The Difference Between Whisky and Whiskey

 
The spelling of this well-loved spirit has been debated over the course of history between different countries.

In short, the spelling Whisky is associated with Scottish distillers and the Irish added the ‘e’ to make it Whiskey.

‘Whisky’ is usually used for whiskies that are distilled in Scotland, Canada, Australia, Japan and most of Europe.

The spelling ‘Whiskey’ is used for those distilled in Ireland and America.

The history behind these spelling variances dates back to when the names were translated from Scottish and Irish Gaelic.
The Irish immigrants took their translation over to America in the 1700’s which is how America became to spell it the Irish way with the extra ‘e’. 
 

There are also several differences between the process in which Whisky and Whiskey are made which sets them apart…
 

- Scottish and American whiskies are usually distilled twice, whereas Irish whiskies are distilled three times creating a smoother and lighter whiskey.

- In Ireland and America they generally use short, fat and rounded stills, whereas in Scotland, distillers use a range of different shape and sized stills which is what creates such a vast range of flavours produced.

-In Scotland, distilleries generally use peat to dry the malted barley which is what gives it a smoky taste, whereas in Ireland and America the majority of distilleries use wood to dry the malted barley which gives creates a less smoky and a lighter whiskey.

- Scottish whisky is almost always used with malted barley as the main grain, whereas in Ireland and America they use other grains and more often mix them.
This is mostly due to what they have available, for example American soil differs quite a bit from Scottish soil and so they traditionally had to use whatever grains they had available to them at the time. This is still the case today and so means that American whiskey differs quite a bit in taste to Scottish and Irish whiskies.

Written by - Hayley Hooker - 27/01/2020