Far from finished: How whisky finishing adds a different dimension to the spirit

We take a look at whisky finishing, a technique used to add a different dimension to a distillery’s spirit. – Photo: THE STAR/Michael Cheang

The Scotch whisky industry is notoriously rigid with their rules on governing what constitutes a Scotch whisky, and understandably so. There have been countless distillers and whisky producers around the world who have tried to replicate their success, with differing results. Some have even gone so far as to produce blended “whiskies” that contain a small amount of Scotch and try to pass them off as Scotch whiskies.

But before we get into today’s topic, which is whisky finishing, let’s go back to basics. In Scotland, a whisky can only be called “Scotch whisky” if it adheres to a certain number of rules set by the Scotch Whisky Association.