4 min · Beginner

Whisky or whiskey?

By the end you'll know why the spelling changes with geography — and what the word on the label quietly tells you.

Slide 1 of 21/2

The e is a passport

Scotland, Japan, Canada and most of the world write 'whisky'. Ireland and the United States write 'whiskey'. A rough memory aid: countries with an e in their name (Ireland, United States) tend to keep the e in whiskey.

There are proud exceptions — Maker's Mark and George Dickel in the US both drop the e, tipping their hats to Scotland.

On the map

The places this lesson covers, in the Atlas.