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"I was absolutely blown away by how good the first ever Whisky School was"
J L from Scotland.
The Whisky School - An Introduction
From grain to cask |
The first courses took place during 2001 & 2002 at Bladnoch Distillery. Now facilities are being created, within an historic mill site in beautiful countryside but convenient to Scotland's airports and major cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Now the success established is being taken to a more advanced level, both in terms of the traditions of distilling and by creating permanent clubroom facilities within the heart of the distillery, suited to exclusive parties and to providing the best of Scottish cuisine.
The Whisky School was established to let consumers visit a distillery to make whisky. It also aimed to move away from more formal whisky presentations and introduce whisky enthusiasts to understand whisky making while it happened. A team of experienced and enthusiastic whisky experts gathered during the winter months (when distilleries are no longer open for tours) to host the first 3-Day event and our visitors learnt, in a hands-on and unhurried style.
The approach at our Whisky Schools is to share the knowledge of our experts in an informal, friendly and relaxing environment. Creating the best Whisky School Facilities at the best Location:
At our Whisky School events visitors enter a world that is unhurried, welcoming and in no way feels like a commercial visitor experience. Alongside the 3-day course, shorter courses can be requested to suit your own special group or fit in with your schedules when you visit Scotland.
The Whisky School - about the three day course
Sample your wares |
Day one: Focuses on (a) the mashing of two different types of malted barley (this could be smoky, heavily peated barley and a barley destined to create a lighter more fragrant single malt) and (b) the fermentation processes with talks on the importance of barley growing conditions, barley types, barley milling, fermentation control and yeast types. Participants will be trained on all these aspects of creating a suitable wash (the fermented barley beer that ends up with around 7% alcohol) ready for the two-part distillation process. There will be breaks to discuss the process in the relaxed atmosphere of the Ladybank Clubroom Facilities, lunch will be provided, and the day will end with information on the numerous attractions in the area and dinner options, with a Scottish pub meal being a popular choice to look back on the first days achievements.
Day two: Focuses on the distilling process and all participants will help distil the new-make whisky. You will learn about key activities in the still house like how to charge a wash still, get the 'steam on' (commencement of boiling up), and break the wash still (or 'bringing the still in') into the spirit safe. You will also learn about checking procedures like adding water to the fore shots to check for purity before diverting the flow of distillate as the spirit cut ('the heart of the spirit distillation') Day two: Evening Tasting & Dinner will focus on what happens to whisky after the short 3 day process of distillation leads onto a period of between 3 and 30 years in the maturation warehouse. New-make and different ages of cask samples will be jointly presented by distillery staff and guest experts.
Day three: Focus on selection and preparation of casks into which the spirit you have created will be filled, cask filling, cask racking, warehousing and the effects of wood maturation. This will include a special talk on the recent development of 'wood finishes' that now exist in both the single malts and blended whisky markets. The role of blended whisky will not be forgotten, especially as Fife can claim to be the home of the Scotch blended whisky revolution, and as most of Scotland's larger distilleries still fill the majority of their casks specifically for whisky blends.
The Whisky School - what you will learn
"I had a awesome time, the three days we spent at the distillery were fun, exciting and educational; So much knowledge in one place"
B T from Finland.
What you will learn will very much be tailored to course participants requirements. By having small groups, plenty of time and plenty of course experts, you can ask questions and receive the attention that we feel is necessary.
In the Malt House |
For example those that already have an in-depth understanding of whisky production and maturation will be able to find out more from one-to-one discussions with our experts. If you want to know how to start a distillery, finance a distillery, or start a specialist bottling company our experts have the track record to add considerably to your knowledge.
If, on the other hand, you want to have a relaxed, easygoing and humorous weekend visit to Scotland, or take part in the physically demanding parts of whisky making, or the equally demanding role of assessing numerous whisky samples - all this is part of what is on offer and what you can learn more about.
The Whisky School - what's included
The distillery is not open to general visitors so you will have exclusive use of a fully operational malt whisky distillery that has had specialist facilities and meeting space created for the running of hands-on VIP groups.
