Spirits training: Cask Marque turns it hand to spirits training

The obvious product you would associate with trade body Cask Marque is beer, so it's a surprise to find it set to launch a comprehensive staff training course covering not only pouring pints, but also everything from wine to the perfect gin and tonic.

"We have got to the consumer with the Cask Marque accreditation; we have got to back of house with our existing cellar training, but one area we have not been able to get at until now is standards front-of-house," says Cask Marque director Paul Nunny.

Launching on a trial basis with Cask Marque members on June 1, Cask Marque's Bar Excellence Awards will involve staff watching training videos and qualifying for an award by answering a series of questions online.

A range of drinks giants have been recruited to contribute to the programme; Diageo and Coca-Cola Enterprises will cover the spirits and mixed drinks angle.

The training will be targeted at new or inexperienced staff, and will be particularly focused on their legal responsibilities such as refusing drunks and underage drinkers, and weights and measures legislation. This is an especially big issue with spirits, says Nunny, because of their high strength and appeal to many young drinkers.

He hopes that the new scheme will provide a base of knowledge for staff on which licensee employers can build, and claims that the Bar Excellence Awards will fill a gap in the market. He says: "Has this level of training been lacking? I don't think there's been any. No disrespect to retailers, but they have so much day-to-day business to concentrate on, very few of them can organise training.

"What we are setting are minimum standards of service. We expect retailers to take those staff and develop them in their own way from that point."