The role of the Sommelier encompasses so many aspects. You must be hospitable - welcoming, warm, a good listener. You must understand restaurant/bar service and have good technical skills. You must be business-minded when buying and cellaring spirits. You must be a great salesperson to understand what the customer needs and sell it to them. You must also be a whisky ambassador and represent well all the distilleries on the list. You need to be a leader, to train and motivate staff.

The role of the Sommelier encompasses so many aspects. You must be hospitable - welcoming, warm, a good listener. You must understand restaurant/bar service and have good technical skills. You must be business-minded when buying and cellaring spirits. You must be a great salesperson to understand what the customer needs and sell it to them. You must also be a whisky ambassador and represent well all the distilleries on the list. You need to be a leader, to train and motivate staff.

What would you be doing?

• Planning the whisky menu
• Serving and advising customers
• Making recommendations
• Decanting whiskies
• Educating customers
• Researching trends
• Ordering and maintaining stock
• Developing whisky lists
• Managing staff training
• Working alongside chefs
• Testing whisky
• Attending industry events and tastings
• Cleaning and polishing equipment
• Organisational skills– especially when keeping tabs on the whisky inventory

You will need to be truly passionate about whisky in order to become a good and successful sommelier. There is a lot of hard work involved in this job role. It’s not just about whisky tasting and pouring glasses.

What is expected from you?

A love of the spirit and a love of people.

Great attention to detail.

As a sommelier you must strive to go above and beyond expectations each day.

What about the pay?

A whisky sommelier's salary can start at around £24,000. This would be for Sommelier positions. The salary for a whisky sommelier can rise to around £35,000–£40,000 for senior positions for sommeliers who have more than 10 years of experience.

What qualifications do I need to get?

It is possible to be called a sommelier without any formal qualification. Learning on the job is common and many people progress from being a waiter or barman to a sommelier.

Qualifications such as those offered by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) or Edinburgh Whisky Academy (EWA) are extremely well respected on a CV, and can propel you even more quickly into a sommelier role, sometimes without ever having worked in a restaurant.

WSET qualifications provide more focus on product knowledge and tasting skills, while the CMS programmes build on these elements with additional focus on service technique including glassware selection and pouring.

WSET : https://www.wsetglobal.com/

EWA : https://www.edinburghwhiskyacademy.com/

What about further training?

Going to Whisky fairs and festivals, visiting distilleries are the best way to improve the knowledge and practice in this field.

Anything else I might need to know?

The job involves extremely long hours – by the time a sommelier gets home it could be anywhere from 2am to 5am, before having to wake up early and start all over again.

As a sommelier you will typically work in a whisky bar or a fine dining establishment, recommending whisky to customers.

What qualifications do I need to get?

It is possible to be called a sommelier without any formal qualification. Learning on the job is common and many people progress from being a waiter or barman to a sommelier.

Qualifications such as those offered by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) or Edinburgh Whisky Academy (EWA) are extremely well respected on a CV, and can propel you even more quickly into a sommelier role, sometimes without ever having worked in a restaurant.

WSET qualifications provide more focus on product knowledge and tasting skills, while the CMS programmes build on these elements with additional focus on service technique including glassware selection and pouring.

WSET : https://www.wsetglobal.com/

EWA : https://www.edinburghwhiskyacademy.com/