Editing Whisky (section)

===Names and spellings===
Much is made of the word's two spellings: ''whisky'' and ''whiskey''.<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'', Second Edition: "In modern trade usage, Scotch whisky and Irish whiskey are thus distinguished in spelling; 'whisky' is the usual spelling in Britain and 'whiskey' that in the U.S."</ref><ref name=CowderySpelling2/><ref name=CowderySpelling1/> There are two schools of thought on the issue. One is that the spelling difference is simply a matter of regional language convention for the spelling of a word, indicating that the spelling varies depending on the intended audience or the background or personal preferences of the writer (like the difference between ''color'' and ''colour''; or ''recognize'' and ''recognise''),<ref name="CowderySpelling2">{{Cite web |last=Cowdery, Charles K. |date=24 February 2009 |title=Why Spelling Matters |url=http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-spelling-matters.html |website=The Chuck Cowdery Blog}}</ref><ref name="CowderySpelling1">{{Cite web |last=Cowdery, Charles K. |date=11 February 2009 |title=New York Times Buckles To Pressure From Scotch Snobs |url=http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2009/02/new-york-times-buckles-to-pressure-from.html |website=The Chuck Cowdery Blog}}</ref> and the other is that the spelling should depend on the style or origin of the spirit being described. There is general agreement that when quoting the proper name printed on a label, one should not alter its spelling.<ref name=CowderySpelling2/><ref name=CowderySpelling1/>

The spelling ''whiskey'' is common in [[Ireland]] and the [[United States]], while ''whisky'' is used in all other whisky-producing countries.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zandona |first=Eric |title=A World Guide to Whisk(e)y Distilleries |date=March 2013 |publisher=White Mule Press |isbn=978-0983638940 |location=Hayward |display-authors=etal}}</ref> In the US, the usage has not always been consistent. From the late eighteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, American writers used both spellings interchangeably until the introduction of newspaper style guides.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zandona |first=Eric |title=Whiskey vs Whisky Series |url=http://www.ezdrinking.com/ezdrinking?tag=Whiskey+vs+Whisky |access-date=3 January 2015 |website=EZdrinking}}</ref> Since the 1960s, American writers have increasingly used ''whiskey'' as the accepted spelling for aged grain spirits made in the US and ''whisky'' for aged grain spirits made outside the US.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zandona |first=Eric |title=Whiskey vs Whisky: Newspapers & Style Guides |url=http://www.ezdrinking.com/ezdrinking/2013/11/11/whiskey-vs-whisky-style-guides |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103225349/http://www.ezdrinking.com/ezdrinking/2013/11/11/whiskey-vs-whisky-style-guides |archive-date=3 January 2015 |access-date=3 January 2015 |website=EZdrinking}}</ref> However, some prominent American brands, such as [[George Dickel]], [[Maker's Mark]], and [[Old Forester]] (all made by different companies), use the ''whisky'' spelling on their labels, and the ''Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits'', the legal regulations for spirit in the US, also use the ''whisky'' spelling throughout.<ref name="cfr5.22" />