The American spelling of whisky went through a similar evolution. Whiskey – with the E – is usually used by Irish and American whiskey producers. Interestingly, the Commission spelled whiskey in the title of their report with an e but the official report that the British government submitted to parliament spelled whisky without an e. Over the course of the late 19th century, many of the big Irish distillers began to spell whiskey with an e in order to differentiate their whiskey from its Scottish competitors. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Making things even more complicated, some of the smaller distillers had never abandoned spelling whiskey with an e. A bottle of Paddy Irish Whisky with historic packaging. This is why we see the inclusion of the letter E in some of the names of our favorite Irish and Bourbon Whiskeys. Legally you cannot call something Scotch whiskey, only Scotch whisky. The events were complimentary however, in light of the current crises, we suggested attendees, if able, to consider making a $10 donation to Project Home when registering. I have been writing and speaking about wines and spirits for 20 years. Delicious! A number of single malts can be aged for 20 or 30 years. But they don’t have to be: U.S. regulations stipulate that malt whiskey is only required to have a minimum of 51% malted barley in the mashbill. Bourbon, the most recognized type of American whiskey, can be produced only in the United States, but—contrary to popular belief—does not have to be produced in Kentucky, though most of it is. Whiskey Whiskey. Your email address will not be published. The word itself (both spellings) is of Celtic origin, and modern whisky/whiskey distillation practices originated in Ireland and Scotland. A popular explanation is: “All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon.” In other words, bourbon is a specific type of whiskey—American, to be exact. Dublin had six distillers, four of which, John Jameson, William Jameson, John Power and George Roe, dominated the trade. Derry’s Watts Distillery, where the Tyrconnell brand of whiskey was produced, had a capacity of 2 million gallons. The reality, however, is far more complex. A 19th century advertisement for Cork Distilleries. In 1909, a paper titled The Royal Commission on Whisky and Other Potable Spirits was published in the British Medical Journal. Overall, the rules regarding what makes Canadian whisky and what makes American whiskey couldn’t be further apart. George Dickel, Makers Mark and Old Forester all follow the Scottish spelling. It was not until after the repeal of the Volstead Act, which formally ended the American experiment with prohibition, that Scotch whisky surpassed Irish whiskey sales. American whiskey is whiskey (a distilled beverage produced from a fermented mash of cereal grain) produced in the United States.The primary types of American whiskey are bourbon whiskey, rye whiskey, rye malt whiskey, malt whiskey, wheat whiskey, Tennessee whiskey, and corn whiskey.All of these are made from mashes with at least 51% of their named grains. An eclectic combination to be sure, then again, the state of the world would drive anyone to drink. Note that the British and Canadian spelling is without the e, so that properly one would write of Scotch whisky and Canadian whisky, but Kentucky bourbon whiskey and Irish whiskey. Blending grain whisky and single malts allowed Scotch whisky blenders to create a style of whisky that was very similar to Irish whiskeys but cheaper to produce. Think You Can Tell American Spellings From British Spellings? For many years the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) used the historic spelling of whisky, although it now uses the American spelling in public communications. The Scotch Whisky Act of 1988 requires all Scotch whisky be aged in oak barrels for a minimum of three years. Dublin, Belfast, Derry and Cork were the centers of Irish whiskey production. The spelling of whisky is an interesting historical footnote in the evolution of the world’s whisky industry. Many existing US laws, however, still preserve the historic, i.e., 19th century spelling of whisky. Whisky Whisky. As a result, Canadian whisky, for example, is a whole different animal from Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, and American-style whiskeys such as Tennessee, bourbon, and straight rye. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. In addition to having the same basic formula—grain slowly fermented in barrels—whiskey and scotch are both distilled between 40 and 90% alcohol by volume. Single Malt Scotch Whisky . In the late 1800’s It is also said that the Irish producers wanted to differentiate their product from the Scottish whisky, as they thought the Scottish produce was inferior and of poor quality. If the liquor originated in Scotland, Canada, or Japan, use whisky. