Hey! How did this "E" get in my whiskey?

 

Whiskey vs Whisky Have you ever noticed that some whiskey is spelled with an "E" and some leave it out? Whiskey vs Whisky, what's the difference and what's the correct spelling? Well truth is there isn't a right or wrong way, and either is acceptable to a degree. Let's take a short trip back in history, I promise this won't take long, and there's no test at the end. 

Distillation has been a process used for centuries, dating back to about 1200 BC, and was first used to distill safe drinking water as well as perfumes and oils for religious purposes. Because water was often distilled for medical and health reasons in Latin it was known as Aqua Vitae (water life) as distillation became more well-known it spread to Ireland and Scotland it was eventually used in the distillation of grains like barley and became the old Gaelic words "Uisge Beatha" or "Usquebaugh" which translates into "the water of life" and has been used to describe a fermented mash made primarily from cereal grains and aged in wooden vessels since in the middle ages. Over time this was simply shortened to just Uisge, and later further Anglicized and mispronounced as whisky. Although history has lost who was the first to officially call their product "whisky" most historians agree that it was likely to make it easier to pronounce and sell to the English. 

So where did that extra "E" come from? Well sometime in the 1800's The Irish being longtime rivals of the Scotts especially in regards to Whisk(e)y decided they needed to differentiate their Whiskey from Scotch Whisky so the added "E" was born. As the Irish immigrated to the US, they brought their E with them. Which is why today American spell its Whiskey with an "E." 

As a general rule you know how to spell Whisk(e)y by the country that it comes from. Countries with without an "E" in their name like Scotland, Japan, and Canada all spell whisky without the "E", and countries like the United States, Ireland, England, and Mexico all have a "E" in their name and spell their Whiskey with it. As with most things there are exceptions to every rule. The most notable one being Makers Mark Whisky they have always set themselves apart by dropping the "E". This is likely due to the founders Scottish heritage or it could just because he wanted to confuse people like me. 

A Bourbon and American Whiskey drinking friend said when asked why whiskey in America has a "E" in it replied; "Well Duh, the E makes it taste better”. I’m not about to argue with her logic. So whether you prefer your whisk(e)y with or without the “E”, now you might know how it got there. 

 Cheers!

Dan