Australia's Leading Technical Distilling Courses
New distilling training activity
In 2023, Director Anne Gigney was lucky enough to be awarded a Churchill Fellowship to further study best practice distilling training throughout Europe.
The project is focused at examining existing and new distilleries and breweries across Europe and examining how they undertake and plan their training.
This work builds on the research project undertaken in 2016 which established a baseline for distilling training needs in Australia. Anne will undertake the study tour from March to May 2024 and will produce a report from the trip to share with the industry. The project can be found below.
The backstory
In 2015, Anne Gigney founded the Tasmanian Whisky Academy to drive the growth of the Australian distilling industry through high-quality education. At the time, Tasmania had fewer than 30 distilleries, and Australia had fewer than 60. Recognising the need to build industry skills, Anne conducted a comprehensive workforce assessment in 2016, identifying local and global training requirements to support future growth.
In 2017, Anne launched the Foundations of Distilling course, collaborating with industry leaders like Patrick Maguire and Dave Magill, and facilitating visits to Nonesuch Distillery. That year, she also partnered with the Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers (CIBD) to bring globally recognized distilling training to Australia and New Zealand, further strengthening the region's industry capacity.
Anne has since delivered CIBD’s General Certificate of Distilling Masterclasses to over 750 distillers, significantly enhancing the workforce. In 2018, she co-founded The Distillers Institute with Troy Trewin to guide aspiring distillers in building successful businesses. Through the Tasmanian Whisky Academy, Anne continues to offer the CIBD’s prestigious courses, helping to shape the future of distilling in Australia and New Zealand.
About the CIBD Distilling Masterclasses
The Tasmanian Whisky Academy delivers the globally-recognised Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers' technical Masterclasses in Australia and New Zealand to help distillers to improve their technical knowledge and understanding of the distilling process.
The Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers' qualifications are portable globally and undertaking the CIBDs online study is complemented by Masterclass events to build distilling skills, knowledge and confidence and a network of like-minded distillers from around the country.
The distilling training Masterclasses are delivered by Ian Thorn, the CIBD's international tutor for distilling and one of the region's only qualified Master Distillers. The distilling course cover the chemistry of distilling, equipment, mash and fermentation, distillation process, maintenance, maturation and many other elements of distilling.
How else can The Whisky Academy help?
Anne has been supporting distilling training in the industry since 2015 and has a deep sense of the options and opportunities available in relation to the industry, the pathway in and the training options available.
The CIBD's distilling courses are certainly the global industry standard for distilling spirits. In the coming years, it is expected that a recognised Australian qualification will support people in the industry which will be a good accompaniment to training available.
If you would like to discuss training, reach out to Anne.