diff --git a/sstable/writer.go b/sstable/writer.go
index 7b603c8d44..40358fa0c9 100644
--- a/sstable/writer.go
+++ b/sstable/writer.go
@@ -1751,13 +1751,18 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 			w.writable.Abort()
 			w.writable = nil
 		}
+		// Record any error in the writer (so we can exit early if Close is called
+		// again).
+		if err != nil {
+			w.err = err
+		}
 	}()
 
 	// finish must be called before we check for an error, because finish will
 	// block until every single task added to the writeQueue has been processed,
 	// and an error could be encountered while any of those tasks are processed.
-	if err = w.coordination.writeQueue.finish(); err != nil {
-		w.err = err
+	if err := w.coordination.writeQueue.finish(); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 
 	if w.err != nil {
@@ -1783,17 +1788,14 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 	if w.dataBlockBuf.dataBlock.nEntries > 0 || w.indexBlock.block.nEntries == 0 {
 		bh, err := w.writeBlock(w.dataBlockBuf.dataBlock.finish(), w.compression, &w.dataBlockBuf.blockBuf)
 		if err != nil {
-			w.err = err
-			return w.err
+			return err
 		}
-		var bhp BlockHandleWithProperties
-		if bhp, err = w.maybeAddBlockPropertiesToBlockHandle(bh); err != nil {
-			w.err = err
+		bhp, err := w.maybeAddBlockPropertiesToBlockHandle(bh)
+		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 		prevKey := base.DecodeInternalKey(w.dataBlockBuf.dataBlock.curKey)
-		if err = w.addIndexEntrySync(prevKey, InternalKey{}, bhp, w.dataBlockBuf.tmp[:]); err != nil {
-			w.err = err
+		if err := w.addIndexEntrySync(prevKey, InternalKey{}, bhp, w.dataBlockBuf.tmp[:]); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
@@ -1805,13 +1807,11 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 	if w.filter != nil {
 		b, err := w.filter.finish()
 		if err != nil {
-			w.err = err
-			return w.err
+			return err
 		}
 		bh, err := w.writeBlock(b, NoCompression, &w.blockBuf)
 		if err != nil {
-			w.err = err
-			return w.err
+			return err
 		}
 		n := encodeBlockHandle(w.blockBuf.tmp[:], bh)
 		metaindex.add(InternalKey{UserKey: []byte(w.filter.metaName())}, w.blockBuf.tmp[:n])
@@ -1825,8 +1825,7 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 		// Write the two level index block.
 		indexBH, err = w.writeTwoLevelIndex()
 		if err != nil {
-			w.err = err
-			return w.err
+			return err
 		}
 	} else {
 		w.props.IndexType = binarySearchIndex
@@ -1839,8 +1838,7 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 		// Write the single level index block.
 		indexBH, err = w.writeBlock(w.indexBlock.finish(), w.compression, &w.blockBuf)
 		if err != nil {
-			w.err = err
-			return w.err
+			return err
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1865,8 +1863,7 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 		}
 		rangeDelBH, err = w.writeBlock(w.rangeDelBlock.finish(), NoCompression, &w.blockBuf)
 		if err != nil {
-			w.err = err
-			return w.err
+			return err
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1880,8 +1877,7 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 		kind := key.Kind()
 		endKey, _, ok := rangekey.DecodeEndKey(kind, w.rangeKeyBlock.curValue)
 		if !ok {
-			w.err = errors.Newf("invalid end key: %s", w.rangeKeyBlock.curValue)
-			return w.err
+			return errors.Newf("invalid end key: %s", w.rangeKeyBlock.curValue)
 		}
 		k := base.MakeExclusiveSentinelKey(kind, endKey).Clone()
 		w.meta.SetLargestRangeKey(k)
@@ -1890,8 +1886,7 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 		// enable compression on this block.
 		rangeKeyBH, err = w.writeBlock(w.rangeKeyBlock.finish(), NoCompression, &w.blockBuf)
 		if err != nil {
-			w.err = err
-			return w.err
+			return err
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1922,7 +1917,6 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 		userProps := make(map[string]string)
 		for i := range w.propCollectors {
 			if err := w.propCollectors[i].Finish(userProps); err != nil {
-				w.err = err
 				return err
 			}
 		}
@@ -1930,10 +1924,8 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 			scratch := w.blockPropsEncoder.getScratchForProp()
 			// Place the shortID in the first byte.
 			scratch = append(scratch, byte(i))
-			buf, err :=
-				w.blockPropCollectors[i].FinishTable(scratch)
+			buf, err := w.blockPropCollectors[i].FinishTable(scratch)
 			if err != nil {
-				w.err = err
 				return err
 			}
 			var prop string
@@ -1959,8 +1951,7 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 		w.props.save(&raw)
 		bh, err := w.writeBlock(raw.finish(), NoCompression, &w.blockBuf)
 		if err != nil {
-			w.err = err
-			return w.err
+			return err
 		}
 		n := encodeBlockHandle(w.blockBuf.tmp[:], bh)
 		metaindex.add(InternalKey{UserKey: []byte(metaPropertiesName)}, w.blockBuf.tmp[:n])
@@ -1986,8 +1977,7 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 	// expect the meta-index block to not be compressed.
 	metaindexBH, err := w.writeBlock(metaindex.blockWriter.finish(), NoCompression, &w.blockBuf)
 	if err != nil {
-		w.err = err
-		return w.err
+		return err
 	}
 
 	// Write the table footer.
@@ -1999,8 +1989,7 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 	}
 	encoded := footer.encode(w.blockBuf.tmp[:])
 	if err := w.writable.Write(footer.encode(w.blockBuf.tmp[:])); err != nil {
-		w.err = err
-		return w.err
+		return err
 	}
 	w.meta.Size += uint64(len(encoded))
 	w.meta.Properties = w.props
@@ -2008,13 +1997,11 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 	// Check that the features present in the table are compatible with the format
 	// configured for the table.
 	if err = w.assertFormatCompatibility(); err != nil {
-		w.err = err
-		return w.err
+		return err
 	}
 
 	if err := w.writable.Finish(); err != nil {
 		w.writable = nil
-		w.err = err
 		return err
 	}
 	w.writable = nil
@@ -2027,9 +2014,6 @@ func (w *Writer) Close() (err error) {
 	w.indexBlock = nil
 
 	// Make any future calls to Set or Close return an error.
-	if w.err != nil {
-		return w.err
-	}
 	w.err = errWriterClosed
 	return nil
 }