There’s also a written test and a graduation ceremony and meals to fit into the 2-day course on top of all of that. And since they’re the only whiskey industry veterans and they’re only teaching what appears to be a small percentage of a certification whose goal “is that the majority (if not all) of our students can make a living in the whiskey industry” you’re still left looking at not a whole lot of veteran involvement. At the end of the day it’s still a marketing and communication program put together by marketing and communications/business people billed as being inexpensive in the business world, but using a term synonymous with expertise in the service industry.
Sorry man, I don’t see how anything has changed.
Pierce,
Josh pretty much hit on every point in his response that I could have possibly wanted to make about the somm program. But, let me just ask you this?
When Daniel decided to first wear his Flava Flav medallion on screen and proclaim himself a “level three whisk(e)y sommelier”, do you think he did it to show everyone what a great ambassador he is? Or, do you suppose he wanted to give the impression that he was some kind of elite expert in the field?
The answer should be obvious. Dude was putting on airs…trying to mislead…marketing himself and the channel. And the early videos were made to promote the school. Ergo, Daniel/Wizard Academy = shady…in my book, anyway.
But, I grow weary. I really don’t give much of a fuck anymore. The bell has been rung, the whistles blown. It’s clear that some of you guys have been pretty deeply indoctrinated and would like to give these folks a pass in spite of some obvious bullshit. But, no. There was no uncertainty about semantics. And, yes. A clear choice was made to be deceptive.
Yeah, the tribe can be fun. The videos might be funny. Yay, shenanigans! But, my man…homeboys are out to milk the cash cow. And, you say “moo.”
ST
Promoting something doesn’t make it shady and its pretty hard to be deceptive when you’re handing people all the information about the program in its website. By the autor’s own admission, he didn’t dig up anything, he basically just took information that was PUBLICLY AVAILABLE and gave us his, in my opinion, VERY biased take on it.
You may not like the program, that’s ok, no one is forcing you to take it, but if they’re giving you all the information about it up front, you can’t call it a scam.
I would also like to point out, as many have in this comments, that the first level given by tha Court of Master Sommeliers is also awarded after a 2 day seminar with a multiple choise test and, though recommended, experience in the industry is not a requirement, so anyone who is saying that you can’t go on a 2 day seminar and call yourself an expert should be just as outraged at them, and even more outraged at “Satve and Thief” who offer an industry backed certification that you could theoretically get without having ever tasted bourbon.
Your level 1 SOMMELIER isn’t handed out after a 2-day semiar with the Guild… Getting that takes a LOT more.
I watch the vault and tribe videos because they’re fun and entertaining. That’s it. I don’t have any other stake than watching their free stuff.
I don’t appreciate Josh calling them out without doing his homework and getting the Whiskey Marketing School’s side of things. Just fucking googled, give me a break. At least give them a call and see what’s up and get a sense of them. Talk to folks who’ve gotten whiskey somm certs. They feel they get their money’s worth?
Due diligence man. It was not done. That’s what I’m pointing out.
If Josh would man up now and fucking talk to them like a genuine human being, I’d give him mad props for doing so. But he’s just gone and burned that bridge, so super super doubtful Daniel would ever want to talk to Josh. If he does… Wow, that’s saying a lot of good things about his character.
I don’t think either one of Josh’s articles painted an unfair picture of the WA. They are marketers after all, so it should be fair to judge them by what they’ve put out about themselves.
Lord Ad,
Yes, Josh would have strengthened his points had he attempted to reach out to Wizard Academy for the first article. He has acknowledged this and apologized. And, he has written a follow-up where he tried to correct the error.
Josh states in his follow-up that he reached out to Rex and Daniel twice to conduct an on-the-record interview. But, they chose neither to accept or decline.
Clever boys.
ST
Read the follow-up. I put out 2 offers and also critiqued their reply which did nothing but confirm everything. And I didn’t “just Google”, hence the reason it was so accurate. I dug through online profiles, looked up level 2 somms, did deep searches into the people behind it, etc. I put weeks and weeks of research into it. So you like Daniel and his videos, great enjoy them. I never attacked the videos. The Cert is BS. Period.
When I was the high school newspaper editor I wrote an editorial on the low quality of school lunches in my editorial. The director of school lunches was not pleased and responded to each criticism I had made, and I had to write a follow up editorial apologizing and addressing my original criticisms because I didn’t have all the information. It upset a lot of people who were doing their best to feed the thousands of students a day. In large part it was due to my laziness in whipping something up for the paper in time, and I didn’t take the time to talk to people to inform my editorial.
https://whiskymarketing.org/blog/whiskies-blog/the-truth-about-whisky-marketing-school/
Your other qualifications section should include the General Certificate, Diplomas and Master Distiller exams and courses that the Institute of Brewing & Distilling do. These are the exams that people in the Scotch industry do but are probably too advanced for anyone without an engineering/science background.
I wanted to keep it as short as possible, but yes, those are excellent choices as well. Cheers!
I have looked into the sommelier program and it is intriguing. I have no interest in getting into the whiskey industry though which is why I will not move forward. But painting the people who run the program as just a bunch no knowledge hacks without actually contacting them to make sure the public knowledge is completely up to date just makes you seem like a child screaming at the sky the way your attacking them. Also anyone that has disagreed with you has gotten a novel back telling them why they are wrong. I already read too much of your angry one sided opinions so you can save them to yourself. Also Daniel gave you their full credentials which you would have learned if you had contacted them.
https://whiskymarketing.org/blog/the-truth-about-whisky-marketing-school/
Accrediting yourself is akin to checking your own homework. And as for all of the distillery and Texas Whiskey Association stuff, etc. that was all done in 2H 2018… 6 months does not an industry veteran make… neither does 25 years of music. If I wanted to be a musician though that’s the exact type of experience I would look for.
“Accrediting yourself is akin to checking your own homework”
And isn’t that how ANY accreditation starts out…..By making your own homework and tests and setting a standard for all pursuing to follow. Look at a lot of computer certifications, for example Cisco who is one of tech industries biggest network companies in the world. They wrote the book on networking in many aspects, created their own routing standards, and then wrote their own certification programs ( CCNA). And 25+ years later they are still a multi billion dollar company after writing their own BS down in a handbook and calling it a protocol for computer networks.
This comment reads like you ignore the next teacher Daniel lists in the blog letter. Kate Van Name who has 12 years experience in curriculum development. My wife is currently finishing her Masters in Learning Sciences from University of Iowa which in summary is curriculum development (there’s a lot more to it but thats for you to research). It’s a fantastic thing to have someone like Kate Van Name there to build the certification program. On top of her curriculum experience she worked in wineries for years. Put that experience together to form something like the Whiskey Sommelier certification it sounds like they are on a very good path for developing an industry standard certification of their own.
I agree their website does not present this kind of information leading most to think this program was half haphazardly put together or it was put together as a money grab. But it is sounding just like a school I went to for sound engineering. They teach you a shit ton of stuff, give you resources to expand upon what they teach, then help you find a job in the industry.
I did not know until reading Daniel’s blog letter that they require industry experience to continue onto level 2. “After level one, we have industry and experience requirements that have to be met before you can register and attend plus a minimum of six months between courses.” That is good evidence that they care about building a whiskey expert. Notice I say build. Not “proclaim a whiskey expert and unleash their half truths on the world.
I think you are approaching the designation Sommelier differently from Daniel. It sounds like you think once you graduate with the title Sommelier then you have all the knowledge ever needed in everyday jobs or discussion. My impression of Daniel’s use of the word is more along my sound engineer school. We will teach you a ton of stuff but its a journey to become an expert.
“Accreditation is a process of validation in which colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning are evaluated. The standards for accreditation are set by a peer review board whose members include faculty from various accredited colleges and universities.” <- Peer review being key and he specifically stated that he went around the Whiskey Industry to create it and then states it's designed for the industry... I don't think Sommelier is at all an endpoint, but it is a title synonymous with expertise and having a 2 Day seminar be the education needed to attain level 1 is an incredibly low bar. THAT is the crux, that the requirements in attaining the Sommelier title have no resemblance to the level of work, dedication, time and minimum knowledge needed to become what is culturally perceived as a Sommelier. Both Daniel and Kate have extensive wine experience so if anyone knows what it takes to be an actual Sommelier it's them and that's even more egregious in my eyes. But I fully admit, had a whole section on it, that this is a great Ambassador / Evangelist program and if that's what they called it... no issue. The issue is the low bar for attaining a title synonymous with expertise.
Funny how you failed to mention that the first certification you need to get from the Court of Master Sommeliers to become a wine sommelier is also a 2 day course, with a multiple choise exam, and to be a certified Bourbon Steward (a program you actually recomend in your article) not even that is required, you just need to buy a book and take an online test, you could theoretically become a Bourbon Steward without tasting any bourbons.
Congrats, you missed the point completely.
