Tonight, I begin Unit 4 of the Diploma of Wine & Spirits. Unit 4 is comprised of Spirits of the World and will be presented over three Monday evenings, with a fourth devoted to a mock exam. The actual exam will be held on November 8, 2006.

This will be my third exposure to spirits, as this class of beverages was included in my two previous certificates. Interestingly, the Society of Wine Educators does not include spirits in any of its exams (at least, to date). I do think it is very useful to know and understand these liqueurs and other alcoholic beverages, as they do play an important role in the marketplace.

A large part of the exam is a blind tasting of three spirits. Accordingly, students are advised to taste beyond the samples provided in class. A group of us will meet directly after class tonight to begin our extra-curricular tasting and, after a flurry of e-mails, will have a fair number of spirits represented.

I look forward to continuing my exploration in the world of spirits.