Raise your WHISKEY IQ ^

Learn like a scholar. Taste like an expert.

Why American Whiskey Scholar?

American Whiskey Scholar is a structured, credentialed program built the way a real certification should be: grounded in federal regulation (the TTB's actual Standards of Identity), the science of fermentation and barrel aging, and three centuries of the history that shaped what's in your glass, not just adjectives for a tasting sheet.

Online education built to be taken at the best pace, yours. Whether you carve out a weekend to complete the modules or pick at it over several weeks, there is no wrong way to complete the American Whiskey Scholar course.

TWO ways to learn

Individual Modules

The Full Certification

Each of the 10 modules is also sold on its own, no certification required, just focused, serious instruction on the one subject you care about most.

Curious about barrel science but not ready to commit to the full program? Start there.

Individual modules do not include the Level One final exam or certification, which are only awarded to participants who complete all 10 modules.

Choose your modules

The Full Certification

All 10 modules, a final exam, a certificate, and an official AWS membership lapel pin.

Built for anyone who wants credentialed, comprehensive expertise: bartenders, retailers, brand ambassadors, and hospitality professionals who need to show, not just say, that they know American whiskey.

Full certification

Who this is for | 21+

Enthusiasts & Collectors

Hospitality & Restaurant Professionals

Go past tasting notes into the regulation, science, and history behind every pour.

Hospitality & Restaurant Professionals

Build a whiskey program, pairing menu, or staff training around real expertise.

Bartenders & Bar Managers

Retailers & Brand Ambassadors

Build the credibility and vocabulary to guide guests through your whiskey list with confidence.

Retailers & Brand Ambassadors

Sell smarter by understanding exactly what separates one bottle from another, legally and sensorially.

WHat You'll walk away with

A professional tasting vocabulary you can actually use in front of customers or colleagues.
The ability to read a whiskey label like a regulator and predict what's in the glass before you pour it.
A working knowledge of the science and craft happening inside every barrel.
Real technique for pairing whiskey with food, building cocktails with intention, and turning both into a menu that actually works.
The full historical arc of American whiskey, from Colonial rum to Prohibition to today.
For certification participants: a credential, a certificate, and an AWS lapel pin that says you earned it.

Raise your WHISKEY IQ ^

Get Certified

Sip Smarter

Why American Whiskey Scholar?

Most whiskey education stops at tasting notes. American Whiskey Scholar goes further.

Learning Tracks

AWS Learning Tracks

TWO ways to learn

Individual Modules

The Full Certification

The Full Certification

The Full Certification

The Full Certification

The Full Certification

Who this is for | 21+

Enthusiasts & Collectors

Hospitality & Restaurant Professionals

Hospitality & Restaurant Professionals

Hospitality & Restaurant Professionals

Hospitality & Restaurant Professionals

Hospitality & Restaurant Professionals

Bartenders & Bar Managers

Retailers & Brand Ambassadors

Retailers & Brand Ambassadors

Retailers & Brand Ambassadors

Retailers & Brand Ambassadors

Retailers & Brand Ambassadors

WHat You'll walk away with

America's Whiskey Classroom

Mailing List

Level 2 launching winter 2026

Level 3 launching spring 2027

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