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Required fields are marked *. Using the incorrect form of the word whiskey is a mistake that will largely pass unnoticed unless you count liquor aficionados among your readers. There are any number of theories to explain the alternative spelling of whiskies, from differing translations of uisge beatha, the original name for whisky, between Irish and Scotch Gaelic to myopic typesetters or personal taste. A 19th century sign for Dunville's Whisky. The act allowed whisky blenders, for the first time, to create blends consisting of grain whisky and single malts. The real whisky vs whiskey difference thus is geographical in nature. So, both ‘whiskey’ and ‘whisky’ prevailed. Early 18th century abbreviation of obsolete whiskybae, variant of … Getty Images. In response, the big four Irish distillers banded together to produce a book in 1879, denouncing the use of grain whisky in blends; arguing that such blends “cannot be whisky, and it ought not to be sold under that name.” Significantly, the book, titled Truths About Whisky, spelled whisky without an e. The issue was eventually settled by the 1908 Royal Commission on Whiskey and other Potable Spirits. The manufacture of each of these types of whisky/ey is guided and regulated by the government of the spirit’s country of origin. White Dog is the American term used for unaged whiskey, also known as ‘moonshine’ or ‘white whiskey’. Today Dunville's Whiskey is produced by the Echlinville distillery in Northern Ireland. According to Alfred Barnard, the late 19th century chronicler of the whisky industry in Great Britain, there were only a handful of Scotch whisky distilleries whose capacity exceeded 100,000 gallons. Whether spelled with an e or without, it remains one of the world’s favorite drinks. Despite the difference in spelling and method of production, Scotch Whisky and Irish Whiskey do share a few similarities. Most of the rest of the world has followed suit. At the time, Ireland was the center of the world’s whisky production. Mainly, the purpose of this was to unify the definition of whisky. Nikka Coffey Malt. Although the legal spelling is whisky, whiskey is generally preferred. Is it whiskey or whisky? Input your search keywords and press Enter. That’s probably the most important application of the humble letter “e” ever. If the liquor originated in the United States or Ireland, use whiskey. Origin. Where the original variation in spelling came from is still a matter of debate. ... a 140 proof spirit called "plain British spirit" is pumped into oak casks and is aged for at least three years. Scotch whisky vs. American whiskey in the 21st century. The significance of the letter “e” when it comes to Whisky/Whiskey. Irish distillers were producing around 70% of the world’s whisky. Bottled directly after distillation, usually with water added to reduce it to drinking strength, these show off the character of a distillery’s spirit in its most natural form. Whisky – without the E – is usually used to identify Scotch Whiskies. This is also why Whiskey/Whisky is a very popular spirit all over the world, especially here in India. Whiskey and whisky are the same basic liquid — they both refer to the delicious alcohol made from fermented grain mash, and aged in oak barrels for … Where It’s From. The Scots also proved to be brilliant marketers and packagers and made steady inroads into Irish whiskey’s global market share. Scotland has more than 100 distilleries and some of them have similar flavor profiles to the distilleries in Ireland. American Whiskey vs. Scotch vs. Irish Whiskey vs. Canadian Whiskey ... My favourite is the Laphroaig 10 yo single islay malt scotch whisky. American whiskey, for the most part, has to … Bourbon is an American spirit as 95 percent of the world’s supply is from the United States, specifically from Kentucky. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. They also spelled whisky without the ‘e.’ Whisky – without the E – is usually used to identify Scotch Whiskies. In fact, oak wood has an impact on about 70 percent of the end flavor of the liquid. The rest of the time I cover international politics. This distinction is also made in the New World: Americans spell it with 'e' and Canadians spell it without. Sherry casks bring fruit and spicy notes to the liquid while Bourbon casks impart a sweeter flavour to it. The Irish spell whiskey with an e between the k and the y while their Scottish counterparts leave out the e. The distinction, in addition to being the bane of proof readers, also offers some important insights into the evolution and history of whisky. Whiskey – with the E – is usually used by Irish and American whiskey producers. Irish whiskey was the most popular in the world, even out selling its Scottish rivals in England and Scotland. Besides, some distilleries in both the countries also often use sherry or ex-bourbon casks. Some distilleries do like to use the ‘Scottish’ version – see Maker’s Mark. They also had the largest inventory of aging whiskey in Great Britain. Well, that depends on the country of origin. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. For instance, only Scotch is from Scotland, Irish whiskey is from the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland, and Tennessee whiskey is usually made in Tennessee. Along the way I became a winemaker, Oregon Pinot Noir; a judge for various international, I have been writing and speaking about wines and spirits for 20 years. ... American blended whiskey is a careful selection of straight whiskeys and grain spirits combined to … It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. The use of similar casks is sure to give similar flavors to two separate malts. Millennials getting into whiskey, paired with the booming cocktail scene in the U.S., and whiskey… It’s clear that the Scottish and Irish pioneered the Whisky Movement during its initial stages, which then trickled down to other countries and the influence of Scottish or Irish can still be seen today with the spelling. The distilleries in both Ireland and Scotland use oak casks while preparing whiskey and whisky. These cookies do not store any personal information. Many Irish distillers, especially the smaller regional producers, continued with the conventional spelling. Since Irish whiskey was more popular, was considered by many to be of a higher quality than Scotch whisky and sold at a roughly 25% premium, many American distillers, tried to associate their products with Irish whiskey and adopted the Irish spelling. