What is Whisky?Whisky or Whiskey?
With or Without the E? For decades, the countries of Scotland and Ireland
have bitterly argued over who invented whisky. However, the word itself comes
from the Gaelic “Uisce/Uisge”. Over time, the Scottish came to spell it as ‘Whisky’
whereas the Irish came to call it ‘Whiskey’.
Scottish & Irish Whisky
Apart from the ‘e’, there are other differences between the two. Scottish Whisky is distilled twice and uses more malted barley whereas Irish Whisky is distilled thrice and uses a mash of malted corn, barley and wheat. Both are aged for at least 3 years. The double distillation makes Scotch full and rich whereas triple distilled Irish whiskeys are lighter and smoother.
Japanese & Canadian Whisky
Masataka Taketsuru travelled to Scotland in 1918 to study organic chemistry but returned to Japan with a love for Scotch whiskies. He eventually oversaw the establishment of Suntory Yamazaki in 1929. Ever since, Japanese whiskies are deeply inspired by Scotch - and are spelled Whisky. The case for Canadian Whisky is less clear, but a significant Scottish population in Canada is the likely cause behind Canadian’s spelling their Rye heavy blends as “Whisky”.American Whisky
Whiskey making in America started in the 1700’s but really took off after an influx of Irish immigrants in the 1800’s. Owing to the Irish influence, American whiskey is spelt with an e. This is true across the variety of whiskeys such as corn-based Bourbons, rye-based Rye whiskey, Tennessee bourbons, American blends and American single malts. 
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