A little merry, enjoying whisky (3)

I believe the answer is:

rye

'whisky' is the definition.
(rye whisky is a kind of whisky)

'a little merry enjoying' is the wordplay.
'a little' indicates a hidden word.
'RYE' is hidden in the letters of 'merry enjoying'.

(Other definitions for rye that I've seen before include "place in East Sussex" , "Grain crop" , "Wheat-like cereal plant" , "old port" , "Gypsy gentleman" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.