This screams of a child’s hissy fit, you have clearly missed the entire intent of what their business is, who they are, and what they are trying to do. I could write this long about how McDonalds is not a real cheeseburger but at the end of the day I would still just be an angry little man writing falsehoods about a business more successful than I am
Not falsehoods, they confirmed darn near everything in their reply. And they missed the entire point if what a Sommelier is. Cheers :)
FYI, I posted this up in the facebook group and am now kicked out so you obviously hit a nerve with these guys. Know this if you are a loyal “Tribesman”, one wrong step to endanger their cash flow and your ass in to the curb!
Sorry about that, Bush. And, you were a really great contributor to the group. So lame that they would just bounce you like that. Although, I’m surprised they let you speak out as much as you did. It’s why I chose to be the “secret tribesman.”
There are a lot of nice folks in the group, but, idk. I’m tempted to just opt out, at this point.
I think this article takes an unrealistic comparison with the use of the word Sommelier.
Description from wikipedia:
“A sommelier may be responsible for the development of wine lists, and books[2] and for the delivery of wine service and training for the other restaurant staff. Working along with the culinary team, they pair and suggest wines that will best complement each particular food menu item. This entails the need for a deep knowledge of how food and wine, beer, spirits and other beverages work in harmony. A professional sommelier also works on the floor of the restaurant and is in direct contact with restaurant patrons. The sommelier has a responsibility to work within the taste preference and budget parameters of the patron.”
Basically someone who markets wine to patrons and has a knowledge of wine. I think in this context this is exactly what the Whiskey Sommelier class is doing.
Have you even talked with someone who has completed the course and evaluated the level of knowledge they gained from attending the 5 courses?
Not all 5, they haven’t finished building all 5. But having met one who has completed 2 levels is exactly what prompted me to look into this in the first place.
First, just consider your own thoughts from a cultural perspective of what Sommelier means. Then I want to point out a key phrase from the above “deep knowledge” and see how that compares to what is presented. And finally I want to point to two quotes from their response to my article – which I encourage you to read on their site: “We didn’t look to the existing industry for support or credibility” and “Our goal is that the majority (if not all) of our students can make a living in the whiskey industry”. How do you prep for an industry without the industry?
Hi,
I have a couple of things to say.
The first is this seems to be quite a personal attack and not that construstive.
I also think you missing the point of what Daniel and Rex have done with the tribe and their channel. They are against snobbery and what comes with it. I feel you are falling into the trap of snobbery.
Lastly, You spelt Edinburgh wrong.
Grant
I’ve said it a million times. This has nothing to do with the Tribe or anything else. Just the certification using a name that means expertise, but can be achieved after 2 days.
I would agree with this. Coming from a neutral standpoint, the certification and use of “whiskey somm” is questionable at best, and I appreciate that you had the dedication to compile the information together and present it. However, this blog could have used more research. I certainly would’ve responded to your view more favorably if you had reached out to them directly for discussion before posting, or sent even a simple e-mail. It would have taken only a minute out of your day. Otherwise, you just sound like someone with respectable passion but perhaps too much downtime.
Thanks for the feedback and taking the time to respond. Since posting I have reached out and should an update be needed I will definitely do it. Cheers!
You’re still not allowed back in the Tribe!! Was this helpful??? Now go suck on some sour grapes!!!
Hahaha I love this so much. Dear Sanecrazy12, I was never in the Tribe to begin with and I have the Facebook data records to prove it. I had never even heard of the Tribe till I started looking into this. That part of Rex’s reply video was 100% fabricated and I have hard evidence that I’ve never been in it. Just go to FB, settings, data and download your group data and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. Cheers!
Great article. It’s not often I read fully an article this long as I usually figure out the jist if the subject or it looses me due to poor writing.
I’ve only been into bourbon and scotch about six months now. I drank beer for years and just stopped regular drinking about 20 years ago when I started a family. A couple of years ago my wife and I drove up to Napa for wine tasting get a way. I fell in love Cabernet. A year later switched to Cognac more bang for the buck. This past summer on a flight to New York I decided I would try a glass of whiskey. It was Buffalo Trace. I had no idea whiskey could be that flavorful.
In turn I started to learn about the different bourbons and whiskeys. I turned to YouTube for reviews of bottles I was considering to try. I found the WMS/WA. Found it very entertaining at times. I wouldn’t spend 4K for a course like that let alone 12K.
I want to thank you for writing this, as a novice still, yet no fool with some years of life experience, I can see how newbies inparticular young ones may see this marketing school to be more than it is. Your take is spot on and you did give credit where due. Kudos to you.
Cheers!
Rex and Daniel are entertainment and a fun way to get into whisky for people that are finding out that they like it. Neither of them can pronounce Bowmore for Christ’s sake. I give them shit constantly. It is tremendous fun.
Could not care less about the term “sommelier”. It’s a poncy wine term. I drink whisky.
Could not care less about the training and what it costs. Idiots spend money on stupid things. Just try stopping them. It’s not possible.
I understand people get upset about crap that doesn’t matter. You’re a blogger, you have to write about something. This is something I guess.
I’m responding only because I don’t think these two are calculating money grabbers out to deceive the people and I think that this article paints them, a bit, with that brush. That’s all.
Keep reviewing the whisky. Love the whisky.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Jimmy. Cheers.
You have literally zero evidence to back up dragging Rex and Daniel’s name through the dirt. “dubious 501(c)3” “marketing scheme” That’s fucked up.
If you stand behind what you’re saying, post your real name and contact info and your evidence. Otherwise you’re just another keyboard warrior.
Hey Lord Ad. Sounds like you’re responding to my last entry here.
Yeah, I wouldn’t say I have zero evidence for the claims I’ve made. I’ve been on the tribe scene since close to the beginning. And, I’ve seen things, you know. And, also I’ve done some internet private dick work…found some very interesting tidbits.
Why don’t I give my name? Well, I don’t see the point. It wouldn’t add anything to my claims. And, like you say, I’m just a keyboard warrior…I guess. But, I don’t see the need to get my name mixed up in this debate that has apparently gotten folks up in a tizzy. And, besides, I don’t want to get bounced from the tribe. I loves the tribe! And, I must admit, I’m intrigued watching Rex try to vlog his way out of this pickle.
But, listen…here’s the bottom line. “The boys” are doing their thing, providing shitloads of shenanigans, schtick and dropping decent amateur whiskey knowledge in pursuit of cultivating their ever-growing cash-cow fanboi base. And, that’s all good…sort of. But, the “somme” shit? Well, that’s definitely crossing the line, imho – especially, considering the school’s not-for-profit status. But, whatever. This is the land of the free, after all. But, other people are perfectly free, as well…to call out some blatant bullshit. Are we not? And, if some unsuspecting mark finds this internet cautionary tale while doing some research on the wizard academy, and we’ve helped him to make his decision, I don’t see what’s wrong with that.
Wow…sounds like a lot of butt-hurt diatribe to just say “there’s no such thing as a Whiskey Somm.” Do you put as much effort into disproving Santa and Sasquatch? Guess what else, the sky isn’t REALLY blue! Dale Carnegie might not actually help you get friends or influence people (though you really might want to inquire…at least they are ‘certified’). You might also want to take some courses on how value is determined. You see the value of anything is determined by the customer. Those who don’t believe a service will meet the expectations versus the money they spend, won’t buy the service. I would never buy a luxury car, but that’s partly because I can’t currently afford one and partly because I don’t see the value in one. I don’t begrudge others for driving a lexus though. But speaking of grudge, you sure do seem to have an axe to grind. Maybe someone should write a blog article about people who write passive-aggressive hit pieces, and how there’s no value in reading them, because at the end of the day, it just amounts to a toddler’s temper tantrum, and not really a cautionary tale about the dangers of branding a service as something that it isn’t really.
Well, that’s definitely a take on it. Cheers.
I think that if Santa charged $4k for a trinket, there might be more people willing to speak out. And Sasquatch – now there’s an innocent soul, truly non-profit – sasquatchkind has never charged anyone any money for anything. There are some impostors out there, of course, but it seems harmless enough. No promises are given, no status awarded.
Speaking of luxury cars, I agree, I also don’t see value (for me). But last time I checked they actually represented some intrinsic value – they do drive from A to B, have safety features, creature comforts, performance, etc. Actual engineers toiled to design them. Now, if someone was offering a papier-mâché shaped and painted like a luxury car, at a price of a luxury car – THAT would be a valid analogy. Of course, if someone chose to pay the money – I would agree, ABSOLUTELY (without sarcasm) they would be proving that they value it that much. I would love to see them driving on the road pretending like it’s a real luxury car, I think I would actually PAY to see that and I predict that it would be of certain value to many a spectator :)
I went down the rabbit hole with these guys for a while before I did my own research into this so called “Somm” thing. I even did a few months of the Patreon at a pretty generous level and have my signed certificate and challenge coins to prove it. However after a while the over all agenda became pretty apparent. Build up a base of loyal fans, condition them into your “tribe”, make them feel like they are a part of something special, and then fleece the **** out of them.
