Scotch whisky is a distilled beverage (spirit) made in Scotland.
(Generally, though not always, the Scottish, Japanese and
Canadian spirits are spelled "whisky"; the Irish
and American ones "whiskey"). The name whisky is
a transformation of the word uisquebaugh, itself a transformation
of the Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha spelled uisce beatha in
Irish Gaelic, literally meaning "water of life".
In North America, the abbreviated term "Scotch"
is usually used for "Scotch whisky." In England,
Scotland, and Wales, the term "whisky" almost always
refers to "Scotch whisky", and the term "Scotch"
is rarely used by itself.
