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WSET® Level 1 Award in Spirits
Online Course Price: $349
About the WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits
If you’re new to spirits, the WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits is the ideal place to start. This qualification introduces the main categories of spirits, the principal production processes behind them, and the fundamentals of building a balanced cocktail. You don’t need prior knowledge, and the course feels approachable from the very first lesson.
By the end of the course, you’ll identify the principal spirit categories with confidence and recognize how production choices shape aroma, flavor, and style. In addition, you’ll learn the core cocktail families so you can speak about mixed drinks accurately and make sound recommendations behind a bar or at home. The WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits is the foundation that every later spirits qualification builds on.
In short, this course sets you up well whether you stop here or continue to Level 2.
Prerequisite: None. Curiosity and an interest in spirits are all you need.
Who Is This For?
- Hospitality and beverage professionals who want a credible foundation in spirits to better serve guests and recommend bottles.
- Bartenders and bar-backs ready to build real fluency in the categories and cocktails they pour every shift.
- Retail and on-premise staff who sell or pour spirits and want to speak about them accurately.
- Cocktail enthusiasts and curious drinkers who simply want to understand what they are tasting and why.
Course Details for the Level 1 Award in Spirits
Our online Level 1 Spirits course runs through the WSET Online Classroom, a structured digital learning environment with lessons, activities, and self-check questions. Specifically, you’ll work through the material at your own pace, with educator support available throughout the 4-week support window to answer questions and help you prepare for the exam.
In short, this format suits working professionals and curious beginners who want a real foundation in spirits without rigid scheduling. When you’re ready, you’ll schedule your online exam via Remote Invigilation at a time that works for you.
What You’ll Learn
What spirits are and how they’re made
First, you’ll explore the four key stages of spirits production: preparing the raw material, alcoholic fermentation, distillation, and post-distillation operations. You’ll also compare pot stills and column stills and learn how each shapes the strength, aroma, and style of the finished spirit.
How to taste and describe spirits
In particular, using the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirits® (SAT), you’ll learn a structured method for evaluating a spirit’s appearance, aromas, and flavor. As a result, you’ll build a vocabulary you can use to describe any spirit with clarity and confidence.
Cognac and vodka
You’ll study how Cognac’s defined area, double pot still distillation, and oak ageing shape its style. Then, you’ll look at how vodka’s flexible raw materials and distillation to near-neutral strength deliver its signature clean profile.
Whisky and whiskey
Next, you’ll explore the principal Scotch whisky styles and the major American whiskeys (Bourbon, Tennessee, and Rye), along with the key production choices and labelling terms that distinguish each.
Rum and Tequila
In addition, you’ll examine how Caribbean rum starts with sugar cane, how Tequila comes from blue agave, and how production choices lead to the distinct styles you see on a shelf or behind a bar.
Flavored spirits and aromatized wines
Also, you’ll learn the defining characteristics of flavored spirits like gin, flavored vodka, liqueurs, and bitter spirits, along with aromatized wines like Vermouth.
Cocktail fundamentals
Finally, you’ll learn the two sets of scales that create a balanced cocktail (strong vs. weak, bitter/sour vs. sweet) and the four core cocktail families: the spirit-forward cocktail, the short sour, the highball, and the long sour.
Online Course Includes
- Digital WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits study materials available in the WSET Online Classroom
- Access to the WSET Online Classroom for 12 months, including online lessons, activities, and self-check questions
- 4 weeks of educator support as you progress through the course modules
- Flexible, self-paced online learning with no live sessions and no required login times
- 30+ practice exam questions to reinforce your study
- Guidance on which spirits to taste during the course
- Online exam (scheduled at the end of the course)
- Spirit samples are not included.
Time Commitment
Overall, the WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits requires approximately 6 hours of total qualification time. All 6 hours count as guided learning (lessons, activities, and the 45-minute exam), with no separate independent study requirement.
Because this is a self-paced online course, you can spread that time across the 4-week course window however best suits your schedule.
Assessment for the Level 1 Award in Spirits
- The WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits exam includes 30 multiple-choice questions that you’ll complete in 45 minutes.
- To pass, you must correctly answer 70% of the questions. You’ll earn a single Pass or Fail. There are no Merit or Distinction grades at Level 1.
- All online course registrations include an online exam via Remote Invigilation.
- This allows you to take the exam from home at a time arranged with our team.
- In-person exams are available by request, but availability is limited and scheduling may require additional time.
- If you would prefer to sit your exam in person, please contact us before your course ends to discuss options.
- You have one year from your course end date to take your exam. After one year, a rescheduling fee will apply.
- Successful students will receive a digital WSET certificate, and a lapel pin is available upon request.
- This qualification is Ofqual regulated.