The fact they are making all this cash, starting an NDP, and having a blast living their best life is something I applaud but I do feel like they are achieving this success in an underhanded way. These guys are harmful to new people trying to get in to Whiske(y) by presenting themselves as something they are not and unfortunately the charisma is going to keep the wool over a lot of people eyes.
Sorry to hear that, but thank you for sharing you experience. Cheers Bush!
I agree, Bush Williams, you described it well. However, everyone must eventually learn: don’t be a “loyal fan” of anything, except on merit alone. Don’t follow charisma, that’s how people become worshipers of psychopaths – “jackals worshiped by jackasses” as defined by H.L. Mencken.
I am, frankly, puzzled why so many people are drawn to all that tomfoolery. I enjoy Ralfy’s videos. The man has a genuineness about him, even “charisma”, but I am totally able to enjoy his videos without agreeing with his non-whisky views (which he shares freely from time to time). There is absolutely not appeal to belong to “tribe”. He calls his viewers “malt mates” (bourbon buddies, etc.) – a more voluntary association connotation vs. “tribe”, whatever that even means!
One can learn more in a single Ralfy review than in all of those whisky tribe videos. And if you watch all of his videos (while trying some whiskies along with him) – why, that will be worth 1000 times of those $4k “somm” medallions.
Sorry you feel that way, I’m guessing you have buyer’s remorse.
Can you be specific – how are they are fleecing people? Because that’s a pretty strong accusation.
I’m sure he’ll respond, since that was his term. Here’s what I see: they get to open an NDP while the members of the “tribe” get to be called “magnificent basterd” and a “shout-out”. A win-win, if I ever saw one ;)
But I happen to support the voluntarist approach – since both parties paricipate willingly, let them all bask in the magnificence of the somm-ness. I don’t believe in forcefully protecting those who are soon parted with their money.
In fact, once the bottles roll, I really hope all the magnificent basterds of every level line up to acquire the liquid awesomeness. Everyone will be happy, I love harmony.
I have been in the Tribe FB group for a long time now, I am no on the patreon because I dont have the money to do it, and I live outside the US, so I couldnt tale advantage of some of the perks antway. You don’t have to spend money to be a part of this community, nobody is being tricked, everybody knows exactly what all of this is about, and the same applies for their certification. All the info in this article was taken from the WA webpage, I would hope anyone thinking about taking any program would at the very least take a look at the webpage of the people who provide ir…
No… they don’t. Outside of the tiny insular circle people don’t. I’ve witnessed people assuming it meant something far grander than it is. That is what initially spurred me to look into it. This was not written for us who know it’s crap.
If you sign up for a program without reading what the people who provide it say its about, and its not what you expected, its your own fault. Its absurd to think that someone would sign up for a 4k course without reading the description of the course in the webpage…
…that’s kind of the point. What’s on the page is overblow hyperbole comparing it to a black belt and other nonsense. There was no dissenting voice soying “hold up, none of this makes sense, that’s not what a Sommelier is, why are there no whiskey veterans involved, why are they not endorsed by anyone else in the industry, etc”
And in response to Mr. Bush’s criticism:
No freaking duh. Have they ever NOT been transparent that marketing is their primary gig?
It’s no subtle secret that the unwashed masses are oblivious to, it’s LITERALLY how they started this thing. The thing is: they did it well. They created something fun to be a part of. I’m gonna buy whiskey either way, but now I understand whiskey better than I ever did, I buy it better, and I’ll buy theirs at my first opportunity. I haven’t been duped by their clever marketing tactics, I’ve been educated by their clever marketing tactics and have a healthy desire to reward them with my money. Money was gonna go to someone, prefer it be them for reasons stated above.
It might be obvious in the circle, but outside no. And this is not about the community but the certification. If you notice the community is never even mentioned in the article. There is no issue with that.
It’s literally called the “whiskey MARKETING school”…
EXACTLY. Sommelier isn’t a business term… that’s the underlying point.
“It might be obvious in the circle, but outside no” A program from an institution called the “Whiskey Marketing School” is very crearly about marketing.
If you don’t like them using the term “sommelier” that’s alright, but it is very clearly implied en many of yours and other peoples comments about your article that this is some kind of scam, when all of the information people are bringinp up here is publicly available.
I have to say if anyone takes these two serious as does this author, you need counseling. It is easy to see they are marketing anything and everything they can that has to do with whiskey, from tasting, distilling, merchandising, and plain soliciting. They try to make it fun and entertaining so we follow along and hopefully buy into their format, buy into with dollars that is. And if you are silly enough to pay into their courses for one of those huge tin gold colored medallions around your neck and promote yourself as a whiskey expert, well… Hope you enjoy it. A knowledgeable person in any field need not carry around his diploma, their reputation preceeds them.
These two are about fun and silliness with whiskey, though I do believe one of them sees himself as an expert, but what counts is when others see you as an expert.
Everything you said is exactly why I wrote this. This isn’t for those who are “in the know”, it’s for the people who are looking into it. The only info about it was their own overblown hyperbole and that’s it, so how is your average person to easily see that? It’s so easy for new/unsure people to get suckered into things they don’t understand.
Judging by the overwhelming reaction by the larger whiskey community you’re right, we all know it’s a BS lazy-ass cert. But outside the circle it’s an impressive sounding title that has a cultural connotation far surpassing the requirements behind it.
And no, I don’t take them seriously… I thought that was pretty obvious by laying out that I don’t see how they’re qualified to certify anyone in the things they’re certifying people in… that’s kind of a major part of this…
I read the article but full disclosure didn’t bother with all of the mountains of public opinions before lodging my own:
In short, the best aspect of their business is, the core principle is about removing the pretention out of something that has largely been so. How did they become the largest whiskey channel in such rapid fire time? Because they’re not the equivalent of the old white-haired snobby legacy mindsetted folks who want to keep their noses up about qualifications. They’re qualified in opening the doors to thousands of people to the world of whiskey and know enough about the subject to educate huge swaths of people, who by the way, are furthering the industry we all love.
The points made here are opinions rightfully entitled to this author, and they are blended with some truths. But the proof is in the pudding, as it’s said, and I’ll say their brand of pudding seems to be one of the best. If that makes others lift their noses and/or become low key jealous cause they’ve ‘been in the marketing game 15 years’ and don’t have anywhere near this level of success, but have the ‘real credentials’ then sorry, but there is no denying the positive impact of their organization on the world of whiskey.
You don’t make money closing doors and you don’t make friends being a hater. It seems the Whiskey Tribe does neither of those… And it’s going quite well.
Hi Rock,
You’re confusing a lot of things here. I don’t care about The Tribe, I don’t care about their Patreon, I don’t care about any of that. The certification has nothing to do with everything you just described and I have no problem with that. And if you’d ever read my site you’d see I don’t take it snobbish either. You’re just spitting out their own rhetoric about the wite-hair, but that hasn’t been the whiskey community for a while with its intense populairty.
The certification is the problem for all the reasons I listed. Not their community, not their approach, nothing else. Just the certification and when you look at the certification… there’s a big problem.
I don’t particularly care if they have so-called industry experience. I’ve seen a whole bunch of their videos and learned a whole lot (more so than almost any other medium I can think of) and was entertained at the same which is why I keep watching and learning whenever their videos pop up.
So they called it sommelier? So what? Has the whiskey industry stepped in to create a standard certification process? Not that I can tell, and that’s too bad. They should. In the absence of that, I don’t begrudge the Wizard Academy for creating some standard, however arbitrary, and charging people for it.
It’s $4000 and really really expensive. They are not forcing anyone to buy it, caveat emptor. Do your research before dropping mad bank.
As for people waving around their certification after taking the program and saying I’m a level 1 sommelier – that’s cringe inducing. However that’s on them – you prove your expertise by talking the talk and walking the walk – and I just don’t see that many people actually doing something like that. It’s a non-existent problem. It’s like in the tech field where people with little to no experience get certs vs those with no certs but have plenty of experience. I’d go with the latter every time.
“They are not forcing anyone to buy it, caveat emptor. Do your research before dropping mad bank.” <- That's the point of this post. I did the research for people so they can easily find it instead of spending a crapload of time looking into both it and the people behind it. Here is a serious question that none of the apologists have yet to be willing to answer. I usually get called a cuck or told to go get my butt-hurt ointment when I ask (which tells me all I need to know). If they called the program what it is: A Whiskey Ambassador / Whiskey Evangelist program. And they plainly stated, "we have no professional experience of any consequence in the things we're going to certify you for"... how many $4k programs do you think they'd sell? Honestly.
I’ll answer. Don’t feel I’m an apologist, as I don’t see anything wrong with what they are doing. They are filling a gap in the current environment, since nothing like this exists, and as you found, it’s details are clearly spelled out in their material.
Now, to answer, I still think they’d sell just as many. With the experience gained up to this point, i think many DO see them as industry experts.
That aside, I think the Tribe aspect and Crowded Barrel is a lot of as you get to have input on the distillery decisions and then taste the results. Cheers and thanks again for your good reviews – I hate to hear anyone trashing you.
