Three Other Names for Whisky or Whiskey

There isn’t just more than one way to spell whisky: the beloved spirit also goes by a wide range of nicknames. We’ve listed some of the best-known and dug into the history books to uncover where they come from.

The name aqua vitae is often used as a pet name for whisky. Whether in its Latin form or one of the many forms that mean the same thing, like the Dutch “levenswater.” The term was likely used long before, but it first appeared in writing in a 14th-century publication by the alchemist John of Rupescissa.

Alchemists were always in search of eternal life, and John was convinced that distilled, alcoholic spirits were the key. That’s why he described such drinks as aqua vitae: water that could quite literally extend life. The alchemist didn’t use the term specifically for whisky, as that spirit likely didn’t exist yet.

Whisky first appears in the historical record in 1405, several decades after John of Rupescissa’s death. At that time, it wasn’t called whisky or whiskey, but uisce beatha or uisge beatha, the Irish and Scottish Gaelic translations of aqua vitae.

Aqua vitae was therefore the term used for whisky before it gained its modern name. In fact, whisky/whiskey is the Anglicized rendering of uisce beatha or uisge beatha: most likely the result of a bit of miscommunication from Scottish or Irish.

While “water of life” carries a very positive ring, not every nickname for whisky does. One nickname used in English-speaking countries is John Barleycorn.

The name comes from a folk song that first surfaced in Scotland in the 16th century. The song centers on John Barleycorn, a figure personifying drinks made from barley: like whisky and beer. In the song, Barleycorn endures humiliation, attacks, and ultimately death, mirroring the stages barley undergoes during processing.

The term later took on a negative slant for whisky and beer, emphasizing the idea that these drinks could lead to death. It was used during Prohibition-era campaigning, strikingly, by both supporters and opponents.

While whisky or whiskey is the umbrella term used in many countries, the spirit earns the name bourbon when it hails from the United States. It’s a striking name, especially since it traces back to the House of Bourbon, the dynasty that ruled France for centuries.

The common explanation is that bourbon took its name from Bourbon County, a vast tract of land named in honor of the French for their help during the American Revolution. You can still find Bourbon County in Kentucky today: a region famed for producing bourbon.

Historian Michael Veach, however, suggests bourbon owes its name to a different source: Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The street was and still is a hot spot for bars. The bourbon we know today was supposedly “invented” by two French brothers who bought whisky in Kentucky and shipped it down the Ohio River to New Orleans in charred oak barrels.

By the time the spirit arrived in New Orleans and flowed freely on Bourbon Street, it had taken on the distinctive color and flavor we now associate with bourbon. And so, the whisky coming out of Kentucky, the story goes, came to be called “bourbon.”