Islay Whisky Academy Residential Diploma
Standing on the island of distilleries, you can almost see the coast of heaven – Robin Laing
About the Islay Whisky Academy Residential Diploma
The Islay Whisky Academy Residential Diploma runs for 5 days (six nights’ self-catering accommodation provided). Throughout the course, attendees will explore Scotch whisky in depth, with lectures, distillery tours, tasting sessions and cultural experiences designed to enhance our understanding of Scotland’s national spirit.
For those who want to enhance their knowledge and appreciation of Scotch, there’s nowhere better than Islay. This historic land and its ancient Gaelic culture have deep roots in the creation of Scotch whisky, and with ten distilleries producing whisky today, Islay really is the whisky island.
See the bottom of the page for a sample itinerary.
Residential IWA DIPLOMA October 2026
26th – 30th October 2026
Accommodation availble from arrival Sunday 25th October to departure Saturday 31st October.
£3100 per person.
Residential IWA DIPLOMA Spring 2027
22nd – 26th March 2027
Accommodation availble from arrival Sunday to departure Saturday.
£3100 per person.
The Islay Whisky Academy Kinship
The Islay Whisky Academy is all about forming bonds. Attendees connect with Islay, with Scotland, and with Scotch whisky, but also with one another. Students not only study together, but live together, sharing beautiful self-catering accommodation. This idea of Kinship, of family, has been central to the Academy since Rachel MacNeill first conceived of it.
Your Islay Whisky Academy experience doesn’t end when the Diploma is complete. We invite you to stay in touch and become a member of our community. With a Facebook group and a WhatsApp Community, our students stay in touch, and we even host meetups via Zoom or Teams for sample swaps and dram shares.
No matter how experienced we think we are, there’s always more to learn. What makes the journey so engaging is the company we keep along the way.
Accommodation
For the duration of the Residential Diploma, we provide shared, self-catering accommodation. The properties used can change depending on availability and group size, but will always be of the same high standard and provide a warm, comfortable base for your time with us in Islay.
We believe this shared accommodation is a crucial contributor to the bond formed between classmates. Students will never be asked to share bedrooms, but sharing meals, or discussing the day’s events over a dram in the evenings, adds to the magic of the whole experience.
IWA Residential Diploma Video
Residential Diploma Sample Itinerary
Sunday
Settle into warm, comfortable self-catering accommodation and meet your classmates at an informal Welcome Dinner (optional).
Monday
Start the week’s education at the Islay Gaelic Centre, Bowmore. Introduction to the Islay Whisky Academy, lectures on barley as the building block of single malt Scotch whisky. Awareness of Reciprocity and Environmental Care for Mother Earth. Distillery tour and tasting at Kilchoman Distillery, see the full barley to bottle process at Islay’s Farm Distillery. In the evening, enjoy a unique whisky tasting session (evening events are optional).
Tuesday
Introduction to peat lecture followed by a Peat Cutting Workshop – try your hand at cutting the peat. Good footwear and outdoor clothing are essential! Trip to Laphroaig distillery. Tour and sample the quintessential Islay malt. Join an informal whisky tasting session in the evening.
Wednesday
Morning lectures on copper stills and the distilling process, plus oak and maturation. Visit to Bowmore Distillery and Warehouse Tasting. Free evening.
Thursday
Geology and water lecture with a local expert. Explore how the land and water shape the whisky of Islay. Visit the Octomore Spring. Trip to Bruichladdich Distillery plus Tasting. Evening Tasting with an independent bottler guest-host.
Friday
Exam time! Followed by the Blending Workshop. After lunch, it’s off to Bunnahabhain for a Warehouse Tasting experience. In the evening, it’s the Graduation Dinner at the Port Charlotte Hotel
The Islay Whisky Academy Residential Diploma is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Perceptions will be changed, knowledge deepened, and appreciation enhanced. Lasting friendships will be formed and lifelong memories made.
Join us at the Islay Whisky Academy in 2026 and discover Scotch in Context.