Shortbarrel Cigar Batch #4 Review
Most cigar blends lean on one finishing cask to do the heavy lifting. Shortbarrel went with more than 50.
Cigar Batch #4 is the fourth annual release in the Atlanta company's limited-edition series. It hit select retail markets on September 1, 2026, and Shortbarrel's online store followed on September 4. The numbers on this bottle read like a blender's dare: four mash bills, whiskey sourced from Kentucky and Indiana, and five kinds of finishing casks. Armagnac, Cognac, rum, and Tawny Port barrels all return from earlier batches. Sherry casks join the series for the first time.
Shortbarrel has been at this since 2020, blending, finishing, and bottling sourced whiskey. Master Blender Clinton Dugan builds Cigar Batch by finishing each component in its own cask before any of it meets in the blend. The company doesn't name its distillery partners, so Kentucky and Indiana is as specific as the trail gets. Dugan told Maxim the brand started with six barrels, and this year's Cigar Batch is the largest batch Shortbarrel has ever put together.
Read the pitch closely. Shortbarrel says the whiskey takes its cue from the way a premium cigar progresses, layer by layer, and wasn't built only as something to pair with one. Good news for me, since a cigar was never part of my plan for this bottle. It's bottled at 107 proof, non-chill filtered, with a suggested price of $89.99.
The last cigar blend I reviewed was the Ironroot Cigar Blend ICC Edition out of Texas. Different state, different playbook. This one is a blender's whiskey from the first sniff.
The Bottle
Distillery: Sourced from Kentucky and Indiana. Blended, finished, and bottled by Shortbarrel in Atlanta, Georgia.
Release: September 2026 (annual limited release)
Classification: American Whiskey (Blended, Cask Finished)
Proof: 107 (53.5% ABV)
Age: NAS
Mash Bill: A blend of four mash bills: 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley. 70% corn, 21% rye, 9% malted barley. 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley. 91% corn, 9% malted barley.
MSRP: $90
First Impression: Figs and citrus open the nose, with tobacco leaf underneath and a soft custard note rounding the edges.
On the Palate: Raisin and brown sugar arrive first on a medium body, then cinnamon and cherry pie take over the middle. A flick of anise shows up late. The heat runs warm and drinks a touch above 107.
The Last Sip: Charred oak and orange carry the finish, and it lingers. Chocolate Moon Pie comes next, with a dry note of hay at the very end.
Editor's note: Holy shit. I went back in after the glass sat for a while and it turned super fruity. It reminded me of Spree candy. I've got to remember to let these breathe more.
Final Thoughts
I'm not a wine drinker. So it always amazes me what happens when you take a stack of used wine and brandy barrels, add whiskey, and let the flavors melt together. The complexity goes well past anything I associate with wine. It makes me think I owe wine a better relationship.
Shortbarrel did a great job blending here. With this many casks in play, the glass still reads as one whiskey. If stacked cask finishes are your thing, the Blade and Bow 12 Year Solera Reserve runs a similar play with Port, Bordeaux, Cognac, and Moscatel casks.
I'd come back to this bottle. Not with a cigar, as the name implies, but as an after-dinner dram, the pour you reach for once a great meal is done. It drinks a bit above its proof, and not in a bad way. I was happy with it from start to finish.
No verdict badge on this one. The experience speaks for itself.
Have you tried a Shortbarrel bottle yet? Tell me where a cigar blend fits in your rotation.
