6 HOURS | WSET LEVEL 1 AWARD IN SPIRITS | OFQUAL REGULATED, GLOBALLY RECOGNISED
WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits
The fastest way to understand spirits properly, taught by India's leading WSET Certified Educator.
Whisky, gin, rum, tequila, you've enjoyed them. Now it's time to truly understand them.
The WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits is your entry point into the world of spirits, a hands-on, internationally recognised qualification that takes you from curious drinker to confident taster. Whether you're starting a career in the drinks industry or simply want to know more about what's in your glass, this course gives you the foundation to explore spirits with knowledge and confidence.
Through guided tasting and expert-led sessions, you'll discover how spirits are made, what makes each category unique, and how to describe what you're tasting with clarity and purpose.
No experience needed. Just a curious palate and a desire to learn.
Who is this WSET Level 1 Spirits course for?
Bartenders building credibility
You work behind the bar, in a restaurant, or in hotel F&B, and you want a structured foundation in spirits that shows in every round you serve. You get the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirits, the vocabulary to describe spirits with precision, and the confidence to recommend and pour with authority.
Trade professionals entering spirits
You work in sales, marketing, distribution, or retail for a spirits brand and you need a recognised credential that matches how you present yourself to trade partners. This course covers every major category from Cognac to tequila, gives you the technical language the trade expects, and adds a globally respected WSET certificate to your professional profile.
Enthusiasts going beyond the bottle
You mix drinks at home, follow cocktail culture, and want to understand why spirits taste the way they do. You learn what separates a pot still spirit from a column still spirit, how ageing changes flavour, and how to build a balanced cocktail from first principles.
Or you simply want to spend one focused day learning something you will use behind the bar, at home, and whenever you choose a drink.
What you will learn in this WSET Level 1 Spirits course
What you'll explore in the WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits:
SPIRIT PRODUCTION
- The basic principles of how spirits are made, from raw material through fermentation and distillation to post-distillation processes
- The key differences between pot stills and column stills, and how ageing, blending, maceration, and added flavourings shape the final product
THE WORLD OF SPIRITS
- The main types and styles of spirits, from Cognac and whiskies to rum, tequila, vodka, gin, liqueurs, bitter spirits, and vermouth
- How to read and understand label terms across the major spirit categories
- How to serve spirits correctly, and why it matters
TASTING WITH CONFIDENCE
- The key factors that affect the flavour and aroma of spirits
- How to taste and describe any spirit using the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirits (SAT), structured, repeatable, and useful every time you pour
Course Details
Course Delivery
The WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits requires a minimum of six guided learning hours with a WSET Approved Programme Provider, delivered in a classroom or online. It's focused, practical, and designed to get you tasting and talking about spirits with confidence in just one day.
Assessment
This qualification is assessed by a single closed-book exam of 30 multiple-choice questions.
This qualification is regulated by Ofqual and is recognised by drinks professionals in over 70 countries worldwide.
Entry Requirements
There are no entry requirements for this qualification, it's open to everyone. You must be of legal drinking age in the country where you attend the course to take part in any tasting sessions. If you're unable to participate in tastings, that's not a barrier to completing the qualification.
Curious about spirits? You're already ready.
What a WSET Level 1 Spirits session looks like
OPENING
Welcome and orientation
Sovna frames the day, what the WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits covers, and what it does not. You learn how the Level 1 systematic tasting approach works and why it changes the way you assess spirits.
MORNING
Foundations of spirit production
How spirits are made: raw materials, fermentation, distillation, and post-distillation operations. Pot stills versus column stills, oak ageing, blending, maceration, and added flavourings, taught clearly with tasting anchored to each concept as it is introduced.
MIDDAY
Brandy and whisky
Cognac age statements (VS, VSOP, XO). Scotch single malt and blended whisky. Bourbon, Tennessee, rye, Irish, Canadian, and Japanese whisky. Malting, peat, and oak ageing.
AFTERNOON
Rum, tequila, vodka, and flavoured spirits
Caribbean rum styles from molasses and cane juice. Blue agave tequila from blanco through anejo. Vodka distilled to near-neutral strength. Gin, liqueurs, bitter spirits, spiced rum, and vermouth. Cocktail balance: strong versus weak, bitter or sour versus sweet, and the four main cocktail families.
CLOSING
Tasting and examination
Guided tasting of nine spirits using the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirits. The WSET Level 1 examination: thirty multiple-choice questions, forty-five minutes, pass mark seventy per cent. Certificates are issued by WSET London and arrive digitally within weeks.
Meet your WSET Certified Educator, Sovna Puri
Sovna Puri is India's leading WSET Certified Educator and an Approved Programme Provider with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, London. She holds the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits and was recognised in the WSET Future 50.
She has spent over a decade teaching wine and spirits in classrooms, venues, and corporate settings across India. Her teaching focuses on practical understanding over memorisation.
Every spirit you taste in this course is presented without brand marketing or sales bias. You learn to assess what is in the glass using the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirits, building a skill you will use for the rest of your career.
For first-time spirits students, she keeps the WSET Level 1 day approachable, structured, and immediately useful. By the end of the session, complete beginners are tasting with a method and recognising what is actually in their glass.
About the WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits course
This is a one day, in person WSET Level 1 spirits course covering the fundamentals that every spirits professional and cocktail enthusiast needs. You will explore how spirits are made, taste your way through nine benchmark spirits from Cognac to tequila, learn to describe flavours using the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirits, and understand the principles behind balanced cocktails.
LIST PRICE
Rs. 18,500
ALL INCLUSIVE
EARLY BIRD PRICE
To be announced
All-inclusive: tasting samples, study materials, and exam fees.
Be the first to get early bird pricing when the next batch is announced.
Limited seats per batch. No payment now.
WSET Cancellation policyWhat is included in your fee
- Official WSET Level 1 study guide
- 9 spirits tasting samples
- WSET examination fee
- WSET certificate and digital badge on passing
Course facts
- Duration
- 1 day (6 hours)
- Format
- In person, classroom
- Spirits tasted
- 9
- Exam
- 30 questions, 45 minutes
- Pass mark
- 70 per cent
- Certificate
- WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits
Next WSET Level 1 Spirits batch
Dates for the next Level 1 Spirits batch will be announced shortly. Join Early Bird Waitlist to receive first access to batch dates, early bird pricing, and priority enrolment.
Batch dates and venue are confirmed per intake and shared with waitlist members first.
Your WSET spirits journey starts here
A clear route to Level 2 Spirits
Level 2 takes you deeper into global spirit categories, production detail, and systematic tasting analysis. It is the natural next step for bartenders, brand professionals, and serious enthusiasts who want comprehensive spirits knowledge.
Wine alongside spirits
Many spirits students discover they want to understand wine with the same structured approach. The WSET Level 1 Award in Wines covers grape varieties, wine styles, and food pairing in a single day.
Put your certificate to work
Your WSET Level 1 Spirits certificate is recognised worldwide. Use it to strengthen bar service, support a spirits brand career, speak with confidence at tastings, or simply enjoy spirits with more clarity and vocabulary.
Frequently asked questions about the WSET Level 1 Spirits course
The WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits is a beginner level qualification from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, the world's largest provider of drinks education. It covers spirit production, the principal spirit categories, tasting technique, and cocktail balance in a single day of guided learning.
Ready to begin?
Join Early Bird Waitlist
Be first to hear about the next Level 1 Spirits batch. Early bird waitlist members receive priority enrolment, early bird pricing, and first access to batch dates.
Talk to Sovna before you enrol
Have a question about Level 1 Spirits, or want to discuss group and corporate enrolment? Sovna will answer directly.