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“Whiskey” or “Whisky”?

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By Chris Morris • Photos by Matt Johnson 


Language, how it is presented in writing or how it is spoken, is an interesting subject. Why do some people pronounce the same word differently? Take the place name “Versailles” for example. In Woodford County, Kentucky, the home of the Woodford Reserve Distillery, we locals pronounce it “Ver – sales.” It makes sense to me. It has two “L’s” in it. Outside of Paris, the one in France and not Bourbon County, Kentucky, the locals pronounce it “Ver – sigh.” Why? I have no idea; I am not a linguist. There are many examples of words and names like this. The whole how to pronounce “Louisville” question has become a marketing campaign with phonetically spelled options found on bumper stickers, posters and more. These are just two examples of a word being pronounced in a radically different way based on where the speaker is from. But what about a word that is pronounced the same by all but is spelled two different ways? 


This leads me to a question that I am often asked, “What is what the correct way is to spell Whisk(e)y? Why do some countries and the brands from them spell it with an “e” and others without? Now that is a good question. This leads me to another, often unasked question… what is the origin of the word Whisk(e)y? What is its meaning? “Whisk(e)y” is the anglicized pronunciation of “Uisge.” While the exact production origins of Whisk(e)y will probably never be known, it is generally accepted that the Irish Celts were the first to craft what would now be recognized as a new make (unaged) Whisk(e)y-type spirit. As we discussed previously, Whisk(e)y is the only spirit type that must be crafted from grain. So, the role Whisk(e)y played in the life of the everyday Irish farmer was so important that in Celtic, the unaged distillate was called “uisge beatha”— the water of life. Therefore, the modern term Whisk(e)y is a derivation of water – or originally “Uisge.” 


Why water? New unaged Whisk(e)y is clear – it looks like water. Our ancestors were quite literal. 



There is no rule governing the spelling of Whisk(e)y. This of course results in there being a number of explanations for the use of or non-use of the letter “e” in it. Ultimately its spelling distills (pun intended) down to how the two original Whisk(e)y making cultures, the Scots and the Irish, pronounce the same word. 


In my research I learned that Scottish and Irish differ in speech from each other in terms of grammar and some intonations even though both belong to the same Gaelic language. 

Irish accents are very lively, and it seems that the speaker is happy, carefree or thoughtful. This results in an extended or drawn-out pronunciation of many words. So, in this regard the Irish spell Whisk(e)y with an “e” to extend the last syllable of the word. 


Scottish accents on the other hand are somewhat aggressive when compared to the Irish. The Scots speak in a brusque manner with clipped syllables. Therefore, the Scots spell Whisk(e)y without an “e” to make the pronunciation more abrupt. So how do the other Whisk(e)y producing countries like Canada, Taiwan, Sweden, Japan and many more spell it? Most spell it like the Scots – the big exception is the USA. Of course, we use both spellings!


Historically American distillers selected the spelling that reflected their ancestry, at least that is what some historians say. Accordingly, George Garvin Brown, the founder of Brown-Forman and creator of Old Forester, spelled Whisk(e)y without the “e” because he was of Scottish ancestry. The builders of the historic stone distillery that is now the home of Woodford Reserve were Irish so that distillery historically spelled Whisk(e)y with an “e” in the Irish style and that tradition continues to this day. So, depending on the brand Brown-Forman uses both spellings of Whisk(e)y in its Kentucky Bourbon portfolio! Isn’t it good to know that when it comes to Kentucky Bourbon Whisk(e)y you will never fail a spelling test, at least on that one word, Whisk(e)y.

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