What Is the Finish Of a Whisky And How Do You Get the Most Out of It?

Friday, 01 August 2025 at 19:20

loch-lomond-glass-whisky in front of barrels

A finish is a part of tasting whisky. But what exactly does that mean and how do you best enjoy it? The answer can be found in this How to Whisky.

FAQ:

What is the finish?
The finish of a whisky is the taste that comes after swallowing.
How do you taste the finish?
Like with flavour, the most important thing is to pay attention and take your time.

What are the three elements that tasting notes consist of?

If you look at the tasting notes of a whisky, you will always see three things:

Nose
Palate
Finish

Regarding the aroma and the flavour of the whisky, it's pretty clear what is meant, but what does the finish mean?

What is the finish of a whisky?

The finish of a whisky is the last element when tasting the divine drink. You could also describe it as the aftertaste.

The finish only comes after you have swallowed the whisky. So it takes place at the back of your mouth and in your throat. Sometimes there's first a warm prickle of alcohol followed by new flavours.

Those flavours can linger for short, medium, or long. This is called the length of the finish.

Whisky lovers often consider the complexity and length of the finish as the distinctive feature of whisky as compared to other distilled drinks such as rum or cognac. A long, layered finish can betray a high-quality whisky and completes the tasting experience.

A long or a short finish: very personal

What counts as a long or short finish is highly personal. One person may find half a minute extremely long, while another might describe it as medium.

The flavors you notice during the finish also differ from person to person and there’s no right or wrong. In fact, whisky can reveal more than 200 distinct flavors. Entire books have been written about them.

How can you fully enjoy the finish?

Of course, you can simply swallow your whisky and move on, but there’s a much better way to enjoy your dram. Just like with nosing and tasting, the finish offers a world of discoveries.

Are you picking up flavors you didn’t notice before? That could very well be the influence of the cask. Not tasting anything at all? Try opening your mouth slightly this allows the aromas to rise more as you exhale.

Compare what you notice during the finish to familiar flavors: fruit, wood, herbs, chocolate. How long do those flavors linger? And which ones take the lead?

Paying conscious attention when tasting whisky increases your appreciation for the complexity of the whisky and helps you develop your personal preferences. Discover our other How to whisky articles.