Whether you're interested in a career in imported whiskey, domestic whiskey, bourbon, Scotch whiskey or just anything whiskey, there's a lot more that goes into whiskey education and training than just drinking it. Coopers, master distillers and everyone in between must have a knowledge of the history of the product and an appreciation for its legacy.

Taking courses that specialize in the production of whiskey will certainly help you on your path to a successful career in whatever aspect of whiskey making you choose. Also gaining a knowledge of whiskey companies, whiskey brands, whiskey drinks and overall whiskey products will give you a leg up on the competition when it comes to looking for a job. Here are some tips on how to gain that successful career working for whiskey distillers, whiskey distributors and even whiskey sellers.

1. Go abroad and take a comprehensive class in the history, production and marketing of Scotch whiskey.

2. Educate yourself in the making, marketing and distributing of bourbon.

3. Determine which aspect of the whiskey business you wish to focus on for your career.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Attend one of several collegiate courses specializing in Scotch whiskey

In order for a whiskey to be labeled 'Scotch whiskey,' it must have been produced in Scotland. Educating yourself on the history of the beverage, how it is distilled, marketed and sold by the culture that made it famous will give you an advantage when you seek employment in the whiskey field.

I recommend: Check out the website for Spirit of Speyside, which is a yearly whiskey festival which is held each year in Scotland. Moray College, which is associated with the festival, offers a training and education course of approximately 20 hours of study. Also, Glasgow Metropolitan College also offers an 8 week course in the history and making of whiskey.

Take a class in bourbon, the American counterpart to Scotch whiskey

Bourbon differs from its Scotch whiskey counterpart in that it is made in America, contains at least 51% corn and is below 180 proof. Bourbon is also traditionally sweeter in taste than Scotch whiskey, which is known to be drier. Take the time to educate yourself in the differences, as once you're in the whiskey industry you'll be working with or competing against either bourbon or Scotch whiskey.

I recommend: Visit the official website for Woodford Reserve who is a high end manufacturer of bourbon. Several times a year they offer a comprehensive class. Maker's Mark also offers an intensive seminar at their facility called Stillhouse University. If you become an ambassador (which is likened to joining a club) you can take the seminar which covers an in-depth look on how they make their successful Kentucky bourbon.

Learn about the different facets of the whiskey and bourbon business

In the whiskey business, apprenticeships are formed between the artisan and the worker. These apprenticeships range in all aspects from being a cooper (the person who makes the barrels) to being a master distiller (actually overseeing the mixing and making of the whiskey.) By joining associations and attending trade shows, you can interface with these exhibitors to learn if there are apprenticeships available in the aspect of whiskey making that you enjoy.

I recommend: Join the American Distilling Institute and attend their yearly conference. Through your registration you will have access to everything from master distillers to barrel makers. Also the Kentucky Distillers' Association holds a yearly trade show and participates in an International one which also has vendors from all aspects of the whiskey industry exhibiting their wares.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A college degree in food science may give you a leg up on the competition if you desire to work in the whiskey field. Mixing and distilling such large quantities of alcohol is as much a recipe as it is a scientific equation which must produce similar results consistently over a long period of time.

If you’re looking to retail or distribute whiskey, then you should familiarize yourself with the whiskey industry. On the market, there are many top shelf whiskey brands as well as low quality whiskey for sale.

Whiskey distillers make their product by distilling fermented grain mash and then allowing it to naturally age before packaging for distribution. Although you can find good domestic whiskey brands, most people prefer to carry more Irish and Scotch imported whiskey brands.

1. Look at information about whiskey. Not only will it prove helpful to know whiskey brands, but also current production methods used.

2. Find and make purchases through whiskey sellers. Pick a distribution company to develop a long term supply relationship with.

3. Come across different whiskey drinks you can create. If you’re buying the whiskey for a restaurant or catering company, you’ll want to pick up some top drink recipes, like the Manhattan, to use.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Discover top whiskey companies

You want to find out the top whiskey producers, including imported and domestic whiskey brands. Ideally, you'll want to find information on both grain and malt whiskey.

I recommend: Through Whiskeywise.com, you’ll find a comprehensive listing and review of whiskey brands. Highlighted whiskey companies include Dewar’s, Johnny Walker and Crown Royal. If you’re looking for more detailed information on whiskey, you may want to subscribe to the online Whisky Magazine.

Consider bourbon for your liquor inventory

Bourbon, a form of domestic whiskey, comes from the process of distilling corn and originates from the south. You can find plenty of bourbon whiskey producers available with high quality liquor for retail.

I recommend: Find a list of bourbon bottling companies, including the extremely popular Jim Bean, on the Straight Bourbon.com website. You’ll see a list of bourbon brand, age and proof. Use this information to pick the type of bourbons you want for your business. If you want to know more about bourbon and the best bourbons around, take the virtual tour on bourbon through BlueKitchen.net.

Contact wholesale whiskey distributors

If you're looking to stock shelves with whiskey and whiskey related products, you'll want to find the best prices. To keep costs down, work with wholesale whiskey distributors.

I recommend: Connect with whiskey sellers and distributors by setting up an account on the TradeKey.com network. Send an inquiry to Imperial Spirits Ltd. to get wholesale pricing information on malt whiskey, rare blends of whiskey and more.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Whiskey distillers that produce Scotch whiskey use a unique method to create the liquor. Scotch whiskey gets distilled two and sometimes three times with an average aging time of 3 years. For a whiskey to have the label Scotch whiskey, it must have gone through the distilling process in the country of Scotland.

