Learn Whisky & Distilling in Edinburgh

What you can realistically reach: A distilling short course teaches the real process — mashing, fermentation, the cut — and the sensory vocabulary of whisky. Master-distiller judgement is built over years and many casks.

Schools in Edinburgh

Checked by hand against each school's own course pages. No school paid to be listed.

• Edinburgh Whisky Academy
  SQA-certified Diploma in Single Malt Whisky
  The Edinburgh Whisky Academy is the only Qualifications-Scotland-approved whisky and gin education centre, whose flagship SQA-certified Diploma in Single Malt Whisky runs across seven modules, taught in person at Arniston House or online.
  https://www.edinburghwhiskyacademy.com/
• The Scotch Whisky Training School (Scotch Whisky Experience)
  One-day Certificate of Expertise course
  The Scotch Whisky Training School at the Scotch Whisky Experience near Edinburgh Castle runs an immersive one-day, hands-on course leading to the industry-recognised Certificate of Expertise.
  https://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/whisky-training-school/
• Heriot-Watt University (ICBD — brewing & distilling)
  MSc Brewing and Distilling
  Heriot-Watt University's International Centre for Brewing and Distilling in Edinburgh, with teaching dating to 1903, delivers a 12-month MSc in Brewing and Distilling spanning malting, brewing and distilling science for the professional industry pathway.
  https://icbd.site.hw.ac.uk/

The room

• Group — Small groups around the still and the tasting bench.
• A normal day — Production walk-throughs and hands-on stages where allowed, paired with structured nosing and tasting.
• Who comes — Enthusiasts and trade entrants, mostly adults of all ages.

Want the rest — a normal day, first hour to last? Ask the school; a serious one answers in two minutes.

The credential

Diploma of Attendance (Spirit of Speyside Whisky School); IBD General Certificate in Distilling for the professional pathway · Certifying body: Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD) / Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)

A recognised qualification an outside body stands behind is not the same as a certificate a school prints itself. We name which it is — you should ask the school the same.

Also for Whisky & Distilling

What I check before I send you anywhere

I'm Arnaud. I cook for a living, and I've spent fifteen years on the water — so I know the difference between a real school and a good-looking website. I built the Atlas because I got tired of the second kind. Here is what a place has to clear before it goes on here, and what I'll tell you straight when it doesn't.

• The craft is actually alive there. A working scene, with people who do this every day — not a demo put on for visitors.
• There's a real teacher behind it. Named, still practising, and certified where the craft has certificates.
• The credential is what it claims to be. A state diploma and a certificate a school prints itself are not the same thing. I check which, and I say which.
• I tell you how sure I am. Most pages here are verified by hand. A few say "still checking" — I'd rather admit that than pretend.
• Nobody pays to be here. No commission, no selling the trip. The order on this map is the strength of the community, never the size of the wallet.
• If I wouldn't send a friend, it isn't on the map.