whisky
Pronunciation: /ˈwɪski/
noun (plural whiskies)
1 (also Irish & US whiskey) [mass noun] a spirit distilled from malted grain, especially barley or rye:
a bottle of whisky
[count noun]:
he poured her a stiff whisky
2 (whiskey) a code word representing the letter W, used in radio communication.
Origin:
early 18th century: abbreviation of obsolete whiskybae, variant of usquebaugh
Spelling help
When referring to the alcoholic spirit from Scotland, use the spelling whisky (plural whiskies). Whiskey, with an e (plural whiskeys), is the spelling used in Ireland and America.
Src: OED Compact
Comment: usquebaugh, bourbon, rye, malt are all interesting words in relation to this work. Oh, let's not forget Scotch.
Scotch is enjoyed by me and am slowly weening onto Rye... my favorite point of view quote I'm trying out is by DeVoto in his book The Hour ,
Hear, hear!"Whiskey and vermouth can never meet as friends, and the Manhattan is an offense against piety."