Answering honestly, I think they would sell just as many programs if they called it something else other than Whiskey Sommelier. You’re getting stuck on the term “sommelier” and, to reiterate your argument, they’re misappropriating this term for whiskey.
I get what you’re saying about having appropriate standards so there isn’t confusion. A certified whiskey sommelier should have an equivalent level of knowledge and rigor as a certified wine sommelier.
My argument to this point is that it’s putting the cart before the horse. There isn’t anywhere near the level of certification in the whiskey industry as there is in the wine industry and there doesn’t NEED to be at this point. This whiskey certification stuff is at its infancy. There’s no point in anchoring a whiskey certification to a wine certification when, to my relatively untrained eye, they’re different.
Whiskey distillers have been in this business for a long long time, and yet not much has developed around certification (at least for American whiskey). UK has developed stuff, as you mentioned, but it’s only for scotch. Not much for bourbon certs.
Where is a certification program that will cover ALL the great whiskey that’s being made in the UK, US, Asia, etc?
At this point, getting more people involved and interested in whiskey is a good thing, and using the term sommelier makes more sense to me. It’s something people can hang their hats on. Wikipedia itself says an equivalent term for “sommelier” is “wine steward” (it’s Wikipedia so take that with a grain of salt) so I don’t see where Whiskey Steward would be much better and less misleading (unless you get into it – I didn’t know “first level” is a “wine steward” until reading Wikipedia).
Whiskey Ambassador? That sounds too much like you’re repping a whiskey brand.
Whiskey Expert? Kinda generic to me
Lord Admiral, answering honestly…
Do you reckon that by any standard or interpretation, they are producing any “whiskey sommeliers” with their day-and-a-half course at the Wizard Academy?
Are they offering anywhere close to $4,000’s worth of education or certification value?
Do you think the Wizard Academy actually does make a healthy profit on the sommelier program, in spite of it’s dubious 501(c) status?
Rex’s dad is a legendary advertising guru and founder of the Wizard Academy. And, Daniel is his right-hand man. I think the whole whiskey thing started off as a side project for Daniel — a project obviously based on an amateur but genuine passion and love for whiskey. But, it quickly devolved into a super-calculated marketing scheme.
I have to admit, though…big daddy Williams and the boys have pulled off a good one, here. They’ve got people just tossing their monies and whiskies at a couple of obnoxious hipsters that blow cigar smoke at the camera while sipping on $6,000 whisky. It’s a fascinating trick.
You have issues with money, sure, most people. Unlike you, I don’t fault them for charging $4000. I wouldn’t fault them for charging $1 billion.
Know why? Because I’m not the one paying for it! And neither are you! No one’s forcing you or any of those who have taken the course to take it!
Is it worth $4000? I can’t say because I haven’t talked to anyone who’s taken the program. Those are the ONLY people qualified to say whether it was worth it or not.
Has Josh taken the Whiskey Sommelier program? No.
Has he talked with anyone who was pissed that they spent $4000 and didn’t feel it was worth it? No.
So….what’s the problem here?
Yeah, and I didn’t sense that you really had a beef with them. This article you wrote is excellent, and confirmed my suspicions of Daniel’s certifications. Also, while I’m not a Youtuber myself, I do know making videos, especially regular ones, is a difficult task. I just really think it’d be worth your while. Just putting that out there.
You list the Certified Bourbon Steward as an “industry accepted” education course. You fail to mention that you can be an Executive Steward after a one day program, taking a test, and paying $500.
And yet no hate towards them because they come from the industry?
A) It’s endorsed by reputable groups
B) It’s not capitalizing on a title of expertise (look up Steward)
C) It’s $800
D) It’s put on by people who actually are industry vets
E) They don’t call it a black belt in anything
Sorry Lord Admiral, they’re totally different. Cheers
You know why Daniel Whittington isn’t a Level 4 sommelier yet? He has stated on video that it’s because he hasn’t written the test yet. So, he is self certifying himself. Which will, of course, allow him to then teach the next level. No conflict there.
“To infinity and beyond!” :) Cracks me up, just like those people with the meaningless titles like “Esquire” (no legal significance in the US). They can join the likes of “colonel” Sanders of KFC fame :)
Please provide the link to the video where he says this. I don’t doubt you on this, I’m curious and also I’d like for people to back up their claims with evidence.
To be fair, if you think about it, there are ways to develop tests yourself that you can take yourself and possibly fail (with someone else administering it, of course). Standard practice if you are rigorous is to have a bank of questions which are randomly selected, so say for a 50 question exam you draw from a bank of 500 questions.
(I’ve studied for board certifications using thousands of flashcards and believe me, it’s really hard to memorize that information unless you use memory tricks and even then it’s somewhat short-lived unless you do spaced repetition study.)
Also, as for blind tastings, same idea. 10 blind tastings of whiskey, identify 7 of them correctly regarding maker, years aged, finish (if any), etc. but drawing from a bank of 100 whiskeys.
Seriously, if Daniel was being shady about this, he’d simply anoint himself a Level 5 Sommelier and be done with it. He certainly wouldn’t say ON VIDEO that he hasn’t written the test yet if he were trying to trick people.
They have 400 videos up! I can’t go back through all of them to track down the one where he said it!
But, he did say it. And you are allowed to take that with a grain of salt. Cheers.
I don’t see where it’s $800. The one I’m referring to is here: https://staveandthief.com/course-catalog/
Apologies, I was adding the standard ($250 Kit, $60 book) and the executive together ($500 Exec) = $810 (just rounded to $800).
I’ve recently (past two years) gotten into whiskey and thoroughly enjoy the videos that the Whiskey vault puts out. I looked into their sommelier certification and didn’t think much of it – wasn’t for me, but at the same time I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who decided to take the program. From the get-go I understood that the certification was rather arbitrary. This is all from a cursory look at their website. I don’t think anything they’ve done is sketchy, and I don’t get all the hate they get.
They’re starting a distillery and showing all the progress from dirt ground to actual sourcing and distilling in the Whiskey Tribe videos. It’s all there.
I don’t begrudge them the videos or the Tribe. Do it. But the entire practice of how they do their certification to the way they talk about it is lazy and disingenuous. Let me ask you this. If they were totally upfront and on their site flat out said “We don’t have any actual professionl experience doing any of the whiskey-related things we teach. This is a marketing and communications program” AND they called it what it actually is: a “General Whiskey Ambassador” or “Whiskey Evangelist” certification… how many $4K programs do you think they would sell?
Josh, I would LOVE for master whiskey distillers of all sorts to collaborate together and develop a certification that has industry backing to some degree. One of the problems I see with this approach, however, is that it may exclude newer or smaller whiskey brands, and large companies may use it to hammer them down. Like, “oh, High West, they’re not *good* enough to be included in our certification process…”
You go on about how they don’t have industry experience. That’s true, they don’t.
And yet I’ve learned so much about whiskey from watching their videos, starting about a year ago, and it’s clear that they have a deep appreciation of whiskey after putting out hundreds of videos. It must be the longest con I’ve ever come across if they’ve put that much time and effort into putting out hundreds of videos. It seriously would take twice as much effort to lie about all the whiskeys they have nosed and tasted than to actually report authentic nose and tasting notes.
Not only that, they’re starting their own distillery in Austin. That takes a lot of dedication and knowledge, and I (and many others, including a few Texas distilleries who were present at their launch this past summer) applaud them in their efforts.
That’s great you think they would sell just as many, and I would challenge them to do that. Be 100% upfront ON THE SITE about their exact level of expertise (ie say, they’re just passionate people like you and I with no actual industry experience of any note) AND change the name and see what that does.
You, and everyone else, keep talking about how “they said X in the videos” or “they clearly say X,Y, Z in video H”, but your normal Joe who hears about this, your average journalist or employer who hears about this program isn’t going to sit down and watch through their hundreds of videos.
The point of the post is to call out something I think is disingenuous at best, harmful to the industry and makes it look like a joke at worst and also give people looking into a starting point to do further research and dig in to decide if it’s something they want to be a part of.
Before I wrote the article there was NOTHING pointing out things that are very obvious to people in the whiskey circles. But to outsiders the only thing was their overblown blackbelt nonsense and hyperbole. It’s so easy to dupe people who aren’t involved.
And, again, I have nothing against their videos. Spread the love, but the certification has nothing to do with that love and spreading. The Tribe, the Patreon, etc. does, which is why I never mentioned any of that in the article. I don’t care about that. But not the certification. It’s really hard for me to call that anything more than a disingenuous money grab. And based on the overwhelming positive response from within the FB groups, redditt, pod casts, blogs, etc. the whiskey community outside of The Tribe seems to harbor similar feelings.
SO, I do want to touch on why it’s important to have actual veterans who know what they heck they’re talking about in place. People have been shouting at me to go watch their videos “you’ll get it if you watch their videos”. Back in the early days I did, and they had so much wrong information I stopped. I really thought they would dwindle off and when I started looking into this certification program I was shocked that it was those guys.
