Whisky or whiskey? Both spellings are correct. The difference comes down to where the spirit is made, and once you know the rule, you'll never second-guess a label again. Here's the short guide to the spelling, plus how bourbon, Scotch, rye, Canadian, blended and single malt whisky differ.
Whisky or whiskey: the spelling
Canada, Scotland and Japan spell it whisky. Ireland and the United States usually spell it whiskey.
An easy way to remember: if the country has an "e" in its name, so does its whiskey. Ireland and the United States take the e. Canada and Scotland don't.
The plurals follow suit: whiskies for whisky and whiskeys for whiskey. We're a Canadian distillery, so we use whisky throughout.
Bourbon
All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. Bourbon has some of the strictest rules in the business:
- Made in the United States (not only Kentucky, although most of it is)
- At least 51% corn in the grain mix
- Aged in new, charred oak barrels
- Nothing added but water
There's no minimum age for bourbon, but "straight bourbon" must be aged at least two years. Because bourbon barrels can only be used once, they often go on to age Scotch, Canadian whisky and other spirits around the world.
Scotch
Scotch is defined by place. It must be made and aged in Scotland, in oak casks, for at least three years. Single malt Scotch is made from 100% malted barley at a single distillery.
Rye whisky
Here's where it gets interesting. In the United States, rye whiskey must be made from at least 51% rye. In Canada, "rye" is a traditional name for Canadian whisky, so a Canadian whisky can be called rye even if it contains very little rye grain.
Canadian whisky
Canadian whisky must be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada for at least three years in small wood barrels, and bottled at 40% alcohol or higher. Beyond that, distillers have room to work. Canadian whisky can be made from corn, rye, wheat, barley or a mix, which is why the category ranges from light and smooth to rich and bold.
Blended whisky
A blended whisky combines whiskies from different grains, casks or distilleries. There's no single recipe. That's where the blender's skill comes in, balancing each component into something greater than its parts. Many of the world's best-known whiskies are blends.
Single malt whisky
"Single" means one distillery, not one barrel. "Malt" means the whisky is made only from malted barley. Most single malts combine several barrels from the same distillery. A single cask whisky, bottled from one barrel, is rarer and usually yields only a few hundred bottles.
When a whisky carries an age statement, the number refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle.
Where Eau Claire fits
Our home in Turner Valley gives our whisky a character all its own. Chinook winds swing the temperature hard and fast across the seasons, pushing the spirit in and out of the oak more often. We call it the Angel's Gift: faster maturation and more depth of flavour in every glass.
Ploughman's Single Malt Canadian Whisky is our flagship, made with Alberta-harvested barley and clear water from the Sheep River. Rupert's Exceptional Canadian Whisky is our award-winning blend, bold and smooth, and made for sipping or mixing.
Try it: Rupert's New York Sour
Some say whisky shouldn't be mixed. We say a great whisky makes a great cocktail.
- 2 oz Rupert's Exceptional Canadian Whisky
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- 0.75 oz simple syrup
- 1 egg white (optional)
- 0.5 oz dry red wine
Shake everything except the wine with ice (shake once without ice first if using egg white). Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Slowly pour the wine over the back of a bar spoon so it floats on top.
Find more whisky cocktails in our recipes, and join the Cask Club for first word on new releases.
Whisky or whiskey, the best answer is the one in your glass. Sláinte!
