First Japanese to accomplish this feat! And Spirits Co., Ltd. Representative Director Ai Kuroda has been awarded the international whiskey qualification “MASTER OF SCOTCH”!
*View in browser* *And Spirits Co., Ltd.*
Press release: May 9, 2024
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First Japanese to accomplish this feat! And Spirits Co., Ltd. Representative Director Ai Kuroda has been awarded the international whiskey qualification “MASTER OF SCOTCH”!
*Selected through strict screening by THE COUNCIL OF WHISKEY MASTERS! * THE COUNCIL OF WHISKEY, a global whiskey educational institution MASTERS” will hold the 2024 MASTER exam on Raasay Island in Scotland, and nine new MASTER OF
SCOTCH, 2 MASTER OF BOURBON, and 6 MASTER OF WHISK(E)Y were selected. Ai Kuroda of And Spirits Co., Ltd. (location: Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Ai Kuroda, hereinafter referred to as And Spirits) will become the first Japanese MASTER OF
I passed SCOTCH.
The review committee for this exam is made up of highly-skilled experts who are highly regarded around the world.
-List of judges-
Steve Beal, Dave Broom, Martin Duffy, Sebastien Gavillet, Monique Huston, Charles MacLean, Becky Offringa, Hans Offringa, Martin Duffy, Tobias Gorn, Arthur Nagele, Bernhard Schafer, Dan Crowell, Adam Edmonsond, Nik Kosobucki, Siddharth Sawkar, Guy Sporbert, John Wabeck, Sam Wright, Tom McCormick
⚫︎A difficult task that requires the ability to convey specialized knowledge in English⚫︎
The prestigious MASTER exam is held locally, alternating every year in Scotland and the United States, the home of whisky. Therefore, not only basic English proficiency, but also specialized knowledge and insight are required to be dictated and written in English, which is even more difficult for people whose native language is not English.
The exam consists of three parts: a blind tasting, an oral exam, and an essay exam. Candidates will be asked to examine history, geography, manufacturing processes, characteristics of major distilleries and brands, industry knowledge, tasting ability, proposal skills, etc. , will be comprehensively judged on your understanding of all aspects related to whisky.
The jury will evaluate all candidates individually and select the new MASTER based on certain criteria set by COUNCIL. To become a candidate for this master’s program, you must first pass Level 1 and Level 2 of the program through online distance learning. (Details:
www.WhiskeyMasters.org)
In the 2024 Master Program, Kuroda of And Spirits successfully passed the main exam under strict examination and became the new MASTER OF It was announced as SCOTCH.
* ⚫︎Kuroda comment⚫︎*
There are two main reasons why I decided to take this exam.
First, I wanted to learn about whiskey from scratch in English so that I could talk about it with people from all over the world.
It was very tough and challenging, and many times I felt like I was going to break down because I thought I couldn’t do it, but I was able to discuss and give tasting comments in English in a foreign country called Scotland, and I was able to meet the wonderful judges and candidates. I was able to form strong connections with others, and it was an irreplaceable experience that went beyond just passing the exam.
The second reason is that I wanted to gain as much confidence and persuasive power as possible.
I am a business owner and a mother of a daughter who is in the fourth grade of elementary school. When my daughter went to elementary school and I had a little more time to myself, I decided that I wanted to work in a job related to my favorite distilled spirits, which supported me during the difficult times of raising children and colored my life, so I started working in the alcoholic beverage industry with no prior experience. I jumped into it. It’s only been my third year in this industry, and I feel like I’m still lacking in both ability and experience, so I’ve continued to work hard every day, even though I struggle with balancing childcare.
I didn’t want to be snobbish or make excuses for my short industry history, lack of experience, or physically limited time, so I decided to ask for one thing. I wanted to leave a big result. Being able to pass the exam this time has given me a lot of confidence, and I am determined not to be satisfied with this and will continue to do my best in the future.
Level 1 “CSP (Certified Scotch)
Passed the Level 2 “CWS (Certified Whiskey Professional)” in March 2023, and passed the Level 2 “CWS (Certified Whiskey
Specialist)” in September 2023, and spent more than a year studying whisky. The judges who are active on the front lines of the industry from all over the world judged my work very seriously, and I am definitely proud that I was recognized by them.
I will continue to move forward with my love and passion for my favorite whiskey and distilled spirits, which continue to change my life.
*Ai Kuroda*
Born in 1989. Born in Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Graduated from Keio University, Faculty of Letters, majoring in English and American Literature.
In June 2022, he became independent and became the representative director of And Spirits Co., Ltd. “&SPIRITS” in Nakameguro, Maru Building B1F “SAKE COLLECTIVE”
In addition to running two liquor stores and bars called &SPIRITS, we also engage in import wholesale business, original product
development, event planning and management, etc.
My favorite alcoholic beverages are all distilled spirits. My favorite cocktail is Rob Roy.
And Spirits Co., Ltd.: https://corporate.andspirits.com
THE COUNCIL OF WHISKEY MASTERS: www.whiskeymasters.org/whiskey-masters *About details about this release*
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