So in fairness I grabbed a recent video about the White Walker and watched it and what happens? The “Level 3 Somm” callis a grape-based vodka the best Neutral Grain Spirit he’s ever had… grapes are not grains. Vodka and GNS are two different TTB classifications – that is basic knowledge. And then he answered a question about Nadurra and started to question himself about if Nadurra was peated… it’s not, but he should have known that because he had already reviewed it. He ended up Googling to find out they did a peated cask release… which is what the questin was about!
I’ve watched the Level 3 Somm stumble through barrel entry proof vs bottling proof and get it wrong. Super. Basic. Stuff. And if the person who is “the expert” is getting it wrong and they’re teaching people who have no idea now they’re getting it wrong and then you end up spreading misinformation an that is bad. Especially if those people are “Sommeliers” who are then supposed to be teaching others. This is why in Europe they have certification standards and a governing body.
The level of education is only as good as the people giving it. And if the people givin it are flubbing on super basic things (and all the guarantee are “the fundamentals”) then really… what are they selling?
I suppose, Grouchy. I suppose. But, I hope that the lesson that it’s wrong to take advantage of good-hearted dupes is also learned. With all the discoveries being made in this article and comments thread, perhaps it will.
Well, I do think it’s wrong. But only on the same level as it’s wrong to be a credulous dupe willingly paying money for what is not knowledge. Both are wrong in my view but also not so wrong as to be prevented by force or by decree :) If you protect the dupes from the consequences of their own credulity, they’ll never change.
Does anyone believe that the people buying those $4k medallions are not doing it to rub into the faces of other people? To formalize and accredit their snobbery?
But I am all for discussions like this one – the “calling out”.
Yeah, but tbh, I’m more offended that common dudes are being lulled by a calculated and disingenuous sense of camaraderie and community, donating their limited resources to a couple of clowns that don’t need donations and are obviously (to some) cultivating a consumer base…not forming a “tribe”.
Another low point…when idea of the “crowded barrel” project was being floated, folks took the crowd-sourced communal vibe to heart and proposed that the tribe made investments, not donations. Be in it together. This idea was very quickly and unceremoniously blown off.
It’s too bad. A whiskey community getting together to crowd-source a custom whiskey sounds like a winning idea.
Hey! Daniel and Rex are the best! I’ve never seen anyone better than them at getting whiskey lovers to give up wads of Patreon and “tuition” money AND their rare and expensive booze!
The “god bless ‘em” and “I don’t begrudge them” attitudes about this kind of scam is prevalent. But, fuck that…and fuck them. They might have the right to separate fools from their money and whiskey. But, we have the right to begrudge. And, I do begrudge.
Common story, I watched the videos when they were still decent. Then, I joined the “tribe” fb group. The scam was redolent back then, but I joined their group, as I did every whiskey group around. And, little credit to them, more so to the mods, theirs is one of the more pleasant whiskey-centric communities that fb has to offer. Which makes it all the more unpalatable to watch them milk this cash cow so shamelessly.
Cheers Secret Tribesman!
I hear ya… but perhaps they’re teaching those fools a valuable lesson? That shortcuts are expensive AND useless – not really shortcuts. Reminds me of the medieval anecdote of a traveling charlatan selling potions and cure-alls. A man approaches him asking for a medicine for stupidity. The vendor says “sure, but it’s expensive”. No problem, says the young man, I got money! Later the fool chases the vendor through town accusing him: “you charlatan, you sold me goat droppings, this ain’t no cure for stupidity!”. To which the vendor replies: “but it’s clearly working, you are smarter already!”
Great article. I agree with everything you said.
I’d like to see a follow up article discussing their 501(c)(3) status in more depth. Most non-profits take donations from one group and provides services to a different group (e.g. Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross, Humane Society, etc). The Wizard Academy (Whiskey Marketing School) takes money from a group (through tuition) and provides services to that same group. Add in the fact that a large portion of their whiskey is donated and it doesn’t make sense. Their annual reports should be available somewhere.
You didn’t mention that they’ve managed to leverage their 501(c)(3) into a for-profit distillery, complete with patreon funding. But, I think that’s worth mentioning also.
Lastly. the second party in their videos, Rex Williams, is the son of the founder Roy Williams.
Hi James,
You make some very good points and things I wanted to bring up, I had a whole section putting out questions about their 501c3, but edited them out for length and to keep it directly pointed at the certification. I didn’t realize Rex Williams was that Williams very… interesting. Seems like there’s a deeper story under this lazy ass certification story.
Cheers!
Their whole school is modern, new-agey, garbage. Here’s some fantastic insight from the intro to a class that’s supposed to be about communications:
“A door creates a threshold barrier, but once you’ve passed through it you’re insulated from the world you left behind. Customers spend more time in stores with doors. This is just one, teeny-tiny example of the type of thing you’ll learn in this class”
The title of this *$3000* class is “PORTALS & THE 12 LANGUAGES OF THE MIND.” Everything about the Wizard School is a scam.
I’m glad someone else looked into the school too :) I read the whole site and was floored by everything I read. It was either fluffy nonsense like that or things like creative writing classes which don’t appear to be taught by a published author of any note… it’s all so nuts.
Josh,i unsubscribed from their YouTube channel just as i finished reading your latest article.Correct me if wrong but,Rex & Daniel started up a distillery in Texas.That cost a ton of Money to operate.I wonder where some of the funds to do that comes from? Things that make you say “hmmm”
Here you go again attacking them personally! Yet again you have no knowledge of their education! Daniel has done extension training with several distilleries but it’s not like he can list that somewhere. Email Daniel and he can fill you in on the amount of training he has gone to including with Nancy Fraley. And of course if Daniel is the one distilling the liquor does that not make him the master distiller for his distillery….
And BTW the distillery is it’s own company setup apart from the Wizard Academy. It is being supported by the 1,400 patrons on Patreon that like what is happening there. And don’t you dare call them suckers for supporting a distillery project like this when you don’t know facts.
I’m just saying if your point of the article is about their “misuse” of the term sommelier then don’t comment about any other part of the academy. ESPECIALLY when you clearly have no facts about the rest of academy or the staff. STOP commenting back with things like “Bets on how long before they start calling themselves Master Distillers?”
Pierce, you’re right that’s a low blow about the “Bets on how long before they start calling themselves Master Distillers?” and I’ll remove it. I made the comment after a slew of deeply personal attacks. The article was focused on the Somm and in the article, I specifically kept it to that and nothing else and you’re absolutely right that me leaving a snippy comment like that doesn’t add any value to the crux of the issue. Thank you for the response. I’ve never silenced a rational, well-written critic on this site and I never will.
Rip Off Van Hoodwinkle
I wonder what whiskey name they’ll put out next… Considering they haven’t got any training in distilling and whiskey production. Hope we won’t get bamBOOZEled.
Hahaha, love it.
I agree with your assessment in regards to the program. I started watching their videos close to the beginning, which is how I got deeper into whisky. They were a lot more informative in the beginning. But as soon as the Patreon thing came up and talking about building a distillery, I did some research and realized the end game. I tuned out of the videos once they shifted to that phase. But this is ‘Murica and non-profit capitalism at its finest. More power to them. And I can’t hate on them on making money. Just as I can’t stand the Kard…, but can appreciate how they’re making money from followers.
I do, however, continue following the FB group as it’s a good community for the most part and I get some entertainment as well as normal-folks reviews. But I extensively research any purchase I will make. I wouldn’t even think of the somm program, but contemplated the Patreon. I’ve donated to other YouTubers, but mostly ones that really seem to need it, and don’t push for it.
Thank you for sharing, cheers!
Just something to consider… OSHA has several levels of certifications as well… the first one is for 10 hours in a class. You’re suddenly an expert of safety with less than 2 days of training and perhaps a written test. There are more levels (30, 100, 500 I think?).
You get a good base in 2 days. but it’s up to the person with the cert to continue their education. How they do it is up to them.
Hi John,
I spent 3 months working at a mine and I actually have/had 7 or 8 levels of OSHA certification (it was almost 20 years ago… might be expired now). So I get where you’re coming from. But I’ll counter with this. The certification for OSHA doesn’t make you an expert, but it is put together by experts who have intensively studied the accidents that result in the need for the certification to keep you safe. My ex-aunt-in-law was one such person… she has a PHD.
OSHA also doesn’t charge $4K for 2 days and say you’re a safety Sommelier, a safety Ciscerone or anything vaguely related to a high level of expertise in your field. You’re certified to have a certain level of knowledge through a program put together by professionals. You’re not guaranteed to pass and be an “equivalent titled expert” after 2-days and if you fail you must retake the tests.
After you pass you’re not certified as a safety expert, nor are you certified to go out and start evaluating accidents and figure out how to keep them from happening again in the future. Essentially you’re a safety Ambassador; you know the fundamentals to keep yourself and your co-workers safe and that’s it. There’s a great metaphor in there.
