NEUTRAL SPIRIT OPEN PROFICIENCY PROGRAM – SINGLE ROUND

NEUTRAL SPIRIT OPEN PROFICIENCY PROGRAM – SINGLE ROUND

The Neutral Spirit Open Proficiency Program is designed for the spirit industry, allowing you to calibrate sensory abilities and collaborate on improving spirit standards. Join today to enrol in four rounds of IN-OUT style testing using our GMP Flavour Standards.

£350.00 GBP

Quantity:

We ship globally – shipping costs may apply depending on your region

Minimum Order: £275

WHAT IS THE NEUTRAL SPIRIT OPEN PROFICIENCY PROGRAM?

The program uses IN-OUT style proficiency testing, a globally recognised sensory evaluation method where tasters identify whether a flavour compound is present or absent. Results are logged on FlavorActiV’s mobile-accessible proficiency platform, enabling participants to track performance and identify strengths and areas for development.

It is ideal for spirits businesses seeking a flexible, pay-as-you-go entry into formal sensory calibration without committing to an annual subscription.

SINGLE ROUND VS ANNUAL PROGRAM — WHICH IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Annual Round Single Program
No of Rounds 4 1
Cost per round £300 £350
TVS Platform Access Full Limited
Certification Yes No
Proficiency Test Format IN-OUT IN-OUT
Commitment Annual subscription Pay as you go

The Single Round option is best suited to businesses trialling the programme for the first time, running a one-off panel calibration exercise, or supplementing an existing internal sensory training programme.

For ongoing calibration and ISO-aligned certification, the Annual Program (4 rounds at £300 per round) delivers greater long-term value and full platform access.

WHAT FLAVOURS ARE TESTED IN THE NEUTRAL SPIRIT OPEN PROFICIENCY PROGRAM?

Participants are tested on key flavour compounds commonly found in spirits, including:

– Diacetyl
– Mercaptan
– Barnyard
– Musty (Customised)
– Malty-biscuity
– Papery
– Acetaldehyde
– Plastics
– Leathery

KEY BENEFITS FOR SPIRIT PRODUCERS AND QUALITY TEAMS

Joining the Neutral Spirit Open Proficiency Program helps your organisation:

– Reduce the risk of defective products reaching the market by validating panel sensitivity before release decisions are made.
– Lower sensory training costs by replacing ad hoc training with a structured, repeatable calibration scheme.
– Identify individual taster strengths and gaps so development can be targeted and efficient.
– Improve staff retention and attract quality-focused talent by demonstrating a commitment to professional sensory development.
– Strengthen product and brand consistency through measurable, benchmarked panel performance.

HOW THE TESTING WORKS

The program uses FlavorActiV’s GMP Flavour Standards, encapsulated flavour reference compounds manufactured under Pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice at FlavorActiV’s UK Flavour Centre, audited by the MHRA and US FDA.

Step 1: Receive your kit. Your single-round pack ships upon order confirmation to your sensory panel location worldwide.

Step 2: Complete the IN-OUT test. Panellists assess samples using the IN-OUT method and record whether each flavour compound is detected.

Step 3: Log results on the platform. Results are entered into FlavorActiV’s mobile-friendly proficiency software, accessible from any device worldwide.

Step 4: Review performance data. The platform benchmarks individual and group results, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement.

WHO SHOULD USE THIS PROGRAMME?

This programme is designed for any organisation working with neutral spirits — including vodka producers, gin distillers, industrial rectifiers, contract manufacturers, and blending houses — where consistent and verifiable sensory quality control is critical.

It is the logical next step after flavour recognition training. If your team can identify the relevant flavour compounds in isolation (available from the FlavorActiV online store), proficiency testing validates whether those skills hold up under blind, controlled conditions.

ORDER YOUR SINGLE-ROUND PACK TODAY

Ready to calibrate your spirit sensory panel? Add the Single Round to your cart or contact FlavorActiV to discuss the Annual Program and certification pathway.

FlavorActiV GMP Flavour Standards

Only Pharmaceutical Quality GMP Flavour Standards provide sufficient quality for professional sensory panels to train and validate with.

We produce encapsulated GMP (Pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice) Flavour Standards that are safe to both smell and drink. The compounds within our capsules impart the aroma, taste and mouthfeel of a specific defect or positive flavour into a beverage for the purposes of taster training, calibration and quality control.

Our individual flavour GMP Flavour Standards are sold by flavour, each flavour pack contains 5 capsules, each separately blister packaged. Our sensory kits contain a mixture of flavours, each separately blister packaged, read the product description for flavour details.

We ship globally, and have over 20 years of experience at it. Our GMP Pharmaceutical Flavour Standards are produced to the highest standards, and as such, their shelf-life is strong and their quality consistent.

FlavorActiV’s flavour centre is the world’s only pharmaceutically run facility dedicated to the production of flavour reference standards. The Flavour Centre is a state-of-the-art facility housed within the campus of world-renowned Quay Pharma near Liverpool in the U.K.

The Flavour Centre was designed by FlavorActiV from the ground up at the direct request of global customers as they looked to move away from inferior food grade ‘certified flavour standards’ to GMP Pharma, a standard that ensures safe, stable, traceable, consistent and long shelf-life products.

All FlavorActiV’s industry-leading encapsulated flavour standards are manufactured following GMP at our Flavour Centre. All aspects of manufacture are overseen by Quay Pharma who are audited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory agency (MHRA). We also welcome customer audits.

Only FlavorActiV GMP flavour standard capsules bear our mark of authenticity.

We brand each of our capsules so that our customers know they’re getting the Pharmaceutical GMP Quality that only FlavorActiV provide.

Industry leading packaging and shelf-life

FlavorActiV flavour standards are blister packaged, which extends shelf-life and protects capsules from potential contamination. The average shelf-life of FlavorActiV flavour standards is 18 months to 4 years, depending on the flavour compounds.

We will never ship in pots or plastic packaging, here’s why…

Blister packaging protects capsules from the environment until they are ready for use. Blister packaging greatly reduces the amount of headspace for possible flavour escape. As each capsule individually blister packaged, making use of one capsule still leaves all others protected. FlavorActiV Flavour Standard packaging is 100% recyclable, as opposed to polypropylene which is not widely recycled.

Pots are semi-porous, they allow molecules to pass through and flavour to be lost, their significant headspace also adds to substantial flavour escape as a gas, even when using just one capsule all those remaining in the pot are exposed.

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