Whisky vs Whiskey: What's the Difference?
Both spellings describe the same broad category of grain spirit. Which one is correct depends entirely on where the bottle was made — and for anything from Islay, the answer is whisky.
The short answer
There is no difference in the liquid. The difference is regional spelling. Scotland, Canada and Japan write whisky, plural whiskies. Ireland and most of the United States write whiskey, plural whiskeys.
Because this site covers Islay — a Scotch whisky region — the correct term here is always whisky. An Islay single malt is never an “Islay whiskey”, however common that spelling is in search boxes.
Which countries use which spelling
| Country | Usual spelling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland | Whisky | Fixed in law. The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 use “Scotch Whisky” throughout, so every Islay bottling — Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore and the rest — is whisky. |
| Ireland | Whiskey | The standard Irish spelling, used in the Irish Whiskey Act 1980 and in the technical file that governs Irish Whiskey as a protected geographical indication. |
| United States | Whiskey (mostly) | US federal regulations use “whisky” as the primary form with “whiskey” accepted, while most American producers label whiskey. Maker's Mark, George Dickel and Old Forester are well-known exceptions that print whisky. |
| Canada | Whisky | Canadian regulations refer to Canadian Whisky, and the major distillers follow the Scottish spelling. |
| Japan | Whisky | Japanese distilling was modelled directly on Scottish practice in the 1920s, and the spelling came with it. |
Where the two spellings came from
Both words descend from the Gaelic uisge beatha in Scotland and uisce beatha in Ireland, each meaning “water of life”, anglicised over time to usquebaugh and then to whisky or whiskey. The split into two settled spellings is a nineteenth-century habit rather than a rule handed down from anywhere: Irish distillers are generally credited with standardising on the “e” to distinguish their product from Scottish grain whisky, and Irish emigrants carried that spelling into the American industry.
It never became universal. Several long-established American distilleries still label whisky, and US federal labelling standards themselves are written with the Scottish spelling.
What this means for Islay
Everything distilled on Islay is Scotch whisky, made under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009: distilled and matured in Scotland, aged at least three years in oak casks, and bottled at no less than 40% ABV. “Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky” is a protected description, and the spelling is part of it.
If you searched for “Islay whiskey” and landed here, nothing is wrong — search engines treat the two spellings as the same subject. It is simply worth knowing that no Islay label will ever carry the “e”.
A note on this site's name
IslayWhiskys.com is the web address of this guide. The plural used in editorial writing across the site is the standard Scottish whiskies.
Related reading
Whisky Deals & Distillery Specials