WSET, the global leader in drinks education, is to launch a new qualification - the Level 2 Award in Sake - from April 2024.
WSET currently offers the Level 3 Award in Sake and the Level 1 Award in Sake, which were launched in 2014 and 2016 respectively. In the last ten years, more than 17,000 students around the world have taken a WSET sake qualification, with most coming from Japan, the UK, USA and Hong Kong.
The Level 2 Award in Sake will complete WSET’s suite of sake qualifications. Building on the Level 1 Award in Sake, it will explore in more detail topics including: sake production, types of sake, how to serve the drink and factors affecting its flavours. As with all WSET qualifications, the course also builds tasting skills using WSET’s globally recognised Systematic Approach to Tasting, to equip students with a universal language to describe what they are tasting and a framework for assessing quality.
The Level 2 Award in Sake will also support students that wish to progress to a higher level of sake study. It will be available from 21 course providers in eight countries from this April, following pilots conducted in Japan, the US and the UK. WSET’s global flagship school, WSET School London, will be holding the first Level 2 course which takes place from Monday 15-17 April.
Michelle Brampton, WSET’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Globally, sake continues to be an exciting category. We have seen demand for our Level 1 Award in Sake grow significantly over the last five years, so we are delighted to be launching the new Level 2 Award in Sake. It is designed to inspire more people around the world to deepen their knowledge of sake, whether they work in the trade or are learning for pleasure.”
Natsuki Kikuya, WSET’s Senior Researcher – Sake Research & Curriculum, added: “The Level 2 Award in Sake is ideal for both drinks trade professionals and enthusiasts who would like to gain an in-depth understanding of the production of sake and its different styles. Over the past decade we have worked with 160 educators around the world to develop our range of sake qualifications and increase growth in our key markets. This new Level 2 sake qualification will enable us to reach even more people.”
About the Level 2 Award in Sake
The WSET Level 2 Award in Sake focuses on how the ingredients used by brewers are processed and combined to create the different styles of sake. It will also teach students how to describe and assess the quality of the sakes they taste. It will cover:
- How to describe and assess the quality of sake using the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting Sake ® (SAT)
- The ingredients used to make sake.
- All the main techniques that are used, from fermentation starter to dilution and packaging, and how different choices are made when making the different styles of sake.
- Common labelling terms, including how some of the most important ones are written in Japanese.
Visit the qualification page to learn more about our new sake qualification.