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Until the late 19th century, most of the world spelled whisky without an e. Even the major Irish distillers, then the biggest in the world, followed the practice, as did American distillers. Back in the day, there were two prominent Whisky Producing regions which were Scotland and Ireland. As spelling mistakes go, you can do a lot worse than mixing up whisky and whiskey.Spelling mistakes can be embarrassing and funny, and there are always those that can get you into trouble. It’s a simple way of denoting the country of origin of the whisky/whiskey just by the name and spelling. Lowland - only three distilleries remain in operations which are Auchentosh… At the time, the largest Scotch whisky producer, The Glenlivet Distillery, had a capacity of around 200,000 gallons. In Scotland, malt whisky is always made using 100% malted barley. They differ in base product, alcoholic content, and quality.Many countries like America, Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Sweden, and Wales produce their own whiskies.Scotch is produced from any of the following regions of Scotland: 1. Cork’s West Cork Distillers, which owned the North Mall and the Midleton distilleries, the latter the predecessor to Irish Distillers Ltd New Midleton Distillery where Jameson whiskey is produced today, had a capacity of 1.5 million gallons. Royal Irish Distillers in Belfast had a capacity of 2.5 million gallons of whiskey a year. The four distillers had a combined capacity of around 5 million gallons of whiskey a year. I write about wines and spirits and the hidden corners of the world, EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, Michigan Economic Development Corporation With Forbes Insights, New York Eateries October 2019: Where To Go -- And Not, New York Eateries September 2019: Where To Go -- And Not, New York Eateries June 2019: Where To Go -- And Not, New York Eateries March 2019: Where To Go -- And Not, New York Eateries February 2019: Where To Go -- And Not, The Forbes 2018 All-Star Eateries in New York, New York Eateries November 2018: Where To Go -- And Not, Wines Of The Week: Embracing The Unexpected In California and Pennsylvania, New York Eateries October 2018: Where to Go -- And Not. This probably arose due to the translation of the word for Whisky from the Scottish and Irish Gaelic forms ‘uisge beatha’, or ‘usquebaugh’ which then become short as usque and eventually evolved into Whisky/Whiskey. The commission issued a report the following year where it concluded that blended whisky could still be called whisky. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. HERE are some more interesting facts about Whisky/Whiskey. During the 19th century, most American distillers spelled whisky without an e. In the late 19th century and the early part of the 20th century, Irish whiskey was second only to Canadian whisky as the best-selling whiskey in the US. I also write about the dusty, forgotten places of the world, the ones that reek of history and whose stories still resonate in the 21st century. Mention this bottle to a casual drinker and they might think you are talking about … In the U.S. many malt whiskeys (especially those labeled “single malt”) are made with 100% malted barley as well. This is a list of whisky brands arranged by country of origin and style.Whisky (or whiskey) is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash.Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn.Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, made generally of charred white oak The locality of the whiskey distillery also helps to define it. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. The rest of the world is free to pick and choose either spelling, with the US predominantly, but not exclusively, choosing whiskey while the rest of the world usually opts for whisky, reflecting the greater current popularity of Scotch whisky vs our celtic cousins. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. So, now let us delve deep into Irish whiskey vs Scottish Whisky. The practice of spelling whiskey with an e stuck, even after Irish whiskey sales declined. The difference between the two which is clearly denoted by the addition of the letter E is something which began years and years ago and still continues to date. In Scotland, they make Scotch “whisky” (plural “whiskies”), but in Ireland they make Irish “whiskey” (plural “whiskeys”). And, learn why the alphabet E is so important. Because Scotch ages in a cool, wet environment, more moisture makes it less alcoholic. Whisky produced in India is sans the E in the name as we gained the influence of the British. Whiskey vs. whisky The difference between whiskey and whisky is simple but important: whisky usually denotes Scotch whisky and Scotch-inspired liquors, and whiskey denotes the Irish and American liquors. ... 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