{"id":2634757,"date":"2023-12-12T11:47:36","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T11:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/?page_id=2634757"},"modified":"2024-11-04T10:22:52","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T10:22:52","slug":"whisky-vs-whiskey-whats-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/en-ie\/whiskey-guide\/whisky-vs-whiskey-whats-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Whisky vs Whiskey \u2013 What\u2019s the Difference?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Whisky vs Whiskey \u2013 What\u2019s the Difference? <\/h1>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t
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We hear it all the time, \u201cis that a misprint?\u201d, but no: whiskey and whisky <\/span>are<\/span><\/i> actually both correct. Whiskey and whisky are two ways of spelling the same word, and whether you see that \u2018e\u2019 or not defines the whiskey\u2019s origin.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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For the purpose of this explanation, when we\u2019re referring to the good stuff we\u2019ll use the spelling \u2018whiskey\u2019 as (hint hint) that\u2019s the one we use in Ireland. Get ready to learn more about this <\/span>fun fact about whiskey<\/span><\/a> to add to your collection to give you all the information you need to <\/span>drink whiskey like a pro<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Whisky vs Whiskey Around the World <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n \n
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Every corner of the globe you go to, there could be a different variation of how they spell whiskey, but the story can be traced back to the biggest producers and exporters of whiskey from the early days, Ireland and Scotland. The spelling of \u2018whiskey\u2019 in Ireland is rooted in Irish history (you can read more about that if you <\/span>scroll through our history here<\/span><\/a>).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a few stories surrounding the difference in spelling between whiskey and whisky, one of them being something we know you don\u2019t want to learn about, but trust us, it is interesting\u2026 tax. We know, bear with us. Between 1785 and 1825, the distiller paid duty on malt as well as on spirit, so naturally it was desirable to use less malt. Our founder, John Jameson, was keen to get one over on the taxman and began experimenting with mash bills of malted and unmalted barley. The public soon came to prefer this type of whiskey, so much that imported malt Scotch whisky was difficult to sell in Dublin, and any Dublin distiller making malt whiskey had trouble selling it.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Another side of the story goes that back when exporting whiskey was a very lucrative trade, the Irish whiskey merchants and distilleries wanted to make sure their whiskey was differentiated from Scotland\u2019s production. The Irish (and many others, might we add) stated that Irish whiskey was of a higher quality, so to ensure people turned to their offering they made sure the \u2018e\u2019 was included in their spelling of \u2018whiskey\u2019.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now it has to be said that as both countries native languages stem from Celtic languages, so the term whiskey emerging from the \u201cuisce beatha\u201d in gaelige, meaning \u201cwater of life\u201d means that there can be some linguistic and cultural reasons behind the different spellings, but as the years went on and the Irish ensured that every whiskey carried the \u2018e\u2019, the Scottish wrote their spelling (whisky) into law.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now you can find whiskey and whisky across the globe, but you can generally trace back the origins of their whiskey production to either Ireland or Scotland by looking at the spelling. It\u2019s not just the spelling that are different, the processes used by each country vary too. Typically Irish whiskey is made from a mix of malted and unmalted barely, while the primary grain used in Scottish whisky can vary by region. Single Malt scotch is made exclusively from malted barley, while blended scotch whiskey can include other grains like corn and wheat. Plus, Irish whiskey is generally triple distilled (the way John Jameson invented and intended) while Scottish whisky is generally distilled twice, although there are exceptions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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On that note, there are four types of Irish whiskey that fall under this category: Blended Irish Whiskey, Single Malt Irish Whiskey, Single Grain Irish Whiskey and Single Pot Still Irish whiskey.. but that\u2019s a conversation for a different day, or <\/span>at least a different article<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Whisky vs Whiskey FAQs <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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\n \n Which is correct, \u2018whisky\u2019 or \u2018whiskey\u2019? <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/summary>\n
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So <\/span>we\u2019re<\/span> going to be biased here for a second and say that our <\/span><\/span>correct <\/span><\/span>version will always be \u2018whiskey<\/span>\u2019,<\/span> but if <\/span>you\u2019re<\/span> speaking to someone from Scotland, they might disagree. <\/span>Across the world <\/span>you\u2019ll<\/span> see variations of \u2018whiskey\u2019 and \u2018whisky<\/span>\u2019,<\/span> and it will all come back to the interesting stories which you can take a deeper <\/span>read through<\/span> by <\/span><\/span>scrolling through our history<\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/section>\n <\/details>\n

\n \n Why is whiskey spelled two different ways?<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/summary>\n
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It all goes back to <\/span>the intricacies between Irish whiskey and Scottish whisky. While some stories recount the tale of Irish Whiskey being of superior quality, the John Jameson story is centred around <\/span>a very <\/span><\/span>fun<\/span><\/span> topic, tax. <\/span>Between 1785 and 1825, the distiller paid duty on malt as well as on spirit, so naturally it was desirable to use less malt. John<\/span> Jameson <\/span>began experimenting with mash bills of malted and <\/span>unmalted<\/span> barley<\/span> which the<\/span> public soon came to prefer this type of whiskey<\/a>, so much that imported malt Scotch whisky was difficult to sell in Dublin<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/section>\n <\/details>\n

\n \n How do the Irish spell whiskey? <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/summary>\n
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Exactly as we have it there, whiskey with an \u2018e\u2019. If you\u2019re still wondering why, head back up to the top of this article to learn a <\/span>fun fact about whiskey<\/span><\/a> and why Irish whiskey includes the \u2018e\u2019 and why Scottish whisky does not.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>So there you have it, now you\u2019re ready to bounce around whiskey knowledge with the best of them, and when you see a bottle of \u2018whisky\u2019 on the shelf, you can tell your mate \u201chey, do you know why there\u2019s no \u2018e\u2019 there?\u201d. You\u2019re welcome!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/section>\n <\/details>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":0,"parent":485849,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Whisky vs Whiskey \u2013 What\u2019s the Difference?","_seopress_titles_desc":"Dive into the world of Whiskey vs. Whisky: Explore the spellings, the distinctions, & their intriguing origins. Embark on a journey of discovery!","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"our-world-category":[],"class_list":["post-2634757","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2634757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2634757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2634757\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/485849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2634757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2634757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2634757"},{"taxonomy":"our-world-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesonwhiskey.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/our-world-category?post=2634757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}