Cheers!
p.s. At the mine I worked at Safety Wardens were required to have 3-4x more certifications than your average employee (requirements differed by job). They were, essentially, the safety experts in each building and also required constant re-training and recertification. With their title came a significantly higher level of responsibility and expectations over your typical “safety ambassador”. I think there’s an even better metaphor in there.
Great reply and I’m glad you knew what I meant. I do see your point with this. I know what you mean with having to take additional courses the higher up you go.
I’m not going to lie.: I’m interested in the course, but the cost is very prohibitive. There is still a lot I can learn on my own, and I hope to share what I learn with others.
Cheers John. Honestly, look into public speaking classes or even Improv classes near you. They will give you tremendous speaking, story-telling and public presentation confidence skills. AND you’ll have a local resource to go back to who can help you polish anytime.
For whiskey knowledge just read and then get friends who are also interested in whiskey and pool all your bottles and share info. Or start a club… or join one if you have any near you. The trading of info with veteran whiskey nerds is the most valuable experience you’ll ever get.
There’s a picture in the post where I talk about that exact thing. That photo was taken by me of my friends at my apt last Sunday. I put out a call to all of my friends to bring their open bottles of Laphroaig. We ended up with 40 unique expressions! https://www.instagram.com/p/BsrJTR_hs0-/
We did verticals, side-by-sides and blinded each other on different combinations and laughed and had fun and all it cost us was our already open whiskey. Yes we had some very expensive stuff open, but the majority was inexpensive stuff… and I learned a ton. I’ve been doing this at a nerd level for YEARS now and I still learn a ton at every gathering like this, Malt Nuts or any of the other groups I drink with.
With a group of friends, or just fellow enthusiasts, you can put together cheap blind tastings like this (https://thewhiskeyjug.com/bourbon-whiskey/scwc-8-blind-bourbons/) that will reveal more than anything else (we also did it with rye). All you need is whiskey, books and time and you’ll be far ahead. Time being key.
Cheers John.
Cuck
I think you misspelled congratulations, damn autocorrect, but thanks for visiting Bill!
First off, you are completely wrong on what a sommolier is. A sommolier is a steward of whatever drink they are a sommolier of. A wine sommolier is a steward of wine.
A steward is someone who supervises arrangements and keeps order at events. Another definition is a person who is responsible over a particular area.
By basic definition, a sommolier, even a whiskey sommolier, is someone who supervises events of whiskey and is responsible over whiskey in a area, whether it be an event, restaurant, or house.
You claim this term is a protected educational level that has existed at ivy-leagueesque programs that have been around for hundreds of year, but then you state how great a $60 program is that all you have to do is buy a book and take an online test without even tasting whiskey is of some higher caliber because it is affiliated with the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
In short, being a sommolier is someone who studies and enjoys a drink so much that they wish to help others in the same study, which is exactly what the Wizard Academy is.
Yes, some wine sommolier programs are better and more stringent, but to be a sommolier doesn’t require that. All it requires is someone who loves a drink to such an extent that they are willing to put in the time to study and learn all they can, then are willing to put into place that knowledge to help others.
I have enjoyed your reviews and tasting notes for a long time, and I would even consider you a sommolier, because you have put your study and knowledge of whiskey to the test to aid others, but I guess you wouldn’t like that.
I’m sorry you don’t see the beauty in the wizard academy’s program. I’d suggest you try to attend the class some day. The cost goes towards on campus housing, multiple meals, a rental car, multiple glasses of whiskey in and out of the class, and truly amazing information.
They don’t say this sommolier class will get you a leg up on a job anywhere.. It’s merely people who love whiskey and study it, but are willing to pass it on to others.
“All it requires is someone who loves a drink to such an extent that they are willing to put in the time to study and learn all they can, then are willing to put into place that knowledge to help others.” <- I don't disagree with you on that, in fact I mentioned that, wrote a whole section on it above. I've met non-certified wine somms and they've been great. BUT they put in the time and EARNED that before calling themselves that. They didn't do a weekend course and then call themselves that. Heather Greene was one of the first, modern, people to be considered a Whiskey Sommelier, but she never got a certification. However, she put in a ton of time and work before people started calling her that. But we're also talking about certifications here. "2 days and we guarantee you're a somm" vs "study for 3 years and you might pass" are two very different things. Since the wine one came first and there are many documentaries, shows, articles, books, etc. about it and so when you say "Sommelier" that level of expertise is what comes to mind. Not a 2-day guaranteed pass seminar level of education. Above I wrote about how this creates a flawed system. You can have 2 people enter the same weekend and leave with the same level one will be immensely knowledgable on the subject because they've been studying for years and the other just started that weekend. Yet, there's no way to tell the difference. They are the same level. If you're going to use an existing term for your certification it should be as stringent to be of equal value. If not, then use a whole new term. "General Whiskey Ambassador" is far more accurate... but would sell far less $4,000 classes. And thanks for the vote of confidence on the Whiskey Sommelier title, but even though I've spent years reading, tasting, hosting tastings, talking to industry vets, writing, visiting distilleries, etc. I wouldn't dream of calling myself that, nor would I dream of charging people to teach them whiskey blending, cocktails, food pairing science, etc. I have no professional experience doing any of that. I've also never worked in a bar beyond volunteer bartending at charity events. I don't feel like I would qualify for the title because I haven't put in the time in a bar or restaurant environment. Cheers!
Okay, I was long-awaiting you write something related to Whiskey Tribe. In terms of reviews and know-how, you have them beat by about, oh I don’t know, a million miles. Regardless, I have to admit their Youtube channel is pretty damn good. Lots of videos on a lot of different whiskey, which means something because Youtube is where the bulk of the audience is. It matters that they’ve talked about a bunch of different whiskies because most people are like me, I want to put the bottle I’m interested in in the search bar and see what you have to say. If a channel hasn’t covered or reviewed a lot of things that lessens the chance I will continue watching your content. Where I’m going with this is putting more time developing a Youtube channel will give you a much larger spotlight, especially when people see just how knowledgeable you are. You have the best Whiskey blog there is, easily, and if you took those talents to Youtube man would that be an awesome thing. The potential with you is all there, but you haven’t uploaded in 3 years. Hell, I would happily watch everything you made. I’ve been following this blog for longer than Whiskey Tribe, and you were the first online personality I went to concerning whiskey culture and especially reviews. As a fan of yours, I hope you see this. By the way, I live in the St. Louis area and you showed me David Nicholson, for that alone you are an awesome person lol.
Ha, wow, well THANK YOU. It seriously means a ton to read that. I honestly have nothing against “The Tribe”, just the lazy certification. I’ve wanted to restart the videos, but they’re not easy to make and I need to find a better way to do them. But thank you, it’s something I definitely need to figure out.
Cheers Mike!
I can’t believe people would go for this. How does someone even think up this stuff, and what do you do with the “degree”?
It’s a head-scratcher for sure. Cheers JohnT
Sounds like an echo chamber in here… I’m guessing you delete the comments that don’t agree with your opinion piece?
Hi Hack,
I have spam locks set on the comments so that people who have not previously been approved to comment get held till I approve them. As you’ll see on this post, and all through my site, I don’t delete negative comments or comments of those who disagree with me. It took a bit of time to get to all of them because there were quite a few and I have a day job. Cheers Hack!
Newbie here. Slowly getting into the whiskey scene after a few years of drinking Bulleit and the like.
I enjoy the reviews these guys do. Yes there is some goody banter back an fourth, but they seem to know what they are talking about, and it’s fun to compare tasting note. Would I attend this school? Very unlikely, but I like the YouTube channel as a source of entertainment.
I enjoy reading this website, and various others as well. You know, try and get a rounded expericne with different forms of content.
Hi Irish,
This has nothing at all to do with their videos, Tribe, etc. Purely the “certification”. I have nothing against the rest of their activities, just trying to pass a marketing and public speaking course off as a Sommelier certification when that’s not what a Sommelier means. That’s it.
Cheers!
This is an excellent piece Josh, great work. A fun read for sure. I agree on all points.
Cheers Travis, thanks!
Josh, I wonder if they have an athletic scholarship program (billiards, pinball golf, darts or cornhole), title nine or possibly quotas with affirmative action. I really would love to get in the program but I need to get a night job if I don’t get a scholarship. I certainly have the grades for an academic scholarship. (I have been able to taste test a whole bottle of Wild Turkey to determine if the last sip is as good as the first and after about 30 minutes I was able to taste what it was like coming up as compared to going down) I do like the medal. that you receive and the certificate of graduation is awesome. (of course I have my kindergarten graduation framed posted) I would PROUDLY wear that medal.
Sloppy, you sound like an ideal candidate ;)
So I totally get your frustration over the way they have used the term “sommelier”. However, you act as if there’s some high-level of deception happening here, but I don’t think that’s the case. I think anyone who has actually watched their videos should understand what they are getting. The “flava-flave medallion” and the “wizard academy” title and the fact that the place is called the whiskey “marketing” school make it pretty clear that what they are doing is about selling and marketing. In their videos they say that their purpose is to help people do a better job of selling whiskey. I would certainly hope anyone paying $4000 understands this.
