------- Original Message --------
Subject: Aqua vit
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 10:10:15 -0500
From: "J. Madison Davis" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
I've always been fond of the old spelling "uisquebaugh" or its
variations. I don't know about the Regency. I know Gov. Alexander
Spotswood had a huge selection of it on his trip to explore the western
mountains of Virginia in the mid 18th. Random House dictionary dates it
"[170515; short for whiskybae < Ir uisce beatha or ScotGael uisge
beatha, ult. trans. of ML aqua vitae lit., water of life; cf. USQUEBAUGH]"
and it also says that whisky (neat, no e) is used especially for Scotch
and Canadian, but doesn't say preferred or anything like that