Its name comes from the Gaelic for “water of life,” and whiskey, or "whisky," as it’s spelled in many parts of the world, is certainly a beverage that adds enjoyment to life for many. Whether sipped neat, as with a single-malt Scotch, enjoyed on the rocks or combined to make popular cocktails such as the Old Fashioned and the Manhattan, whiskey is a staple of home bars and liquor store shelves. But not all whiskeys are alike, so increase your fluency in the language of whiskey with these key terms.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Whiskey

Whiskey, as it is spelled in the U.S. and Ireland, or whisky, is an alcoholic beverage distilled from one or more grains, chiefly malted or unmalted barley, rye, wheat and corn. Scotch (whisky produced in Scotland) and American bourbon are the two best known types of whiskey, but Canadian, Irish and Japanese whiskies are also popular.

I recommend: Find Irish whiskey terms at Tastings.com. Crown Royal is the best known Canadian whisky. Chow offers a Japanese Whisky Primer.

Pot stills and patent stills

The process of making whiskey involves distilling the wet mash of grains, or heating it slowly in water to undergo chemical transformation and remove impurities. Two basic types of stills, the copper pot still and the patent, or Coffey still, are used for whiskey. Whiskey makers are known as distillers.

I recommend: John Butler’s online Glossary of Whisky Terms provides detailed descriptions of the distilling process, including labeled diagrams of various types of stills.

Coopering

Whiskey is aged in barrels, not in bottles. The term coopering, or cooperage, can refer to barrel aging itself or to the preparation of the barrels. Whiskey barrels, or casks, are made from oak that is specially burned or cured to lend flavor to the whiskey. Sherry casks and bourbon barrels are the two most common types of whiskey cooperage.

I recommend: Go to Whiskeywise.com for more on the terminology of cooperage and whiskey barrels.

Age and vintage

Some whiskey bottles carry an age statement, which tells how long the whiskey aged in the barrel, not when it was bottled. If whiskeys of two or more different barrel ages are blended together, the age statement must reflect the youngest, or least aged, portion. Other whiskeys are designated 'vintage,' in which case the date reflects the year of bottling. Some carry no reference to age at all.

I recommend: Business Week offers insights into the meaning and use of age statements for whiskey.

Scotch

All whisky labeled Scotch must be produced in Scotland. Scotch whiskies may be malts, made solely from malted barley in a pot still, or the milder grain whiskies made in Coffey stills. Single malt Scotch is malt whisky produced by a single distillery. Single malts have unique characteristics, often marked by the smoky taste of peat fires used in distilling. Blended Scotch combines malts and/or grain whiskies for a smoother taste.

I recommend: Learn more about the history and terminology of Scotch whisky at Whisky.com.

Bourbon

The characteristic American style of whisky is bourbon, also known as Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. The grain mash for bourbon includes at least 51-percent corn, making for a sweeter taste than other malts or grain whiskies. Related to bourbon, but differing in the additional sweetness provided by filtering through sugar maple charcoal, is Tennessee whiskey.

I recommend: The FAQs page at Straightbourbon.com defines key terms related to the production of bourbon. For more on Tennessee whiskey, see the Jack Daniel’s website.

Adding whiskey to your beverage list enables you to appeal to whiskey aficionados; however, the decision to do this will take a significant increase in your beverage budget.

The price you will pay for the whiskey depends largely on the whiskey brands you choose. Vintage and bottle size will also affect the price of the whiskey. Consider the following points to prepare your budget to absorb whiskey pricing and costs:

1. Appeal to whiskey drinkers that like domestic whiskey.

2. Add Irish whiskey to your liquor list.

3. Consider adding scotch whiskey to your alcohol line up.

4. Decide if adding bourbon to your beverage offerings is appropriate for your business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Price domestic whiskey

Tennessee, corn, rye, wheat and blended are all types of American whiskey. Each of these is categorized depending on the type of grain and the aging process used to make the whiskey. However, most domestic whiskeys are comparatively priced according to vintage and bottle size.

I recommend: Napacabs.com and Mission Wine and Spirits are domestic whiskey sellers. Napacabs.com offers domestic whiskey, including Tennessee whiskey. Prices start at under $20 per bottle. Mission Wine and Spirits prices range from $10 to around $350.

Consider Irish whiskey

Unlike Scotch whiskey, Irish whiskey isn't all made with malted barley. This type of whiskey, often spelled whisky, sports a softer flavor than any other type of whisky. The price you pay depends on the ingredients, casks and process used to make the whiskey.

I recommend: Enthusiastic Spirits & Wine Shop sells Irish whiskey priced from under $20 to around $125.

Opt to add Scotch whiskey

Scotch whiskey contains malted barley and is usually mixed by master blenders. The price you pay for this variety of whiskey depends on the vintage and the skill of the master blender used by the whiskey manufacturer.

I recommend: Garnet Wine & Liquors offers Scotch whiskey for under $15 per bottle. However, some prices go higher than $550 per bottle. Grand Wine Cellar sells imported whiskey, including Scotch whiskey. You can expect to find prices that start at under $5 for some varieties from this company. This is one of the whiskey companies that sells miniatures.

Factor in the cost of adding bourbon to your offerings

Bourbon is a type of whiskey that must be made in the United States. It must contain at least 51 percent corn; however, it can't be more than 80 percent alcohol volume. Additionally, it must be stored in a charred oak barrel for at least two years.

I recommend: WineChateau.com sells a varied selection of bourbon. Prices vary greatly from under $15 to higher than $200 per bottle. This company offers quantity discounts.