It’s not so much the people who sign up for it, they really should, but it’s the people who hear the term and then give it more weight than it deserves because of our cultural understanding of what a Sommelier is. Cheers TJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeMBNvDoE-8
Go to episode 188 to the 11:30 mark. They clearly explain what their sommelier program is all about. Sorry you are so hung up on semantics.
“What we’re doing has more to do with marketing and presentation and people than it does to do with the real nitty-gritty every detail of whiskey. Now we do teach you a shit ton about whiskey. Because it would be really awkward to have a whiskey sommelier who doesn’t know about whiskey. But it’ actually about sharing the love and enthusiasm about whiskey. But if all we did was teach you about whiskey we could do it in one day. Because we also do public speaking, marketing communication, written advertising communication and deductive tasting it takes us 2 days.”
They said it themselves. It has more to do with marketing than the details of the beverage… that’s a marketer, not a Sommelier. The above just reinforces my point, they could have used a more appropriate title, but Whiskey Marketer doesn’t sound nearly as impressive.
re: “But if all we did was teach you about whiskey we could do it in one day. ” Nice.
I bet that if all Ralfy did was teach someone about whisky, he couldn’t do it in one day. Or even one year. That speaks to how much they think they know. This is like those YouTube videos where a barkeep tells you “all about whisky”. They really do tell you all they know in 5 minutes :)
100%
Long time listener, first time caller. ;-)
Just curious if you reached out to those folks at all for comment? I didn’t see any mentions of that, and to me the above comes off as a just a hit piece/(strong) opinion without any response or context from the accused. Any chance of getting an update with some commentary from the subjects?
Thanks for the great reviews!
Hi Josh,
It may come off as a hit piece, but that’s because they try to position it as something it’s not. This is just setting it out so if people come across a “whiskey somm” they know it’s a 2 day cert. I didn’t reach out to them because I’m not accusing them of anything other than appropriating a title with a specific cultural significance. The rest is just pointing out what is publicly available. I didn’t “dig up” anything, this is all publicly out there.
There’s no appropriation because the term “sommolier” isn’t an officially recognized level of education. YOu claim they are a fraud when in reality, they are a group of people who love the craft, history, and making of whisk(e)y. People who study a craft that much and have that level of passion should be considered somms. And your logic of others being more reputable means nothing. There are countless wine sommolier classes that have no “accreditation”, and the whiskey somm classes you claim to be higher brow don’t offer anything the wizard academy does. This bourbon steward program is a $60 book you buy to take an online test and can become one without ever talking to anyone or even tasting whiskey. You tout how that one is better because they are with the kentucky bourbon trail, so by that logic, Buffalo Trace distillery with all of their products are fraud bourbons because they aren’t affiliated with the bourbon trail. You clearly miss the point of what makes a sommolier a sommolier. In the end, there is no right or wrong way to become an expert in anything, and if people choose to join a group of people who take actual classes, actually taste whiskey, and have a community of people who study and love the art form that is whiskey, you have no right to bash them or call them anything less than they are, sommoliers.
ummmm… ok
“sommoliers”
A sommelier (/ˈsɒməljeɪ/ or /sʌməlˈjeɪ/; French pronunciation: [sɔməlje]), or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role in fine dining today is much more specialized and informed than that of a wine waiter. Sommeliers Australia states that the role is strategically on par with that of the chef de cuisine.[1]
At least do a wiki search bruh…
Thanks for the laughs. Aside from being delusional, you are way out of your element. You don’t like made-up words, yet forget how “Wine Sommelier” came to pass. There is so much wrong with your bias, and childish stance here. And if you want to compare martial arts, don’t brag. Real Muay Thai has no ranking system, but to take a page from your book, I’ll get all douchey and add, I’ve trained in Thailand and in the US, and the only ranking systems I’ve encountered are by wannabe schools with little clue what’s going on. You have nailed that. Instead of getting all jealous, immature, and acting completely ignorant, you should do a comprehensive comparison and actually look at what’s included with everything. From the costs (which include food, housing, and education) to travel and everything. Not just the minor things that get your snob sense all flared up. Stop comparing it to something you struggled to get through, and can’t see beyond your own nose. You’re clearly only whining due to the inability, or lack of desire to actually learn, or you don’t like that a real, ” high-class wine sommelier” gave his blessing. Check the videos. You seem to have enough time to search them out to nit-pick, why not do something productive? Does it interrupt pretentious snobby time?
You’re right competition-level Muay Thai only has records, but many reputable schools have adopted an arm band system as a way to show progression and setup a system for advanced students to help novice students. The point is that they’re signs of time and dedication. Not a weekend cert that capitalizes on term with a speficic cultural connotation. Big difference. I have tried to watch some of the videos and watching them stumble through barrel entry proof vs bottling proof of the ORVW and W12 I tuned out, I’d rather spend my time doing real studying and reading. There is a reason I never mentioned the videos, the tribe or any of the “magnificent bastard” stuff. The point of this is to let people know all it takes is 2 days to get a Cert and not a true test of knowledge.
This is exactly why I left the Tribe. If you criticize the guys even a bit, the fanbois will attack you personally. This is what gives the tribe a bad name, people like you.
Someone’s medallion is showing…
Yeah – Calling it the Wizard Academy is a bit of a warning sign imho.
Re your comment about Brand Ambassadors, my first reaction when I read the course description was, “I think I’ve met some Brand Ambassadors that have taken this course.” They know enough detail to spin the whiskies to the average punter, but their knowledge doesn’t really run that deep.
One of my favorite whisky tasting experiences was at a work Holiday party. I spent a couple of drams talking whisky with the guy running the tasting, as we figured out if we both knew what we were talking about…and then the special stuff he was keeping beneath the bar came out :-) He didn’t need any certificate or medal – but it’s hard for the beginner or general buyer to see through the spin sometimes.
Exactly, and it’s easy to get distracted by a BS title and a giant medallion if you don’t know the criteria to get said title. Which is why it’s a bad thing for the industry as a whole. Chers Teuchy.
I’m in agreement about the “somm” course, but how is the Bourbon Steward course much better?
Even if it is supported by bigger names and is cheaper, it doesn’t give any more significant knowledge or information than the ‘marketing school’ does, nor is it more rigorous. The lower level is a $60-$70 book followed by a short multiple choice test and the ability to say why you would put any three bourbons together in a tasting (test can be retaken if somehow it isn’t passed).
The $500 course is a one day crash course through similar material, costs money to fly to the destination to take it, and you walk out with a certificate and a box of scented oils (the scented oils are practical to help with scent examples at least). I’ve never heard of anyone failing to attain either level.
If talking bad about one, making something similar look good isn’t a great example to go by (or is it okay because it isn’t as expensive)?
It’s a fact it’s not accredited or endorsed by any reputable industry source nor is it ran by people who have spent any significant time in the industry they’re certifying. While Bourbon Steward is endorsed that the info is good and the teachers all have years of experience. One is capitalizing on a term to sell a $4K program and other is building knowledge for far less and using a term that’s not an appropriation of a significant cultural word. They are vastly different.
Anyone wearing a giant medallion bling should tell you everything you need to know. It’s basically pure BS….
I came across this post on Facebook and I’m so glad I read it. I’m a bartender and I’ve been considering these courses for a while, (but that price!) and now I’m glad I didn’t Goingto look into that Bourbon Steward certification. It sounds great.
Keep up the good work!
Cheers John!
I thoroughly enjoyed this comprehensive beat down. Also, keep the Wild Turkey posts coming. Sincerely, A Level 101 Sommelier.
Cheers Smoke and thanks! I’ll definitely keep ’em coming!
I am rolling my eyes sooooo hard at how one sided biased this article is. You talk about how much hard work a wine somm puts into their job and then try to strip all credibility from the wizard academy staff because they don’t list an “official” whiskey school certification. You don’t think it’s possible someone can do research on their own without going to an official school (gasp!)
You don’t even contact one of the staff members to verify their education for the article. Not all linkedin profiles are updated or can list the exhaustive amount of life experience a person has on a subject.
Yes they have some balls to call it a Whiskey Sommelier certification but don’t be trashing the teachers without knowing them. Give them a little respect for the amount of work they put into their jobs and email them with some questions. Daniel advertises all the time that he will answer emails as soon he’s able to and you can find all their email addresses on the wizard academy website.
Hi Pierce,
I didn’t contact them because I didn’t “dig up” anything. I collected everything that’s publicly available about it, put it together and then gave my opinion on it. If you want a quote on it being a marketing cert more than an actual whiskey cert look at the video people keep pointing to.
“What we’re doing has more to do with marketing and presentation and people than it does to do with the real nitty-gritty every detail of whiskey. Now we do teach you a shit ton about whiskey. Because it would be really awkward to have a whiskey sommelier who doesn’t know about whiskey. But it’ actually about sharing the love and enthusiasm about whiskey. But if all we did was teach you about whiskey we could do it in one day. Because we also do public speaking, marketing communication, written advertising communication and deductive tasting it takes us 2 days.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeMBNvDoE-8 @11:30 . <- Not what a Sommelier is.
