Can they drink Schlitz before noon?
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Kent Graham 
  To: [log in to unmask] 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 8:51 AM
  Subject: [PWA-L] It's quiet on the list...


  ...so let's talk about every mystery writer's favorite subject:  the water of life.

  Here are a a couple of extracts from a historical fiction newsgroup:

  "Just a small point. I've noticed in American novels that whiskey is referred to when they really mean whisky. The terms are patented, like champagne, which is why some American rye based drinks are called bourbon. 
  Whisky is from Scotland, and whiskey is from Ireland." 

  and

  " If you're writing a book set in the UK, don't have your characters drink whisky before the Regency era (unless, of course, they're Scottish!) and don't ever confuse whiskey with whisky. It is Just Not Done, darling!"

  (My 10 pound Webster's offers both spellings for the same definition, with '"ey" as the preferred spelling.)

  Anyone else ever heard of this Scots/Irish distinction?  Does it matter to an American writer, writing for an American audience?  Or, is it one of those things that add verisimilitude -- such as not letting an Englishman say "gotten"?

  Slàinte!

  kent graham