Brown sugar | Golden raisin | Heavy oak | Rye bread | Faint vanilla | Light fruit cake | Caramel flan 

Golden raisin | Charred oak | Rye spice | Black cherry | Leather | Faint tobacco | Brown sugar | Mixed dried fruit | Spiced honey

Spiced cake | Light honey | Dab of rye spice | Toasted oak | Vanilla syrup | Lingering light spice

Shortbarrell Bourbon is a passion project turned company from friends and founders Adam Dorfman, Clinton Dugan, and Patrick Lemmond. Starting in 2015, the group selected over 350 barrels in the 5 years that followed, and in 2021 decided to formally launch the Shortbarrel brand. Based out of Norcross, Georgia, the company expanded into Atlanta proper with the purchase of Old Fourth Distillery in 2023. Originally established in 2014, Old Fourth Distillery was Atlanta’s first legal distillery since 1906. Tokaji Cask Finish Rye is part of the company’s small batch curator’s series.

Tokaji is a unique wine from the Tokaj wine region that spans from northeastern Hungary to southeastern Slovakia. It’s a famously sweet wine that was once coveted by nobles throughout Europe. It’s a distinct wine with its own distinct production style Tokaji barrels can also be finicky when it comes to finishing whiskey, as the base whiskey can easily overpower the sweetness of the wine or vice versa.

Thankfully, much like Penelope Tokaji Cask Finish Rye Batch 1, Shortbarrel Tokaji Cask Finish Rye integrates its main rye grain with Tokaji finishing barrels quite well. Right from the get-go, the sip displays sweet notes and base rye flavors, starting with a pleasing aroma that lets you know this is a finished whiskey and not afraid to show it. The palate is a nice combination of sweet, earthy, and various spices that intermingle very nicely. The sip finishes with a combination of spice and an underlying sweetness that helps balance it out. Overall, Shortbarrel Tokaji Cask Finish Rye is a great example of how a Tokaji finished whiskey can turn out when you use the right base whiskey.