Description
Sake Adviser
Prepare yourself for a career in the restaurant, beverage, or food industry with our Certified Sake Adviser course. This course provides the fundamental background knowledge on sake production, history, and types. Students will gain the ability to speak about basic varieties of sake and production methods with confidence.
Note: Students who have obtained Certified Sake Adviser are eligible to enroll in our advanced sake certification course, Certified Sake Sommelier.
Course Date and Time
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
- Online Lecture: 9:00am – 4:00pm PT | 12:00pm – 7:00pm ET
Monday, December 29, 2025
- Online Exam: 11:00am – 12:00pm PT | 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET
Please adjust accordingly for your own time zone.
Prerequisites
There are no entry requirements for this qualification.
Important Notice
- You must be age 21 or over to take this course and exam.
- Registration will close when the course reaches capacity or the enrollment deadline (December 1st, 2025) has passed. Please be advised, that late registration may incur additional charges for textbook rush order shipment fees.
- Students will receive ZOOM information after registration.
- If the student has decided to cancel their registration before tasting samples being shipped, a full refund will be issued. Though, if students have decided to cancel their registrations after the tasting samples have been shipped, no refunds will be issued. However, the course fee will be honored towards future classes.
Exam
Monday, December 29, 2025
- Online Exam: 11:00am – 12:00pm PT | 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET
The 1-hour exam is comprised of 100 multiple-choice questions covering the textbook and lecture content. A blind-tasting exam is not included at the Sake Adviser level.
Note: The examination requires a minimum mark of 75% to pass.
Main Concepts
- The history of sake in Japan
- Sake ingredients and brewing processes
- Sake terminology and reading sake production labels
- The principles behind the storage, selection, and service of sake
- Overview of sake tasting and analysis
Study Support
- All students will receive a review guide for course preparation support. We encourage students to contact us before the course if they have questions about their course materials.
Instructor: Sara Guterbock
CBS, ISS, ASP, CS, CWE, DipWSET, JSA Sake Diploma
Certified Sake Educator Level 3, Wine & Spirit Education Trust
Advanced Sake Professional, Sake Education Council
International Sake Lecturer, Sake Service Institute International
International Sake Sommelier (Kikisake-shi), Sake Service Institute International Sake Adviser, Sake Service Institute
Shochu Adviser, Sake School of America
Sara spent a year living in Japan as a high school student and grew up in a family that placed great emphasis on learning and experiencing the Japanese language and culture. Becoming proficient in Sake has brought together Sara’s passion for the beverage industry with her life-long love of Japan, its people, traditions, and cuisine.
Sara devotes a tremendous amount of energy introducing people to the complexities and beauties of Sake and its unmatched ability to pair with food. She has developed a growing portfolio of 135 sakes, the largest in North Carolina, which she helps to distribute, market, and educate about throughout the state and beyond.
