The Sake Sommelier Association (SSA) is the oldest sake education provider outside of Japan. For over 20 years we have been fully committed to promoting global education and awareness of sake across the globe. The Sake Sommelier Association has three pillars: Education, Competition and Challenge.

The Sake Sommelier Academy is the SSA’s Education pillar. Alongside our accredited partner schools, the Academy has reached tens of thousands of students, guiding them along the SSA learning path.

We are currently working with franchised partners across 6 continents globally, to ensure there are always Sake Educators available to students! The most important part of our network is for us to respect the local customs in our franchises region. While all educators are trained by the SSA HQ, we always enshrine the importance of respecting the local customs and a course delivery that is in line with the unique style of our franchisees region; with the goal of ensuring that students study a course that was designed with them in mind.

Nowadays there are many providers of sake education courses worldwide, but the Sake Sommelier Academy® is the first organisation to provide sake education in Europe. The Sake Sommelier Academy® is unique in many ways as we have been providing world-leading sake education for over 20 years, and are the only independent international authority for sake Sommelier® training. Our trainings are based on interactive workshops and other unique and exclusive tools.

Although WSET's classes cover some topics found in our courses, the Certified Sake Sommelier does delve into some new areas, particularly when related to service and pairing - after all, it is a Sake Sommelier course! Many of our Certified Sake Sommelier alumni, with years of experience working in hospitality and drinks retail, take the Certified Sake Sommelier® course wishing to learn about the culture and true depth of sake in an experiential setting. These students aim to both further their own understanding of sake and better expand other's appreciation of it. We've also had quite a few students who have taken WSET Level 3 in Sake before (and other sake courses from other institutions), and they have always said that they are pleased to have joined our course because they have taken something new away that gives them a new perspective for their career. So, from the feedback we've had from many, we believe the Certified Sake Sommelier® course is the best place to start your SSA education.

The SSA's courses offer a unique view on sake education, with a focus on service skills and how to work with sake - training students to officially become Sake Sommeliers! We accomplish this through making the most of practical workshops & roleplays, prioritising experiential learning for our students. Alongside this, we encourage teaching students about sake's place in Japan and ensuring that all our courses are taught with thorough cultural awareness.

Although WSET's classes cover some topics found in our courses, the Certified Sake Sommelier delves into many new areas, particularly when related to service & pairing - after all, it's a Sake Sommelier course! Many of our course alumni, with years of experience working in hospitality and retail, enrol on the Certified Sake Sommelier® course wishing to learn about the culture and true depth of sake in an experiential setting. These students aim to both further their own understanding of sake and better expand other's appreciation of it. Similarly we have students who previously took the WSET Level 3 in Sake before (and other sake courses from other institutions), and have always fed back to us that they were pleased to learn something new and to gain a new perspective for their careers!

While we welcome all sake aficionados, we are the only organization mainly focused on Sommelier training. Our background is as Sommeliers with many decades of experience.

The Certified Sake Sommelier course awarded by the Sake Sommelier Association trains you to become a Sake Sommelier®, and is the only official Certified Sake Sommelier course. The International Kikisake-Shi course, organised by the Sake Service Institute, trains you to become an International Kikisake-shi - a Sake Specialist when translated in English.

The Introductory Sake Professional® is a comprehensive and concise 2-hour course where you begin to learn sake history, production, etiquette, and tasting techniques with a variety of different sake.

You don’t need to have completed the Introductory Sake Professional® course first, but we do highly recommend people take it before the Certified Sake Sommelier® course as it can help you have a better understanding of what will be taught on the first day of the Certified Sake Sommelier® course. You may also find you have more technical questions or observations you would like to ask or get advice on during the Certified Sake Sommelier® course.

The Certified Sake Sommelier® is the first, and only official Sake Sommelier® certification from the Sake Sommelier Association (UK base since 2000). This official certification was created and developed for wine professionals. The Certified Sake Sommelier® is our flagship course and the most sought after for any serious professionals working in hospitality and retail. Our aim is to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of sake, tasting, food pairings, and service abilities. Geared towards those who wish to work in the industry, students can rely on the expertise and experience of the Sake Sommelier Association’s highly qualified educators. Successful participants will receive the official Sake Sommelier Association certificate and a lapel pin marking them out as a Certified Sake Sommelier®. They will also be able to use the post-nominals, CSS.

If course preparation is needed, it will be provided in the months ahead of the course in the form of a pre-study pack. Participants are advised to look through this and familiarise themselves with the contents. All of our courses include sake tasting exercises. Those wishing to prepare may want to practice sampling a few different sakes ahead of the course; however, this is not a necessity as there will be plenty of opportunity to sample a wide variety of sake during the course.

The Sake Sommelier Association has taken steps to offer the Certified Sake Sommelier® in an online format. We have been working hard to make our online education as similar as possible to the live classroom experience. Samples for the tasting component and other materials are posted to students. We have stuck to the classic format of the original in-classroom course, offering a unique and interactive experience.

It normally takes between 2 days and a week but please check with your local SSA franchise https://sakesommelieracademy.com/where-to-study/

The cost ranges from £500 to £700 depending on the country where the course takes place.

Please check with your local SSA franchise. For London Certified Sake Sommelier® participants only, if you can make it to our next Certified Sake Sommelier® Course in London or online, we can arrange an extra seat for the examination section and you will be able to retake your exam. There will be a £90 resit charge to do this. If you would like to retake the exam earlier, we may be able to arrange this for an extra charge.

