Is it whiskey or whisky? The answer is both, sort of.
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If you like semantics like we like semantics, there’s a reason why whisky is spelled one way in some places and on some bottles and spelled whiskey in other places and on other bottles.
When there’s an “E” in your whiskey, you’ve got something from America or Ireland. When’s there’s no “E” in your whisky, you’ve got something from Scotland, Canada or Japan. So it’s all about location, location, location.
The spelling difference can be distilled down to convention, but if you there’s some reason you don’t know where a bottle of the good stuff is from you can at least narrow your options with ease.
Thanks to The Kitchn for the tip.
Observe.
America
Maturity applies to more than just whiskey. Please enjoy responsibly. pic.twitter.com/D9RfLBvTLr
— Jack Daniel's (@JackDaniels_US) February 20, 2017
Ireland
Every family should have a motto. #SineMetuhttps://t.co/FKV0gnqsjd https://t.co/J1SlKXBKUc pic.twitter.com/SsXSaYDTvc
— Jameson Ireland (@JamesonIreland) February 13, 2017
“Sine metu” means “without fear,” by the way.
Scotland
https://twitter.com/TaliskerWhisky/status/796399687775518720
Canada
https://twitter.com/CrownRoyal/status/619685307546386433
Japan
@SuntoryWhisky best dram ever pic.twitter.com/Rw5PbaLLZD
— Jason Varney (@jasonvarney17) April 16, 2016
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In honor of International Whisk(e)y Day, which is apparently today, let’s raise a glass to clarity.