What's up with the E in Whisky?

Why is Whisky sometimes spelled Whiskey with an "E"? This is a question I asked myself when I first became curious about Whisky. So in this post, I will try to share what I have learned so far after reading up on this magical liquid.

According to Master of Malt (see source here), the difference in spelling originated from the desire of 19th century Irish distillers to differentiate their Whiskey from that produced in Scotland which was deemed a poor quality Whisky. Ireland, having been distilling Whisky way before Scotland, wanted to set itself apart from people they considered copycats. This differentiation was then carried over into the countries that Scotland and Ireland influenced and that is where the difference in spelling started. The argument goes that if the country learned or traces their distilling heritage to Scotland then they will use Whisky but if they trace their heritage to Ireland they will use Whiskey. 

So let us look at the major Whisky producing countries and how they spell Whiskey.

The United State of America is a big producer of Whiskey in the world and it adopted the Irish spelling due mainly to the fact that Whiskey distilling in the USA was introduced by Irish missionaries. With this skills transfer also came the adoption of the Irish spelling for Whiskey. American Whiskey may have started off as an Irish varietal but over time, Whiskey in America evolved to become its own unique product called Bourbon but it kept the Irish spelling for Whiskey.  Keep in mind though that not all American distilleries today adopt the Irish spelling (see Maker's Mark, Rittenhouse, George Dickel) mainly due to some brands having a Scottish heritage instead of Irish heritage. 

Japan is a growing source of some of the world's most coveted Whisky and they adopt the Scottish spelling. If we look at the history of Whisky production in Japan we will see a strong Scottish influence. In fact one of the pillars of Japanese Whisky learned the art of distillation in Scotland. When Shinjiro Torii decided to build the Yamazaki distillery, he hired a guy named Masataka Taketsuru who learned how to distill in Scotland. They later parted ways when Taketsuru started his own distillery - Yoichi. These two distilleries had produced some of the worlds most collectible and expensive Whiskies. Master distillers in Japan are also not shy to say that they are influenced heavily by Scotch and in fact they still buy most of their barley from Scotland.

Canada also has a growing Whisky scene and it uses the Scottish spelling. Why? Because the first Europeans to settle in Canada were Scottish. As the early Scottish settlers tried to establish a new life in a strange land, one of the best ways to drown out their homesickness was by drinking their Whisky. Since they could only bring so much into their new home, they had to start distilling their own stuff in Canada. This distilling culture and art was then adopted and re-invented into what we now consider Canadian Whisky. It is very different from Scotch Whisky but the spelling stuck.

In summary, the difference in the spelling started as a dick move by Ireland in trying to differentiate its Irish Whiskey from Scotch Whisky. This difference in spelling was then carried over to countries each distilling culture influenced through out history. Although the countries they influenced ended up making their own unique Whiskies the influence in the spelling remains.