FANCY ONE OF THESE WITH YOUR NAME ON IT ??
WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE IWA DIPLOMA COURSE?
IWA DIPLOMA week is the Thinking Persons Whisky Course! It is also the person who enjoys a good laugh and likes meeting new friends course.
IWA DIPLOMA is also a great way to add some structure and depth to your Islay Trip. You don’t need to be an expert in whisky, you don’t need to be going to build your own distillery. You can just be a group of friends who want to come to Islay for a great trip and learn a wee bit more about what happens in these magical still houses and warehouses.
We know you can pick up some very good books these days and peruse some very good websites and learn lots about Scotch whisky production and drinking without a journey to Islay – but really, what’s the point of that? !
At the Islay Whisky Academy we are not so interested in talking about things you already know. We want you to learn new facts and, to learn about distilling in relationship to everything else around you.
Why do we want you to think about things and not just learn facts by rote – because when you UNDERSTAND what you are learning, and see WHY things happen in the way they do you are able to better problem solve. You are able to adapt and overcome issues that may arise.
(This is not just the case in whisky production – it is also the case in life…)
You are able to be in harmony with the land you are working on.
You learn to think through everything before you high kick jump start off to fulfil the projections from your accountants.
You will learn to not build your distillery where the environment cannot support it. You will learn to think about the elements required in whisky making and where they come from – for example
WATER – thinking about the Water Table and how much water can be extracted by you – but in good relationship to the requirements of other beings around.
POWER – how much electrical power is required to run your plant, your distillery? How can this be generated? Have you designed your building in such a way that it requires very little power to run it, or is this something you have not even considered.
Have you considered that “resources” are no such a thing – that they are actually Gifts from Nature, and we should be grateful for every drop of water and Robin feather that comes our way.
Before we even consider the profits we can make after we build a distillery, we need to look at the infrastructure of the area around where we build.
No supermarket or chain owned pub would dream of siting their business in an area that did not have achievable 360 degree access to it .
How will the raw materials get to where they are required, how will we get our finished product to our customers? Not in an abstract way – but how will it physically happen? Every step needs to be visualised and thought through. Otherwise your production plan is untenable, and unsustainable.
What is the type of land you are building on, where will you get rid of your pot ale?
What about the environment you are thinking of coming into – it is already an urban area, or do people live there because they want a peaceful life in nature. To create big roads and lots of housing is not always the answer. And to talk about jobs as a holy grail and not qualify what a job is, or what it is actually for is a philosophical issue that needs to be thought about.
RECIPROCITY is word that we want our students to learn. Also KINSHIP.
DISTILLATION IS ALCHEMY – but, what does that mean? Find out the answer at IWA DIPLOMA.
CULTURE, COMMUNITY, CARE are other words we hope our students engage with, in addition to BARLEY, PEATS, DRAM, STORY & STILLS
Scotch Whisky and Scotch Whisky production is about SO much more than the practicalities.
At Islay Whisky Academy we are
SHARING THE SPIRIT OF SCOTLAND
To sign up for October IWA DIPLOMA week 27 – 31 October
6 Nights Fully Residential.