Springbank wants to get you some learnin'

You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a whisky school now-a-days, and why not? The more schools that pop up, the more likely you are to spend some quality production time at the same place your favorite dram is made.

Springbank, a perennial fan favorite and the distillery that literally put Campbeltown back on the whisky map, has announced their own Whisky School.

The "headmaster" will be Springbank’s Director of Production Frank McHardy, who will be on hand throughout each of the five-day “terms” to pass on the extensive knowledge he has gained during 44 years in the whisky industry.

Frank McHardy explained:

Springbank’s status as the only distillery in Scotland to carry out 100 per cent of the whisky-making process on-site, from malting the barley through to bottling its own whisky, makes it the ideal location to learn the craft which has been practised in Scotland for hundreds of years.

We are looking forward to running the Whisky School because it gives us the opportunity to let ‘pupils’ get hands on experience of carrying out all the processes to turn barley into bottles of whisky. After all we are, at present, the only distillery in Scotland to do this.

We have a good team at Springbank and our staff are keen to share our combined knowledge, gathered over many years, concerning production methods and the history of the Scotch Whisky industry.

The first of six 5-day-long sessions will be held on Monday, October 8th. Sessions will occur for each of the following five weeks. All right, all right. Don't have a calendar handy? Quit your bitching:

Term dates are as follows:

Term 1 . . . October 8th - 12th
Term 2 . . . October 15th - 19th
Term 3 . . . October 22nd - 26th
Term 4 . . . October 29th October - November 2nd
Term 5 . . . November 5th - 9th
Term 6 . . . November 12th - 16th

Oh, and for that extra personal touch, each session will be limited to six students.

The Curriculum

Students will work alongside the Springbank staff learning the entire whisky-making process, from malting to mashing and warehousing to bottling.

As well as the practical work, there will also be theory classes in malting, production and tasting.

Frank says:

While the Whisky School promises to be educational and provide a first class insight into the making of single malt Scotch whisky, there will also be anemphasis on enjoyment.  

The Whisky School will also be a fun experience and most importantly we will
try to ensure that all attendees thoroughly enjoy themselves.

Classes will run from 8am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, with a written exam on the Friday morning followed by a graduation lunch and presentation in The Tasting Room.

 

Your spot at the Whisky School will cost £875 per student. This fee includes five nights dinner, bed and breakfast in Campbeltown, four packed lunches, a graduation lunch at the end of the course, all class fees and Springbank-branded work wear.

The cost of traveling to Campbeltown is NOT included.

Prospective students are encouraged to register for the Springbank Whisky School as soon as possible.

To register, telephone +44 (0) 1586 552009 or email

Further information on Springbank the Whisky School