To “E” or not to “E”

To “E” or not to “E” – A look at when to spell it whisky and when to spell it whiskey.

You have probably seen the word spelled “whisky” and also “whiskey”.  Which is correct, and what is the difference?

The answer is that both are correct, really.  It depends on which country you are in, and where the liquid comes from.

In Ireland and The United States, the more common spelling is whiskey.  In Scotland, Canada, and Japan, whisky is the more accepted form.  The easy way to remember it is, if there’s an E in the country, there’s an E in the whiskey.

In writing about whisky, the accepted form is to use the appropriate spelling for that country when discussing a specific product, and whichever version you like when speaking in general terms.  I’ve seen whisk(e)y, whiskEy, and whisky/whiskey, but I think those can be a bit cumbersome.

For this site, I will use the whisky spelling, unless I am specifically talking about a product from the U.S. or Ireland.

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