So why are there two spellings of "Whisky" - one with the "e" and one without?
Well, trying to decipher why distillers use of one spelling or the other is similar to walking into a field of land mines - just ask Eric Asimov of the New York Times.
When I first started my quest for a nightcap, I was told whiskey (sp) spelled with an "e" is a lower quality liquor, and I should avoid it. Don't recall who said that, and I do not believe he was Scottish, but since that time I consider myself a whisky drinker, not a whiskey (sp) drinker.
There are different theories about why the spelling changed. My colleague believes that when American distillers began making whiskey (sp) they wanted to show proper respect and defer to the Scottish masters by using a different spelling. If you check Wikipedia, you get a different story. According to the wiki, in the late 1900s Scotch distilleries "flooded the market with cheaper spirits" and the American and Irish distilleries adopted the spelling "whiskey" (sp) with the "e" to distinguish their higher quality products.
The legal spelling in the US is "whisky" but they do allow exceptions for "whiskey" (sp) which most US whiskey (sp) producers use. There are a few exceptions, and I'm happy to see Maker's Mark using the traditional (correct) spelling, as they have a fun marketing department (I have apparently adopted one of their casks) and are paying tribute to their Scottish ancestry.
The best answer, however, is probably this one, from Yahoo Answers:
Whisky made in countries without an E in the name (Canada, Scotland, Japan) doesn't have an E in it. Whiskey made in countries with an E in the name (United States, Ireland) does.
What does the Scotch Examiner think? Scotch Whisky does not have an "e" in it. That is what I drink so that must be the correct spelling. It is, at the very least, the original spelling.
Comments
The spelling of whisky does not have anything to do with quality. it is what you enjoy
You will find that the use of whiskey (with the E) is in countries that have a high Irish immigrant influence, A lot of Irish went to the USA to get away from the British.
Whisky is used where there is a high proportion of Scots and where the Scottish regiments went, So you have Canada India New Zealand.
Masataka Takesuru is regarded as the founder of Japanese whisky. Born 1895 into a Sake-brewing family. He left Japan for Scotland in 1918 to study chemistry and whisky making at Glasgow University so whisky became the established spelling.
In the USA George Dickel is stated as choosing the whisky spelling as he wanted his distillation to be compared with the finest Scotch and I think that is why Makers Mark is a whisky.
Martin Long at www.whiskymerchants.co.uk
Oh my god, do not give even a moments credit to Yahoo Answers. Finding a correct answer there is at best a lucky one in a million happening. That answer is not even entirely correct since other countries that make whisky break the rule given.
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