Finishes, age and the blender's art

A finish means moving matured whisky into a second cask — months to a few years in port, sauternes or rum wood to layer a final accent. Glenmorangie and Balvenie pioneered it in the 1990s; today it's everywhere. Done well it adds a chapter; overdone it papers over dull spirit — the tell is whether the distillery character still shows through.