Mispronunciation in Scotland is nothing new, Scottish place names often challenge tourists as our heritage of Gaelic, Norse and Pictish (amid other languages) leads to some unique titles.
However, for uisge beatha (Scottish Gaelic for whisky or “water of life”) it may come as a surprise to some how unfamiliar many are with their pronunciations as it is one of Scotland’s biggest exports.
The Scotch Whisky Association said that “there are 53 bottles of Scotch Whisky exported every second to markets all over the world”. As Scotch Whisky distillery names are linked to Gaelic (which you’re familiar with as some English words are derived from Gaelic) it complicates things for English speakers as a Celtic language.
From the Scottish Highlands to the Lowlands, here are 17 of Scotland’s most famous distilleries, their meaning in Gaelic and how to pronounce their names today.
13. Dailuaine (Strathspey)
Dailuaine Distillery is a single malt whisky supplier that can be found in Charlestown-of-Aberlour, it was founded in 1852. The Gaelic of the name, an dail uaine, is thought to mean ‘green valley’. To pronounce it just sound out “dall-yewan”. Photo: Sten Tamkivi via Flickr
14. Edradour (Highlands)
Edradour Distillery is situated in the village of Pitlochry and was founded in 1825. Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic ‘Eader da dhobhar’ which means ‘between two waters’. The name is pronounced like “ed-rah-dow-er”. Photo: via Geograph
15. Tamdhu (Highlands)
Tamdhu Distillery is located in the village of Knockando and it was founded in 1897. Its name in Scottish Gaelic translates to ‘little dark hill’ and the pronunciation for this one is quite simple, just say “tam - doo”. Photo: via Geograph
16. Ledaig (Highlands and Islands)
Ledaig is produced at the Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull and the whisky claimed the top spot in the 9th annual Whisky of the Year blind tasting hosted by The Whisky Exchange. Ledaig reportedly means ‘safe haven’ in Gaelic and you pronounce its name like “led-chig”. Photo: Submitted