Shortbarrel Four Grain Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: C

Shortbarrel is a non-distiller producer (NDP) founded by Adam Dorfman, Clinton Dugan and Patrick Lemmond in Atlanta, Georgia in 2015. They spent 2016-2020 building up their barrel stock, and with that done released the first offerings of their new brand in 2021. Growth followed swiftly, and in 2023 the company bought Old Fourth Distillery, Atlanta’s first post-Prohibition distiller. Last year they added a retail shop, restaurant and bar in Atlanta’s international airport (aka the seat of Delta Airlines).

Their Four Grain Bourbon is part of what currently stands as three whiskeys in their core, regular line-up (they also have a rye and a toasted barrel finished bourbon). Sourced from Kentucky, it’s described as a four to five year old bourbon made from a common set of four grains: corn, rye, wheat and malted barley. The folks in Kentucky known to be making four grain bourbon are Jeptha Creed and Rabbit Hole, but either, both or a third party entirely could have been the source. It’s bottled at 92 proof.

The Bourbon
Once in my NEAT glass, the bourbon took on a pale amber coloring. I found the nose light and airy, bordering on faint, but it was distinct after I developed it with repeated nosings: cinnamon dusted graham cracker with apple drizzle. The palate was also quite light, continuing the theme from the scent with baked apples up until the back end. It’s as the tasting ends and the finish begins that the bourbon really (and finally) develops some heft, with the finish being the most flavorful part, leaving a weighty sweet vanilla note to linger on.

In a nutshell, Shortbarrel Four Grain is a bourbon in the same vein as Basil Hayden: something designed for folks who don’t want a chewy bourbon. Still, that lightness is surprising for something with 92 proof (Hayden is 80).

The Price
Expect to pay about $45 a bottle for Shortbarrel.