[JulianMorrison]

Defer also runs in the case of a panic. So it's not just a hidden goto.

[32bitkid]

more detail on why `defer` can/is more expensive (and not equivalent) to unrolling it: https://blog.golang.org/defer-panic-and-recover

[arendtio]

Thanks, that is what I was looking for. I used defer just as convenience and wasn't aware (anymore) that it does something different than just pushing the function call to the end. Maybe it's time to take the Golang tour again ;-)