Finishing (also known as
double matured or
wood-finished) is the procedure that some whiskeys undergo whereby the spirit is matured in a
cask of a particular origin and then spends time in a cask of different origin (generally 6 months to 2 years.) Typically, the first cask is an
American oak cask formerly used to mature
bourbon. The second cask may be one that has been used to mature some sort of
fortified wine, often
sherry, though sometimes
port,
madeira, or even wines such as red
burgundy or
chardonnay are used.