Welcome

Welcome to the WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits, a four-week course designed for those studying spirits for the ﬁrst time.

On ﬁrst appearance the world of spirits can seem rather daunting. There are many categories of spirit, such as vodka, Cognac and Tequila that are all very different from each other. Add to this an equally large number of cocktails prepared using stirrers, shakers and strainers and it can be hard to know where to start.

However, it does not have to be this way. This course is designed to introduce you to the underlying structure which will allow you to make sense of the spirits you see lined up neatly on a retailer’s shelf or behind a bar.

We hope that you enjoy the course and in the future you experience the beneﬁts that knowledge and understanding bring!

What to Expect?

This short course consists of seven modules which cover topics from spirits ingredients and production methods, to how to taste spirits, to different types of spirits. Each module is designed to be interactive, so expect to post in discussion forums, watch videos, complete quizzes and reflect on tasks. Completing all the modules should take you six hours to complete, excluding time for exam revision. You can work through the course at your own pace over the next four weeks. All of this information and more can be found in the Online Classroom Welcome Pack that you received.

The best way to work through the modules in this course is to use the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons that appear in the bottom right and left-hand corners of the module pages. To learn more about navigating the online course, you can watch this video .

We also strongly recommend that you access this course on a computer browser, ideally Chrome or Firefox (please do no use Internet Explorer or Edge). More technical support details can be found in Course Resources.

Your Educator and Classmates

Your educator will be there to guide you through your learning. They will give feedback and guidance on your tasks and tasting notes. You are also welcome to contact them directly via the course 'Chat' or 'Inbox' at any point during the course. After this four-week course finishes, your educator will no longer be available to assist you.

In fact, you will meet your educator and classmates soon! The first activity in this course is a discussion forum where you can introduce yourself to your classmates and ask any questions you might have. More information on this activity can be found in the Introduction section of this module.

Get Started

Select the links to navigate to important course resources or to start learning in the course modules!


Modules	Course Resources	Tasting Information	Introduce Yourself