The finer things in life are sometimes the product of complementary companionship, like pairing a sumptuous whiskey with a luxe cigar. At the intersection of these earthly delights rests the latest stogie-approved Shortbarrel Cigar Batch whiskey, Maxim can exclusively reveal.
Set to hit the market nationwide this Friday, the carefully crafted 53.5 percent ABV whiskey gains serious character from a studious finishing process in five distinct barrels: Tawny port, cognac, armagnac, rum and sherry. The whiskey (which retails for an SRP of $89.99) marks the fourth release in the Cigar Batch series, using liquid distilled in Kentucky and Indiana then finished under the watchful eye of the Atlanta-based distillery.
Separately finished final components went into more than 50 casks in the Atlanta area for at least a year, with the final blend featuring a distinctive series of mashbills selected for rich character, Shortbarrel Master Blender and Co-Founder Clinton Dugan told Maxim. Founded in 2015, the Shortbarrel crew hand-selected more than 350 barrels between 2016 and 2020 before launching its own brand, the product of what the company calls a “Sunday Funday” bourbon sipping session among Dugan, Adam Dorfman and Patrick Lemmond .
The finishing barrels themselves arrived with the company’s 2023 acquisition of Old Fourth Distillery, giving the now-11-year-old Shortbarrel the runway to experiment, Dugan said recently over Zoom. And while cigar-blend whiskies aren’t all that uncommon, Shortbarrel relied on its geography to separate its latest Cigar Batch release. “A lot of others have done it, but they haven’t really been able to do it the way we can, because aging spirits in Atlanta has a unique property to it,” he said, noting that whiskey evaporates at a rate of about 15 to 20 percent faster in the Georgia heat than in Kentucky. “It’s really crucial to us to have that Atlanta-inspired whiskey because of the aging environment here.”
Blending requires a keen eye, palate and nose, with whiskies ranging in age from seven to 18 years going into the newest Cigar Batch release. Experimenting with mashbills also requires patience and is an art-plus-science process in itself, Dugan said. For example, high proof of the 18-year-old whiskey used in the blend packs a serious punch, one that customers love, the blender noted. “I use American whiskey in our blends more for sweetness and proof, not necessarily chasing age statements,” he said. For the cigar enthusiast, the liquid pairs especially well with stogies like Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Robusto, Padrón 1964 Anniversary Maduro Exclusivo or Liga Privada No. 9 Toro, the company notes.
Shortbarrel has come a long way from its early days, when it started with a mere six barrels, Dugan said: This year’s cigar blend whiskey was the largest batch the company has ever done, he added. Featuring a base led by sherry-finished whiskey blended with straight Kentucky bourbon, the result is a liquid with a long finish, with deep notes of milk chocolate, candied citrus and Luxardo cherries complemented beautifully by toasted oak and maple syrup on the finish. If ever there were a whiskey to stand up to a cigar, this bold option is a worthy candidate.
Billed by the distillery as an exercise in precision and patience, arriving at the final blend was a massive undertaking, Dugan said. “I’ve only been blending whiskey for roughly three years, so it’s been pretty crazy to self-teach myself this,” he said with a chuckle. “The early feedback from our biggest fans has been that this one’s simply crushable.”
Dugan was also quick to note the recognizable influence of rum casks, which deliver breezy touches of vanilla while opening up the whiskey itself and lending easily to a cigar pairing. “It’s really cool that it takes your palate in some different waves,” Dugan said, as notes of leather and mahogany play off grape influence from cognac casks.
“We are meticulously looking through barrels when we when we create our blends,” he added, rather than using finishing to hide a less-than-exceptional whiskey. On that note, the blender and his team have some closely guarded barrel experiments in the works, and it looks as if the Cigar Batch series will carry on accordingly. “We’re really looking at what’s next in terms of finishing,” he said. To try the latest innovation from Shortbarrel, look for Cigar Batch Release IV online on Friday, September 4.