Whisky vs Whiskey

Have you ever noticed that whisk(e)y is spelled one of two ways: Whisky, or whiskEy. That “e” has left many confused and created much debate over the years.

Ireland and the United States of America (USA) use the “e”: Whiskey, while pretty much the rest of the world has no “e”: Whisky.

But why the difference?

With the initial difference being between the Irish and Scottish spellings, it is said that difference in spellings came from the differences in the Gaelic dialect spoken between the two countries, and then just became entrenched over time. Other whisk(e)y producing countries then adopted the spelling from where they adopted their style of whisky production. For instance, Japan was heavily influenced by Scottish techniques, hence them adopting the use of whisky, while in America, both styles were adopted by the influx of Irish immigrants saw the overwhelming use of whiskey becoming the favoured spelling.

In Australia, we generally use whisky, however in recent years there are some distilleries using whiskey as they believe it best reflects their production style and ethos.

While one may think that whisky and whiskey taste differently, the fact is that whisk(e)ys from around the world will taste different from each other due to the differences in barley, water, yeast, climate and general terroir. So while you may get an idea of what each whisk(e)y will taste like, be rest assured that they will encompass their origin’s intriciicies.

So go ahead and drink either a whisky or whiskey, just as long as you enjoy it!!