New school

Cheers, Sept, 2005

There are numerous opportunities for wine professionals to become certified experts, but now five of America's best-known spirits gurus have gotten together to create a premium school for spirits.

Dubbed BAR (Beverage Alcohol Resource), the program is at the core of the new Institute of the Appreciation, Understanding and Service of Adult Beverages. Headquartered in New York, BAR's partners--Dale DeGroff, Doug Frost, Steven Olson, F. Paul Pacult, and David Wondrich--will launch in March, 2006 the school's first ten-week curriculum, with the goal of establishing the world's first distilled spirits certification program. Those who finish the program successfully will be awarded the title Master of Distilled Spirits. Each of the courses will be taught by one of the principals, both in New York and through a BAR mobile unit that will travel around the country. For more info, email Olson at winegeek@aol.com.