In Canada, whisky is often referred to as "rye" or "rye whisky," even if it's distilled mostly from corn.Īmerican rye whiskey tends to be a bit spicy. Like American whiskeys, they often use a lot of corn in the mash, leading to a sweeter flavor profile similar to bourbon. They gravitate more to the Irish style of whiskey making," Houston says. "Canadian whiskies are a sweeter representation. Japanese distillers are heavily inspired by Scotch producers, and many of their whiskies can be compared to single malt Scotch whiskies.Ĭanadian whisky: Canadian whisky is one of the most widely available and popular styles of whisky. "Japanese whiskies tend to have a softer, rounder profile with fewer bold flavors," Houston says. Japanese whisky: Although Japan hasn't been producing whisky nearly as long as other regions, their whiskies have become some of the most sought-after in the world. The most notable are Scotches from Islay, which have flavors of peat smoke. There are five major regions in which Scotch is produced, Campbeltown, the Highlands, the Lowlands, Speyside, and Islay - each with their own style. "Scotch tends to be aged longer than other whiskies," Houston says, and aging gives them a deeper, richer flavor.
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Scotch whisky is distilled primarily from barley.
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Scotch whisky: Out of every variety of whisky, Scotch has the most variation. Scotch is well-aged and has notes of peat smoke. The countries that spell it "whiskey," the United States and Ireland, have the letter "E" in their name. Quick tip: An easy way to remember which spelling to use is to look at the name of each country of origin. Japan's first whisky distillery released its Scotch-inspired whisky in 1929, not long after Masataka Taketsuru returned from an apprenticeship in Scotland and co-founded the Yamazaki Distillery. Scotland's influence also extends to Japan. The Scottish spelling continued to be used in Canada due to closer ties to the United Kingdom at the time.
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Due to the influx of immigration from Ireland in the 1800s, "whiskey" became the most widely used spelling in the United States and is the primary spelling to this day. In the early days of the United States, Scottish and Irish immigrants brought their distilling expertise with them and began to distill whiskey almost right away.īecause of the influence of both whiskey-producing traditions, at first, both spellings were used interchangeably in the US. "All of our whiskey traditions in America come from Ireland and Scotland," Houston says. The major whiskey-producing nations - Ireland, Scotland, the United States, Canada, and Japan - had to adopt one spelling or the other. Over time the two distinct spellings became entrenched, and each region simultaneously developed its own unique styles. The initial difference in spelling came from small differences in the Gaelic dialects spoken in both places.
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Whiskey production can be traced back to Ireland in the early 15th century, with production in Scotland trailing closely. "In the United States and Ireland, it is spelled 'whiskey.' In Scotland and the rest of the world, it's spelled 'whisky.'" "It all comes down to where it's made," Houston says. Japanese whisky takes its distilling cues from Scotland, so it adopted the same spelling.Įach spelling of the word is correct, but each refers to whiskies from different regions.