What Is the Difference Between Whisky and Whiskey?

Key Takeaways

• Whisky and whiskey are two spellings of the same word. Neither spelling indicates a production method, a style or a quality level.

• Scotch, Japanese and Canadian whisky are generally written without the e. Irish whiskey and most American whiskey keep it.

• EU Regulation 2019/787 names the category "whisky or whiskey" and accepts both. US federal rules use whisky as the standard spelling but allow whiskey.

• The Irish geographical indication allows both Irish Whiskey and Irish Whisky, although the spelling with an e is the customary one.

• Both spellings go back to the Gaelic for "water of life": uisce beatha in Irish, uisge beatha in Scottish Gaelic.

• Real differences in style come from grain, stills, the number of distillations, casks and maturation.

Tip: To judge a bottle, read the rest of the label. The category name, such as Single Malt Scotch Whisky or Pot Still Irish Whiskey, together with the age statement and cask details, says far more about style than whether the word has an e.

Who Uses Which Spelling

The split follows national custom. Scotland writes whisky, and so do producers in Japan and Canada. Ireland customarily writes whiskey, and most American producers do the same. Many distilleries in newer whisky countries also use the Scottish form, for example Kavalan in Taiwan and SLYRS in Bavaria.

The custom is strong, but it is not a rule of origin. A label that says whiskey does not prove that a bottle is Irish or American, and a label that says whisky does not rule it out.

What the Law Says

In the European Union, Regulation (EU) 2019/787 defines the category "whisky or whiskey" and allows either legal name. Among other requirements, the spirit must be distilled from a mash of malted cereals, with or without whole grains of unmalted cereals, at less than 94.8% ABV, matured for at least three years in wooden casks of no more than 700 litres, and bottled at no less than 40% ABV. The regulation does not require any particular type of still.

In the United Kingdom, the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 use only the spelling whisky. Scotch must be matured in Scotland for at least three years in oak casks of no more than 700 litres, and every bottle must carry one of five category names on the front: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, Blended Grain Scotch Whisky or Blended Scotch Whisky.

In the United States, federal rule 27 CFR 5.143 uses whisky as its standard spelling and states that the word may be spelled either whisky or whiskey. Bourbon, for example, must be made from a mash of at least 51% corn, distilled at no more than 160 proof and put into charred new oak barrels at no more than 125 proof. Like all whisky under these rules, it must be bottled at no less than 80 proof, which is 40% ABV.

Ireland and the United States

The Irish geographical indication is registered as Irish Whiskey/Uisce Beatha Eireannach/Irish Whisky. Its technical file states that both English spellings are allowed and that Irish Whiskey with an e is the customary term. In the United States, whiskey is the usual spelling among producers, but not the only one: Maker's Mark, for example, calls its bourbon Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky.

Where the Two Spellings Came From

Both spellings go back to the Gaelic name for the spirit, "water of life": uisce beatha in Irish and uisge beatha in Scottish Gaelic. The phrase is probably a translation of the medieval Latin aqua vitae. English adapted it over the centuries, through forms such as usquebaugh, until shorter forms such as whisky took hold.

The split between the two spellings is a 19th century development. According to the Irish Whiskey technical file, the large Dublin distilleries of that era introduced the spelling with an e to set their whiskey apart from Scotch and from whiskey made elsewhere in Ireland. Usage stayed mixed for a long time, however. A well known pamphlet against grain whisky, published by leading Irish distillers in the late 19th century, was titled Truths About Whisky, without the e, and some Irish brands kept the Scottish spelling well into the 20th century.

In the United States, whiskey became the usual spelling. A common theory links this to Irish immigration, but it remains a theory, and American usage has never been uniform.

What the Royal Commission Actually Decided

A popular story says a British Royal Commission fixed the spellings in 1908 or 1909. The record does not support it. The Royal Commission on Whiskey and Other Potable Spirits was appointed in February 1908 and published its final report in 1909. Its central questions included whether the word whiskey should be limited to pot still spirit and whether spirit from patent stills could use the name. It concluded that no restrictions should be placed on the stills used, and defined whiskey as a spirit obtained by distillation from a mash of cereal grains saccharified by the diastase of malt, with Scotch whiskey distilled in Scotland and Irish whiskey distilled in Ireland. The report writes Scotch whiskey with an e and assigns no spelling to any country.

Does the Spelling Reflect a Production Difference?

No. Under EU, UK and US rules, neither spelling stands for a production method, a style or a quality level. A peated Islay single malt and a Pot Still Irish Whiskey can taste very different, but the difference comes from how each is made, not from the letters on the label.

The idea that whiskey means a lighter spirit and whisky a heavier or more complex one has no basis in these rules. Light and full bodied styles exist under both spellings.

What Actually Shapes Flavour

Grain is the first factor. Single Malt Scotch Whisky is made only from malted barley, and bourbon must be made from at least 51% corn. Pot Still Irish Whiskey combines malted and unmalted barley, and its technical file credits the unmalted barley with a spicy flavour and a creamy texture.

The still and the number of distillations matter too. Single Malt Scotch Whisky must be distilled in pot stills, while grain whisky is usually made in column stills. Triple distillation is the traditional practice in Ireland but not a legal requirement, and Irish malt whiskey may be distilled two or three times, depending on the distillery. Most Scottish distilleries distil twice, although some, such as Auchentoshan in the Lowlands, triple distil.

Finally, the type of cask, the length of maturation and blending decisions all shape the finished spirit, whichever way the word is spelled.

Tip: Labelling rules can change. For the exact current wording, check the official texts: Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on EUR-Lex (eur-lex.europa.eu), the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 on legislation.gov.uk, and 27 CFR 5.143 on ecfr.gov.

FAQ

Can a Scotch whisky be labelled "whiskey"?

In practice, no. The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 require the category name, such as Single Malt Scotch Whisky or Blended Scotch Whisky, to appear on the front of every bottle, and all five category names are spelled without the e.

Do all Irish and American producers spell it "whiskey"?

No. The Irish geographical indication allows both Irish Whiskey and Irish Whisky, although the e is customary. US federal rules accept either spelling, and some American producers, such as Maker's Mark, use whisky.

Why does Japanese whisky use the Scottish spelling?

Japanese whisky was built on the Scottish model. Masataka Taketsuru arrived in Glasgow in 1918, studied organic chemistry at the University of Glasgow and served an apprenticeship at Hazelburn Distillery in Campbeltown. Back in Japan he oversaw the building of the Yamazaki Distillery near Osaka, and in 1934 he founded the company that became Nikka, with its first distillery at Yoichi on Hokkaido. Nikka and Suntory both write whisky in English.

Is one spelling more correct than the other?

No. Both are correct, and EU and US rules accept both. Where national rules name a style, follow them: the UK's Scotch category names use whisky, and Canada's Food and Drug Regulations refer to Canadian whisky. Otherwise, the best guide is the spelling a producer uses on its own label.