Yes, you must have completed the Certified Sake Sommelier® course before joining the Advance Sake Sommelier® course, or you must be committed to taking the Certified Sake Sommelier® course within a year after completing the Advance Sake Sommelier®. If you have another qualification in sake education, we will consider you for the course as long as you can provide proof of certification. You must also complete and pass the Sake Sommelier Association sake knowledge test. Please note, that as this is such a unique and exclusive course, we will prioritize Certified Sake Sommeliers. We highly advised you to take the Certified Sake Sommelier® course, not only to have a better chance of joining the course, but also because the in-depth knowledge of sake and its culture learned in the course will help you get the most out of the Advanced Sake Sommelier® course.

No. Unfortunately, you have to be based in the same country as the course you are taking, even if it is online. This is to ensure that the transportation of tasting samples runs efficiently and does not impact the course.

The Certified Sake Sommelier® course, awarded by the Sake Sommelier Association (SSA), trains you to become to be qualified working with sake, and allows you to call yourself a “Sake Sommelier”. Our course also delivers a focus on sake service and working with sake with a global view, pairing it professionally with different cuisines & cultures from across the world.
The International Kikisake-Shi class, provided by the Sake Service Institute, awards you the title "International Kikisake-shi" and specialises at looking at sake as a drink within Japanese cuisine & culture.

The Advanced Sake Sommelier® course is hosted in Japan. The course offers you an insider’s view of Japan and the sake brewer’s life through an intensive and immersive stay at one of our handpicked partner breweries, located in a picturesque village or one of Japan’s traditional cities.

This educational program will allow you to experience and learn the authentic sake-making process under the guidance of the Toji (the head sake brewer). We offer an in-depth study of how the climate, rice, and unique qualities of the sake brewery and region create the distinct methods of sake production. Successful candidates will receive their Advanced Sake Sommelier certificate and lapel pin, along with the right to use the post-nominals 'Advanced Sake Sommelier’.

All students on the Advanced Sake Sommelier course must have first earned the Certified Sake Sommelier® qualification, in order to fully benefit from the Advanced course syllabus.

This unique course takes place throughout the busy season of sake making.

The Master Sake Sommelier® is the world’s highest sake sommelier® qualification. By gaining this qualification you will be able to demonstrate that you have deepened your level of expertise in this field to the furthest extent and that your knowledge of sake service is of the highest standard. This rigorous, one day course consists of specialized modules. The Master Sake Sommelier® welcomes students of any highly sake trained background, not only SSA Alumni. The Master Sake Sommelier® covers the fine-points of sake etiquette, serving techniques, innovative food pairings and every intricacy of sake service, including the experience of serving in a restaurant scenario. A special focus is given to the art of buying and selling sake. Over 40 distinct kinds of sake will be tasted during the day. Examination runs throughout the day. Successful candidates will receive their Master Sake Sommelier® label pin and certificate as well as the right to use the post-nominals MSS.

The Master of Sake® course is an intense 2-month program and the first program of its kind: offering a full, in brewery, education on how to become a sake brewer. Working with both traditional apprenticeships and high-level skills training, The Master of Sake is the perfect course to guide you into the hardest-to-access parts of Japan’s sake production industry. Successful participants will receive the Master of Sake® qualification along with the accompanying lapel pin. They will also be entitled to use the post-nominals, MOS.

All SSA courses except the Introductory Sake Professional® course contain examinations.

Certified Sake Sommelier®
Formal Examination on Day 2.
Pass grade 70%

Advanced Sake Sommelier®
An assessment will be on the last day of the course.
Pass grade 70%

Master Sake Sommelier®
There are several assessments and exercises throughout the course. The participant’s grade will be based on the formal examination and their overall performance.
Pass grade 70%

Master of Sake®
Intensive course of training during this 2-month program.
Pass grade 70%

All of our courses are taught in the language of the region in which they are provided, unless otherwise specified (always check with your Sake Educator® in advance of your course if you’re unsure). While some Japanese terms will be used in our courses, these will be explained and, where necessary, glossaries will be provided ahead of the course.

This is dependent on which Partner School you are studying with, please contact them directly.

The partner school you have registered with will be more than happy to answer this question. Please contact them directly.

This is dependent on which partner school you are studying with, please contact them directly.

Each of our partner schools will handle gift or gift cards differently so please contact them directly.

Yes, all participants of our Introductory Sake Professional®, Certified Sake Sommelier®, Advanced Sake Sommelier®, Master Sake Sommelier® and Master of Sake® receive official certification from the Sake Sommelier Association.

Yes, all participants of the following courses, Certified Sake Sommelier®, Master Sake Sommelier® and Master of Sake®, will receive official lapel pins from the Sake Sommelier Association.

This is dependent upon the country you took the course as your official certificate will be issued at the SSA London HQ. On average certificates take three weeks to arrive. Please contact your partner school directly if any issues should arise.

You can take part in our association’s other events, such as being a judge at the London & International Sake Challenges and competing in the Sake Sommelier of the Year® (which is open to all sake professionals, not just SSA graduates). You also have priority in joining our Advanced Sake Sommelier® course.

We advise all our students to taste as many sake as they can and to fine-tune their service skills in a practical setting. Our Sake Challenges are a great opportunity to taste an incredible variety of sake.

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If you have experience working with sake and a passion for education we would love to hear from you. We provide our educator training online. You can apply to become a professional Sake Educator® by visiting us at https://sakesommelieracademy.com/franchises/

Our SSA Experiences provide a foray into the World of Sake. If you’re looking for local sake bars and breweries check out Sake Ninja® to find our accredited stops. Or, if Japan-based luxury travel sounds more appealing then book our Sake Star®. SSA Experiences are an adventure to remember!

Please reach out to us at info@sakesommelierassociation.com