Blending Workshop

Over the course of the class, you will learn all about blending theory and practice in aged spirits. This workshop is not just limited to the books, as you will will be walked through multiple hands-on blending exercises in our distillery built specifically for teaching. You will learn information across a variety of topics in order to start your blending journey, from theory to practicum. Moonshine University gives you the tools needed to develop a product, and how to build a blending program to manage your stock of spirits. In these two days, you'll learn everything you need to know to move forward with building a strong, successful, and consistent blending program at your facility or for your brand.

In addition to gaining valuable insights on the intricacies of blending whiskey and rum, we’ll take an in-depth look at:

• Multiple hands-on blending exercises
• Goals, overview, & value of blending
• Principles of blending
• Fundamentals of blending
• Product development
• Whiskey styles
• Rum styles
• Flavor wheels and tools for flavor creation
• Barrel & wood policy
• Stock management
• Logistics of blending and blending programs
• Warehouse management
• Space & equipment needed for blending
• How to build a blending program
• Options available for blending
• How to turn stories into liquid

Niels Benschop - Niels has a vast background in sales, marketing and product development in the (fresh) food industry, mainly dairy. Four years ago he made the move to E&A Scheer where he is the commercial leader of both E&A Scheer and The Main Rum Company teams. Working with a vast array of suppliers and customers worldwide, he worked on many different projects developing numerous Rum blends.

Joris Lincke – Joris has a mind for hospitality and a nose for Rum. After his studies at the Hotelschool The Hague (an international and hospitality focused business management school) he found a way to combine his passion for Rum with his professional ambitions. Having been employed at E&A Scheer for 5 years, started as a young gun in a commercial support role and is now one of the valuable blenders in the skilled EAS blending team.

Matt Strickland – Matt Strickland is the Master Distiller for Iron City Distilling in Creighton, PA just outside of Pittsburgh. He has assumed numerous roles in the industry and has established several distilleries in the U.S. and Canada. His primary production focus is whiskey though he has also produced a number of award-winning rums, gins, vodkas, and liqueurs.

Matt is an active teacher in the distilled spirits industry sitting on the faculty of The Distilled Spirits Epicenter and The Siebel Institute. He also sits on the Board of Examiners for Distilling at The Institute of Brewing & Distilling. He is an active writer, producing numerous technical scripts for industry publications such as Distiller Magazine, Artisan Spirit, and Brewer Distiller International and regularly contributes to Whisky Magazine. He has written two books for distillers, Cask Management for Distillers (White Mule Press, 2020) and Batch Distillation: Science and Practice (White Mule Press, 2021).

Tuition includes all class materials; breakfast, lunch, and refreshments; and transportation between our contracted hotel and our campus.

**Early Bird Registration covers your stay at our contracted hotel from the night before Day 1 to the last day of class. The Early Bird deadline is 3 weeks before the first day of class.