The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) reported its highest-ever annual candidate figures for the last academic year. In 2018-2019, a total of 108,557 candidates took a WSET qualification, breaking a 100,000 milestone for the first time. This represents a 15% increase year on year versus last year’s candidate figures and reinforces the organization’s continued annual growth trend. WSET’s growth reflects the increasing global demand for wine and spirits education amongst trade and consumer audiences. The organization’s three distinct subject streams – wine, spirits and sake – all continue to show double-digit growth. The spirits category was the top performer, with annual candidate figures up 33% over the last year. WSET’s top three markets in 2018-2019 – the UK, mainland China and the U.S. – all showed growth for the 11th consecutive year. The U.S. grew 26%, with 17,416 annual candidates.