#WhiskySanta's £1,000,000 Giveaway!

Master of Malt's #WhiskySanta has returned to give away free orders, £100 vouchers, tens of thousands of pressies inside packages, and to grant Christmas wishes too!

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CHRISTMAS DELIVERY IS GUARANTEED!

Order online before Sunday 22nd December by 9:30pm for guaranteed delivery in mainland UK.

You can also choose to collect from our Tonbridge office, which is open until 4pm on Christmas Eve (orders must be in by 3pm).

Whisky guides

What is cask finishing for whisky?

What is cask finishing in whisky? We'll answer your questions here, from why whisky makers do it to what secondary maturation brings to the spirit.

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A brief history
Influence of wood
Brand synergy
Rules
Build your own

Authors:

Adam O'Connell, writer at Master of Malt
Adam O'Connell, writer at Master of Malt
Reading time: 9 minutes

Tequila finishes, red wine finishes, amaro casks, shochu casks. Not a week goes by without a big cask finish release from Scotland, Ireland, and beyond. Cask finishing is such a big part of whisky these days, that it’s hard to imagine that it’s actually a relatively recent technique.

A brief history of cask finishing

David C. Stewart MBE nosing a whisky in The Balvenie's warehouse

David C. Stewart MBE is regarded as a pioneer of cask finishing

What are cask finished malts? The influence of wood

Casks maturing at Springbank Distillery

There's a huge variety of casks out there just waiting to have whisky filled into them

Brand synergy

A bottle of Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura 29 Year Old

The cherry blossom bonanza that is Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura 29 Year Old

Rules for cask finishing

Whisky with interesting cask finishes

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