ATLANTA — Shortbarrel is taking the idea of a cigar whiskey to another level with the release of Cigar Batch #4, an ambitious limited-edition American whiskey constructed from mature bourbon and whiskey components individually finished in more than 50 Armagnac, Cognac, rum, Tawny Port and Sherry casks.
The Atlanta-based whiskey producer released the fourth annual edition of its Cigar Batch series Sept. 1 at select retailers, with direct-to-consumer availability scheduled to begin Sept. 4.
Cigar Batch #4 is bottled at 107 proof, or 53.5% alcohol by volume, is non-chill-filtered and carries a suggested retail price of $89.99.
While plenty of American whiskeys now carry the “cigar batch” or “cigar blend” designation, Shortbarrel’s approach is particularly interesting because of how the final whiskey is constructed.
Instead of creating a bourbon blend and then transferring that finished blend into several different types of secondary barrels, Shortbarrel finishes individual whiskey components separately. Master Blender Clinton Dugan and his team then evaluate those components and determine how each will contribute to the final Cigar Batch blend.
For Cigar Batch #4, that process involved whiskey from more than 50 individual finishing casks. Armagnac, Cognac, rum and Tawny Port barrels return to the finishing program, while Sherry casks make their first appearance in the Cigar Batch series.
The objective is to layer fruit, spice, sweetness, oak and richness from the various secondary casks without allowing any one finish to overwhelm the underlying American whiskey.
“Every barrel has a purpose,” Dugan, Shortbarrel’s co-founder and master blender, said. “Our responsibility is understanding what each component contributes, giving the whiskey the time it needs to develop and then finding the blend where those individual characteristics work together.”
Dugan said Cigar Batch has always been about building layers rather than allowing a single finishing barrel to dominate the final whiskey.
The whiskey underneath those finishes is nearly as varied as the secondary maturation.
Cigar Batch #4 incorporates mature bourbons and whiskeys produced from four mash bills: 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% malted barley; 70% corn, 21% rye and 9% malted barley; 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley; and 91% corn and 9% malted barley.
The whiskeys were distilled in Kentucky and Indiana before ultimately making their way to Georgia, where Shortbarrel builds the final blend.
That range of mash bills gives Dugan considerably more to work with than finishing barrels alone. The 36% rye component can contribute a pronounced spicy character, while the 91% corn whiskey offers a much different foundation. The other two bourbon recipes fall between those extremes, allowing Shortbarrel to adjust body, sweetness, spice, oak and texture before accounting for the flavors imparted by the finishing casks.
The individual whiskey components undergo extended secondary maturation before Shortbarrel assembles the final batch. The result is a whiskey the distillery says is intended to develop in the glass in much the same way a premium cigar changes as it is smoked.
That distinction is important to Shortbarrel. Cigar Batch #4 wasn’t created simply as something to drink alongside a cigar. Instead, the inspiration comes from the progression of flavors experienced from the beginning of a cigar through its final third.
Shortbarrel says brighter fruit and baking spices emerge first before transitioning toward dried fruit, cocoa, leather, toasted oak and rye spice.
The distillery’s official tasting notes describe a nose of dark cherry preserves, fig compote, candied orange peel, toasted walnut, aged leather, pipe tobacco, cocoa nibs, roasted espresso, caramel, vanilla bean and mature oak.
On the palate, Shortbarrel identifies Luxardo cherry, raisin, burnt sugar and milk chocolate alongside cinnamon, clove, black pepper, candied citrus, toasted almond, cigar wrapper, dark maple syrup and mature oak.
The finish is described as long and evolving, with dried fruit, cocoa powder, leather, toasted oak, tobacco leaf, orange oil, vanilla and lingering rye spice.
For those who do want to pair the whiskey with a cigar, Shortbarrel recommends an Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Robusto, Padrón 1964 Anniversary Maduro Exclusivo or Liga Privada No. 9 Toro.
Cigar Batch #4 arrives as finished whiskey continues to occupy an increasingly prominent position in the American whiskey market. Producers have experimented with everything from Port and Sherry to Cognac, rum and wine barrels, but Shortbarrel’s use of more than 50 separately matured finishing casks makes this release stand apart from the more conventional double-barrel approach.
There’s also a practical reason to finish the components independently. A high-rye bourbon placed into a Cognac barrel can develop differently than a corn-heavy whiskey aged in Tawny Port. By keeping those components separate until blending, Shortbarrel can decide how much of each finished whiskey belongs in the final batch rather than committing the entire batch to the same secondary maturation.
At 107 proof and without chill filtration, Cigar Batch #4 also retains enough strength to stand up to the richer fruit, oak and confectionary characteristics created by the finishing program.
The $89.99 suggested retail price puts the bottle below the $100 mark despite the complicated maturation and blending process, potentially making Cigar Batch #4 an interesting option for drinkers who enjoy finished American whiskey but have watched prices for limited releases climb well beyond that level.
Shortbarrel Cigar Batch #4 is available in select retail markets beginning Sept. 1, with online sales scheduled to begin Sept. 4. Shortbarrel currently distributes its products in Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, Texas and Missouri.
The fourth Cigar Batch ultimately represents what Shortbarrel has built its reputation around: sourced mature American whiskey treated not as a finished product, but as raw material for blending.
With four mash bills, whiskey originating in Kentucky and Indiana, five different finishing barrel categories and more than 50 individual finishing casks involved, Cigar Batch #4 certainly isn’t taking the simple route.
For whiskey drinkers who appreciate the blending side of American whiskey — or who happen to enjoy a good bourbon with a premium cigar — that’s precisely what makes this bottle worth watching.
Whiskey: Shortbarrel Cigar Batch #4
Classification: American whiskey
Release: Sept. 1, 2026
Proof: 107
ABV: 53.5%
Finishing casks: Armagnac, Cognac, rum, Tawny Port and Sherry
Number of finishing casks: More than 50
Filtration: Non-chill-filtered
MSRP: $89.99
Distribution: Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, Texas and Missouri
Online release: Sept. 4, 2026
Recommended Cigar Pairings: Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Robusto, Padrón 1964 Anniversary Maduro Exclusivo and Liga Privada No. 9 Toro.
Shortbarrel and Old Fourth Distillery products are available through ecommerce at www.shortbarrelbourbon.com and www.o4d.com and select retail markets. Shortbarrel’s retail distribution includes Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, Texas and Missouri. To learn more, visit www.shortbarrelbourbon.com.
ABOUT SHORTBARREL
Atlanta-based Shortbarrel is one of the fastest-growing independently owned craft spirits brands in the Southeast, founded in 2020 when friends Adam Dorfman, Clinton Dugan and Patrick Lemmond turned their love of whiskey into much more than a passion project. The company consists of two core businesses: Shortbarrel is an award-winning, nationally available American Whiskey brand; and Old Fourth Distillery, which was acquired in 2023, is a legendary, hyper-local brand featuring white spirits and specialty whiskeys with a true hometown flair. The company is built on a simple belief: the future of American Whiskey belongs to brands that blend authenticity, transparency and relentless innovation with real, measurable performance.