From half day to three full days of instruction, participation and the enjoyment that surrounds whisky making and whisky sampling. The standard course is 3-days but shorter events can be customised to your group's requirements.
A sample to take away of 'new-make' whisky that you have created and your own Ladybank Spirit Stock recorded on our books and kept in the distillery's Bonded Warehouse until it has been approved for bottling.
A photograph showing you and your guests at the event can be arranged and every guest receives a presentation Completion Certificate signed by the experts on your course.
Lunches and Dinners can be arranged in the distillery's Club Founders Rooms as required. All lunches and one dinner is included in the 3-day course.
A comprehensive tasting demonstrating the different maturation effects of whiskies, from new spirit as it starts off in its first years right through to whiskies that have matured for many years.
For the 3-day course you will be in a small and exclusive group of between 8 and 12 people with the attention of our 4 staff and guest experts while you are at the distillery.
From time to time the groups will be sub-divided into smaller groups of 4 to 6 so that certain operations can be managed within the confines of distillery space.
The Whisky School - travel to Ladybank is exceptionally easy!
ROAD :: Ladybank Distillery is 40 minutes north of Edinburgh (M90 and A92).
AIR :: Those attending The Whisky School can make use of a variety of low-cost airline routes that connect from Europe and London via Edinburgh or Glasgow Airports. Edinburgh Airport is 35 minutes from the Distillery.
Flights from Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Gothenburg, Malmo, Paris, Oslo and Stockholm allow you to leave Europe mid-morning on Thursdays and for between £40.00 and £140 return-flight you connect either direct to Edinburgh, Glasgow or Glasgow Prestwick. You can be collected at Ladybank Railway Station that evening to be ready to begin The Whisky School the following morning.
RAIL :: Ladybank railway station is on the main Edinburgh-Aberdeen line and there are 15 departures most days from Edinburgh to Ladybank.
The Whisky School - costs
The total 3 day course costs £395 for one person and £695 for two people
Cost includes exclusive booking of the distillery, 9 litres of the cask strength spirit that you have created, three full days of instruction and whisky making participation, a 10cl bottled sample of whisky that you have made and completion certificate, lunch on each day, one dinner, one tasting of mature single malts.
You will be in a small and exclusive group of between 8 and 12 people with the attention of our 4 staff and experts while you are at the distillery.
A deposit of £100 per place is required. A Whisky School Gift Voucher is also available.
To reserve your place or find out about our group rates (three participants or more) please email us
The Whisky School - past Experts who attended our first 4 Schools
"it was all that I expected and more"
P W from England.
John McDougall :: A highly experienced past distillery manager of many distilleries. He was fortunate to work as manager at Laphroaig during the final years of the distillery's last private owner, the legendary Bessie Williamson. He spent 10 years at Springbank just as it was being brought back to life after the distillery was silent from 1980 to 1987 (although a small amount was produced in 1985).
Jamie Walker :: A highly respected bottler of single cask whiskies under the 'Adelphi Distillery' name, Jamie shows us his current favourites and discusses the rationale behind small-batch selection of top quality casks for bottling.
David Stirk::Working for Scotland's oldest independent bottler, Cadenheads, and author of his own book on the Scotland's malt whiskies, David takes us through the wisdom of bottling single casks and the fact that there is a discovery to be made for the budding malt connoisseur that goes beyond the 'consistency' of the bigger brands whose whiskies are created from vattings of many casks, reduced from natural strength and coloured with caramel colouring.
John Glaser::The Whisky School tastings leader on the effects of wood maturation and on how to start your own whisky company. John has recently won various awards for innovation and for his beautifully created range of whiskies.
John Glaser selects and bottles specialist whiskies under his own Compass Box brand. He has taken an unusually fresh and modern approach to the presentation of his product but has coupled this with a desire to find a small quantity of beautifully matured whisky so he can create different whiskies that he can be proud of. We think he has succeeded. John will help us during our nosing sessions of mature whiskies and will help bring new perspective to how we view the best Scotch whiskies.
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