Shortbarrel Double Oak Bourbon & Rye Whiskey / Batch 53
The Stats
- Producer: Shortbarrel
- Location: Georgia
- Type: Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Rye Whiskey
- Batch: 53
- Proof: 110.6 (55.3% ALC/VOL)
- Age: No Age Statement
- Mash Bill: Undisclosed / Multiple Mash Bills
- Finishing: Double Oak
- Release: Limited
- Price: $85
Shortbarrel is finally showing up here in Missouri. We have had a few of their bottles before, but until recently, this was still a brand we mostly encountered outside our normal whiskey-shopping orbit. With more Shortbarrel hitting shelves around us, Double Oak felt like a pretty good place to spend some time.
Especially because double-oaked whiskey has become a crowded category.
Adding another new oak barrel can bring more sweetness, vanilla, char and texture. It can also bury a whiskey under so much wood that everything starts tasting the same. Shortbarrel Double Oak definitely brings the oak, but after spending time with Batch 53, there is more happening underneath it.
For us, the interesting stuff happens once you actually take a sip.
The Whiskey Behind the Bottle
Shortbarrel started with three friends in Atlanta who were picking barrels together long before they had a whiskey company. Between 2016 and 2020, Adam Dorfman, Clinton Dugan and Patrick Lemmond selected more than 350 barrels before turning that experience into Shortbarrel. Their first bottles hit shelves in Georgia in 2021.
That background still shapes how the brand works today. Shortbarrel sources whiskey, then handles the blending, additional aging and bottling in Georgia. In 2023, the company acquired Old Fourth Distillery, giving them their own distilling operation while continuing to work with sourced whiskey.
Our bottle is Double Oak Batch 53, a blend of straight bourbon whiskey and rye whiskey bottled at 110.6 proof. The whiskey then goes through Shortbarrel’s Double Oak process, adding another layer of oak influence to an already interesting blend.
That bourbon-and-rye combination is part of what makes this bottle different from a more traditional Double Oak bourbon. There is plenty of sweetness and barrel character, but the rye adds a little extra structure underneath it all.
The release has also gotten some serious outside attention, including major recognition at the 2026 WSWA tasting competition. That does not mean much once the glass is in front of us, but it did make us curious whether Shortbarrel had something here that could stand out in an increasingly crowded Double Oak category.
Tasting Notes
Aroma
Vanilla, caramel and oak lead, with a softer marshmallow sweetness underneath. Plenty of evidence of that second barrel, but we didn't find much complexity here. One of us simply wrote down "average," which is probably a pretty good summary. Nothing wrong with it. It just wasn't where this whiskey made its strongest impression.
Taste
The palate is considerably better. Sweet maple and toasted sugar come through first, followed by vanilla, charred oak and cocoa. The richness and the oak feel better integrated once you start drinking it.
At 110.6 proof, it has enough weight and intensity to carry all that sweetness and barrel influence without feeling thin. This is definitely an oak-forward bourbon, but it isn't just oak. The maple, vanilla and darker toasted-sugar notes give it enough sweetness to keep everything relatively balanced.
Finish
The finish might be our favorite part. Toasted oak and sweetness hang around, along with an interesting coconut note and a subtle rye spice that shows up toward the end. It is pleasantly long and gives the whiskey a little more personality than the nose initially suggests.
Artfully Bourbon Rating
7.5 / 10 - Very Good
We ended up a little split on Shortbarrel Double Oak, with individual scores of 7 and 8, for a combined 7.5.
If you are looking for a whiskey with a big, expressive nose and layers that constantly change in the glass, this probably isn't that bottle. The aroma was relatively average for us, and the profile stays pretty firmly in the sweet, toasted, oak-forward lane. But the palate is rich, the second barrel brings plenty of character, and that long coconut-and-oak finish gives it something a little different.
This was our first chance to sit down with Shortbarrel now that the brand is showing up more regularly in Missouri. Based on this bottle, we're interested to see more.
Buy or Skip:
Buy
Buy if you're a Double Oak fan.
If you like sweeter, oak-forward bourbon, Shortbarrel Double Oak is worth a try. The palate and finish do most of the work here, with more richness and character than the nose initially suggests.
If you prefer brighter, fruitier or more complex bourbon, this probably isn't the one to chase.
Where Does It Rank?
Every whiskey we review is scored using the same 10-point scale, making it easy to compare bottles across styles, distilleries, and price points. Explore our complete whiskey rankings to see how every bottle stacks up.
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Details
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12 oz. capacity
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Stainless steel core with enamel finish
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Lightweight construction
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Rounded edges for comfortable sipping
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Lead- and BPA-free
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Not microwave-safe
Care
Hand wash only.
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