Spirits · Beer · Sake Curious

The WSET Level 3 Award in Spirits is a globally recognized qualification from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, designed for serious spirits enthusiasts and professionals building a career in the industry. Napa Valley Wine Academy is one of the first US providers approved to deliver the new Issue 3 curriculum, with its reworked tasting framework emphasising texture and quality. Over nine weeks you will engage with Scotch whisky, whiskey in the USA, Cognac, Armagnac, Caribbean rum, Tequila, Mezcal, vodka, gin, Calvados, Baijiu and Genever, learning the key characteristics and labelling terms for spirits around the world and what drives their style and quality — all through the WSET Level 3 Systematic Approach to Tasting® (SAT), guided by a dedicated spirits instructor across five live webinars.

A practical introduction to beer for newcomers — no previous beer, wine or spirits knowledge required. Over four weeks and six modules on WSET Global's learning platform, plus three live 90-minute webinars with our beer educator, you will explore the main styles, learn how malt, hops, yeast and water shape flavor and aroma, and develop a systematic approach to tasting using the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting Beer. Your exam registration and WSET exam fee are included, and you keep access to the material for 12 months. Beer for tasting is sourced by you — WSET does not require candidates to taste alcohol in order to qualify. Pass and you receive a digital badge and certificate to share on LinkedIn, social media, or with your professional network.

The WSET Level 2 Award in Beer, taught over five weeks with a real instructor and a real cohort. The six-module course content runs on WSET Global's own learning portal; Napa Valley Wine Academy adds four live 60-minute Zoom webinars covering theory and guided tasting, a dedicated instructor for the full five weeks, and group discussion through our own portal. You start at the ingredients - malt, hops, yeast and water - move through brewing and fermentation, then work the world's key styles by what drives them: malt, hops, yeast and mixed fermentation, from Belgium and Germany to the UK and the US. Storage, service and off-flavours are covered too, and throughout you build your palate on the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting Beer®. Taught by a WSET Certified Beer Instructor and Advanced Cicerone. Your online exam registration and fee are included; tasting beers are not.

An introduction to sake for those starting a career in the drinks trade or pursuing a personal interest — no previous sake, wine or beer knowledge required. Over four weeks on WSET Global's own learning portal you will explore the main styles and types of sake, learn how rice, water, yeast and brewing choices shape flavor and aroma, and learn to read a sake label and know exactly what it is telling you. Your exam registration and WSET exam fee are included, and you keep access to the course for 12 months. Sake for tasting is sourced by you — WSET does not require candidates to taste alcohol in order to qualify. Pass and you receive a digital badge and certificate to share on LinkedIn, social media, or with your professional network.

The WSET Level 2 Award in Sake, taught over five weeks on WSET Global's own sake learning platform. There are no live webinars - you work through the course whenever suits you inside the cohort window, and a WSET educator reads and responds to the tasting notes you submit, which is what actually calibrates a palate. You start at the ingredients - the rice varieties grown for sake, koji, water and yeast - then work through polishing ratios, fermentation, dilution and packaging, and how each choice creates a style. You learn to read a Japanese label rather than rely on an importer's translation, and you train on the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting Sake®. The printed textbook is included and mailed on registration, you keep the online material for 12 months, and your online exam registration and fee are covered. Tasting sakes are not included.

The WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits, fully self-paced. The whole course opens within about 30 minutes of purchase and stays open for 12 months, with no cohort, no start date and no scheduled class. You learn the basic principles of spirit production, the main types and styles, what drives flavor, how to serve spirits and the basics of cocktail construction, describing them with the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirits. Your exam registration and WSET exam fee are included. There are no live webinars on this course, and on-demand purchases are final. WSET does not require candidates to taste alcohol, so you do not need a shelf full of bottles to qualify.

The WSET Level 2 Award in Spirits, entirely on your schedule. The whole course unlocks the moment you enroll and stays yours for 12 months - no cohort, no start date, no live webinars to be awake for. Start at the still: how pot and column distillation shape purity and flavour, then the world category by category - Scotch, bourbon, Canadian and Japanese whisky, rum, Tequila and Mezcal, vodka, gin, Cognac and brandy, liqueurs and flavoured spirits. You will read a label for what it legally means, deconstruct the classic cocktail families, and train your palate on the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirits®. Written and recorded by our head spirits educator, a WSET Diploma holder and Master of Baijiu. Your online exam registration and fee are included; tasting samples are not.