New figures from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) reveal that demand for wine, spirits and sake education is higher than ever as the consumer trend to “drink less, but better” sparks businesses to invest in staff training. WSET, the largest global provider of qualifications in the field of wine and spirits, is reporting a record 85,487 candidates globally in the academic year finishing July 31, 2017, an increase of 19% over last year, marking 15 years of growth. The U.K. continued to lead the global table with candidate numbers increasing 14% to 19,401, yet it was the U.S. that saw the greatest growth in candidate numbers amongst the top 10 markets, up 48% to 11,487.