LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Pursuit Spirits and Shortbarrel are combining two of their signature whiskeys for “Found Footage,” a limited-edition barrel-proof blend making its debut Sept. 11 at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown.
The collaboration brings together Atlanta-based Shortbarrel’s Sapsquatch maple-finished bourbon and Louisville-based Pursuit Spirits’ Pursuit United Double Oak Rye, creating an unconventional bourbon-and-rye blend bottled at 112.4 proof.
Found Footage comes in a 700-milliliter bottle and carries a suggested retail price of $99.99. Bottles will first be available at the Pursuit Spirits booth at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival beginning at 2 p.m. Sept. 11, following the first Between Two Barrels session. Quantities will be limited.
The whiskey will later be available through Seelbach’s and at Pursuit Spirits on Whiskey Row in Louisville.
The collaboration is wrapped in a playful backstory inspired by found-footage horror films and the Sapsquatch name. According to the brands’ fictional lore, a legendary creature was guarding the ultimate maple-finished bourbon deep in the woods. Pursuit’s Double Oak Rye was placed as bait, resulting in the “capture” that ultimately brought the two whiskeys together. The supposed recovered camera footage inspired the bottle’s name and custom label.
Behind the story, however, is a serious blending experiment pairing the sweetness of a maple-finished bourbon with the spice and oak character of a double-oaked rye.
“When we talked to our friends at Shortbarrel about doing a collaboration project we wanted to take our best whiskeys and combine them to be something totally wild,” said Ryan Cecil, master blender and co-founder of Pursuit Spirits. “By marrying their sweet Sapsquatch bourbon with our Pursuit United Double Oak Rye Tobacco and Oak Bomb profiles we created a rare bottle worth stalking the woods for.”
According to the distillers’ tasting notes, Found Footage opens with aromas of brown sugar crumbles, Belgian waffles and ginger syrup. The palate brings brown sugar butter, chocolate cinnamon doughnuts and ginger beer before finishing with cinnamon candy, anise cookies and a light soda-like fizz.
“This collaboration was all about seeing what happens when two distinct flavor profiles collide,” Shortbarrel co-founder Clinton Dugan said. “The camera tape might be blurry, but the whiskey is so good your friends are going to swear you made the whole story up.”
The release continues a growing trend of American whiskey producers collaborating by blending distinctive finished and secondary-matured whiskeys rather than simply producing a conventional private barrel selection.
For Found Footage release information, visit Pursuit Spirits’ Found Footage page. Details about the festival’s Between Two Barrels sessions are available through Pursuit Spirits.
ABOUT PURSUIT SPIRITS:
Pursuit Spirits is a Louisville, Kentucky-based whiskey brand founded by the innovative forces behind the number one bourbon podcast, Bourbon Pursuit. Their journey began with a deep curiosity and an unwavering dedication to the craft, leading them to seek out and blend exceptional American whiskeys. Rather than operating a traditional distillery, Pursuit Spirits has pioneered a modern, customized approach to blending, carefully selecting award-winning bourbon and rye barrels from multiple distilleries across the country. This unique method allows them to consistently craft small-batch expressions with unparalleled flavor complexity. Their award-winning Pursuit United line exemplifies this by harmoniously uniting diverse mash bills and barrel types.
Additionally, their distillery-exclusive Mellwood Legacy Collection pays homage to the rich history of their distillery’s location. Beyond premium bottles, their venue on Whiskey Row offers curated, immersive experiences where guests can participate in exclusive barrel selections and bottle their own whiskey. The brand also features P. Club, an all-access, exclusive pass to Pursuit Spirits no matter your location , and Trial + Error, a basement cocktail lounge that seamlessly balances warm, lived-in charm with stylish modern comfort, complete with an extensive spirits menu and a variety of small bites.
LOCATIONS:
Distillery Location: 1700 Mellwood Ave. Louisville KY 40206
Whiskey Row Location: 722 W. Main St, Suite 100, Louisville KY 40202