“I collected everything that’s publicly available about it, put it together and then gave my opinion on it. ”
That is the precise diference between quality journalism and angry blogger. Just like you with the wine and whiskey somms, I can respect only one of those.
Sure, you might say that it is your blog and your right to do angry blogging instead of proper journalism. Then again, it is their school and their right to do whatever the hell they want with it.
“it is their school and their right to do whatever the hell they want with it.” <- Yup, and it's my right to call it a lazy route to "certification". When the bar is so low to gain an elevated title the title becomes meaningless. If we, as whiskey lovers, want something with the equivalent level of cultural perception then we need to create something of equivalent quality. "2 days and we guarantee you pass" vs "study for 3 years and you might pass" are very different levels of quality.
Re: “That is the precise diference between quality journalism and angry blogger.”
Real journalism doesn’t exist. It is made up, like tooth fairy. On the other hand a blogger doesn’t pretend to be a journalist and just writes their own opinion. (If some blogger out there pretends to be a journalist, he/she must get a lot of laughs). You shared your opinion (called him “angry”). He shared his opinion. Here I am, sharing mine, too.
Absolutely, the “school” can do whatever they want. And everyone else has a right to talk about it, even negatively. And anger is justified sometimes (I didn’t see anger anywhere on this page, though. More like derision or contempt, IMHO quite justified also).
Cheers Grouchy, I thought I kept the anger in check pretty nicely too. I think “angry blogger” is just the new way to try and discredit something you’re not happy about reading.
Josh, I agree. It’s just a canard to shut someone up, a veiled ad hominem by innuendo. Most likely it’s the same people who get to claim being “triggered” and “offended” yet they’ll deny you the right to be angry as if that makes you evil or dangerous.
Anger can be a legitimate reaction, which does not have to involve any mean actions. For example, I thought your writing about Templeton Rye was angry. Rightly so. It is normal to be angry when people abuse your intelligence, trust and good will.
But you have to forgive – if someone already “invested” their hard-earned 4 grand and then they come across your article while polishing their medallion… it’s traumatic ;)
Ha, no doubt and I don’t begrudge them that anger. I’d be mad too, though they should really consider who they need to be angry at. And you’re dead on about Templeton. I was mad then and I still get riled up when I see their name. It’s a sign that I care about the industry :)
I agree that you should have contacted them and interviewed some of the people you were criticizing. It would have been journalism at that point. What you did was reminiscent of Brett McMurphy-style “reporting.” It feels like you have an agenda when you just get on their website and build an argument. A true journalist would have done the legwork and had the hard conversations. You have valid points but you don’t even give them a chance to defend theirs.
I don’t deny that I should have contacted them to make a stronger article. Cheers. I was approaching it from the perspective of how they were representing it and assuming that since they’re experienced Marketing and Communications people the story they were telling, the way it was positioned and the way they positioned the people behind it was all there was to it. I spent weeks researching their Accreditation, Somm research, industry ties, deeper industry mentions of the people, other projects, other claims, etc. and it could have been an even tighter piece with a call to them.
You can have the best teacher on Earth and you still can’t learn much about whisky in a day and a half. It takes more than just information – you have to taste your way through the whiskies and your palate needs to grow with it. Just like oak aging itself – can’t be faked.
I like to pick on some of the things that Josh writes (usually on substance and to create a conversation). I didn’t see anything to pick on here.
Now, let’s all be honest, didja drop the $4k? ;)
Level 7000 mooch …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_EOzDXxLm0
Well, now we know how he bought that Laphroaig 32. Thanks to the generous tuitions of 100 “Whiskey Somms”
The part about level 1 Sommelier is a bit off. Level 1 is just a day and a half class followed by a written exam.
I was quoting their site, even sadder if it’s just a day and a half…
Medallion-clad twat bags
Yes!
Been waiting some time for someone to call out these medallion-clad twat bags.
Let’s start a Go Fund Me page and see if we can get a house plant to Sommelier level 5?
Hahaha. I mean, all you really need is some cardboard and gold paint and we can make any ficus a level 7 in about 10 minutes ;)
Next they’ll call the kid pushing buttons at Starbucks a “barista”. Oh, wait…
Five bucks says that these “somms” will be pimping Monkey Shoulder to anyone asking “what scotch do you recommend?” just like many a store clerk already do. For bourbon it’ll likely be some overpriced, overhyped sourced bottle. For rye I GUARANTEE it’ll be “Templetn Ruh”!
Only these “somms” will do it with a lot more gusto, because they spent thousands of dollars, so they’ll feel validated, when in reality they should’ve drank that money’s worth of whiskey before they’re even entitled to an opinion. I wonder if they’ll actually walk around with those medallions around their necks (like a dunce).
I’d love to see photos of the first simple souls who part with their fiat for this equivalent of a fake rolex watch :) Should be great entertainment!
I know some folks in Austin and they see folks walking around with those medallions regularly, as does the “Whiskey Somm” here in Los Angeles. Just look at #WhiskeySommelier on IG, they’re worn proudly.
Cheers Grouchy!
Josh I don’t know if you are aware but Mr Whittington has quite a few youtube videos where he revie….. well actually I don’t know if they ever actually get around to reviewing whiskies in those videos. The whole thing stinks of a cash grab to me, between the ridiculous school and their new distillery all of the content just seems like (not so) covert marketing for their business endeavors.
Agreed. I’ve watched a few of those and it’s mostly just numbskullery, especially with that other dude.
I am 100% certain that they have a sizable audience and will have customers. Most people have the attention span of 140-characters (or less) so they just want a shortcut – “tell me what to buy” (or “shut up and take my money”). So I’m sure their own product will likely also sell. More power to them (if they can pull it off). Every whiskey drinker can’t be a whiskey nerd just like 90% of wine drinkers get by without ever knowing what a sommelier even is (wine has been around for millennia, sommeliers… relatively recent).
To be fair, the early videos where a lot better, less shenanigans, more info about the whisky and history. That was what got me into whisky…but when the “funny” stuff took over I jumped ship. Not my kinda thing.
The original facebook group that got established is still good though. Information, friendly people, and nobody giving you shit if you like a less than stellar whisky. That’s the one thing they did right….if you like it, it’s a good whisky for you, and that’s all that should matter.
Cheers Reverend357. I’m all for the “if you like it you like it”, I say that a lot here :) I have nothing against their reviews (even though I can’t make it through one), nor do I have anything against their FB group or “Tribe” thing. Purely the “certification” thing, which is why I focused on that – other than the YT photos since that’s what came up when I did a Google Image search for “Whiskey Somm” :)
yeah I get that. I actually agree with most of what you wrote.
To be honest, I did consider getting the level 1…purely to have something to hang on my wall and feel good about. but I don’t have that kinda money to burn.
The EWA stuff looks interesting, and much easier to reach from mainland europe.
And more qualified to teach ;) Cheers!
I don’t know if they review whiskey either, I’ve never been able to make it through one of their videos. The thing about all of this that I don’t fully understand is how the “school” is a non-profit. A 501(c)(3) that charges $4K to get in and $2K to continue learning “fundamentals” seems like it’s pulling in a whole lot of… profit.
technically the school doesn’t make a profit if all of the cash beyond costs goes to their salaries….
Touche
I think they are great reviews of whiskey for people like me. Let me explain with an analogy:
I’m a musician and I absolutely HATE the grammy awards. The thing is, I recognize that they sometimes awards great music, and sometimes feature great performances. But the rest is crap and I take music too seriously to suffer through it or watch anyone give an award to garbage like Cardi B. However, if I weren’t a trained musician, I’d be able to watch it and just enjoy it.
In the same kind of way, if you just like whiskey and maybe want to learn a little and have fun, these guys are great. If you take whiskey seriously, they will drive you crazy.
Hey TJ,
I have nothing against their videos, their Tribe or any of the “Magnificent Bastards” stuff. There is a reason I only talk about the certification because that’s where I have an issue. The rest of their stuff is what it is. The Whiskey Sommelier title isn’t like an award though, it’s a “certification” that’s bought and in their own words is more about marketing than whiskey. Quite different. Cheers.
TJ, I am a hobbyist (has-been wannabe) musician – not trained. I should understand your analogy, I think :) But a sommelier is not someone who just reviews spirits or wine, they’re like a guide – to help someone with selection. They’re not about awards.
Most people who enjoy music feel the same about Grammys as trained musicians. Imagine someone who only listens to music that someone else reviewed and rated as acceptable or good :)
Somms should be more like a DJ, someone to say, “hey, check out this cool new band”. That’s it. Now, granted, a DJ is likely to wear bling and huge medalions, so that would erode my analogy somewhat… but something tells me their bling didn’t cost them $4k :))))) Just make your own medallion!