by Bailey Loosemore , @bloosemore –
Kentucky distilleries and breweries are in the middle of a building boom — and that means a lot of jobs will be added in and around the beverage industry.
But will the state’s workforce be able to fill them?
Universities across the state aren’t waiting to find out. They’ve implemented programs that combine fermentation sciences with tourism in an effort to give students a full look at the industry they could help support.
There’s just one catch to the programs as they stand. The students can’t legally taste the products they’re studying in class, whether they’re of drinking age or not.
A state representative wants to fix that with House Bill 466, which would allow accredited colleges or universities to “conduct alcoholic beverage sampling as part of an educational program” without applying for a license or having to partner with an already licensed business.
The bill, proposed by state Rep. James Kay, D-Versailles, is currently awaiting approval from the house’s education committee.
Kay represents the 56th district that includes Woodford County, where Midway University resides. After speaking with employees of the university, he crafted the bill that would bring Kentucky in line with a majority of states that already allow educational sampling, said Tricia Day, Midway’s director of bourbon studies.
Last fall, Midway began offering an undergraduate minor in bourbon studies along with a tourism concentration in its master of business administration degree, Day said. The courses include learning about the various components of bourbons and how to explain their differences and similarities.
“We want the ability to teach people more about sensory evaluation of the spirit,” Day said. “… We need to be able to do that as part of a class on campus. Right now, there’s no provision for a situation like that.”
Currently, Day takes students who are 21 or older to a partner site off-campus to taste spirits and practice building bourbon flights. But being able to do the tastings on campus would make things a whole lot easier, she said.
Kay said he hopes his bill will be able to cut through red tape for programs that are educating needed employees.
“These careers are highly skilled. They require education and experience in the industry,” Kay said about working in a distillery or brewery. “I don’t think a lot of people realize that. … It is a career path that is tailor made for Kentucky that we do not do enough to support as far as education avenues go to get people into those careers.”
Andrew McMichael, an associate professor of history, said Western Kentucky University has offered a class on brewing science and history since 2006, and in 2014, it expanded that class into a full-blown program through a partnership with Alltech Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co.
To create the program, McMichael said he spoke with industry leaders about what they looked for in good employees. Resoundingly, he said, they told him they wanted workers who had an understanding of distilling along with a strong business sense.
“We want people who go on to work on the (Kentucky) Bourbon Trail to have hands-on experience brewing and distilling,” McMichael said, adding that students can use the information they learn in the classes to become accountants for bourbon brands or farmers providing breweries with grains. “I’m excited the legislature is going to start thinking about that.”
Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at 502-582-4646 or [email protected].
