Bourbon Reviews, Distillery News and Information
Shortbarrel Sapsquatch Bourbon Review: Complex, Not Cloying
Can a whiskey finished with sugar maple spirals and maple syrup barrels stay balanced? We dive into Shortbarrel Sapsquatch Bourbon, a 110-proof blend of Kentucky and Indiana whiskeys with a two-stage secondary maturation. Read our full review to see how this sweet experiment turned out!
Shortbarrel
Sapsquatch Bourbon
Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys
Finished With Sugar Maple Infusion Spirals and in Maple Syrup Barrels
110 Proof
SRP: $89.99
Review
Please enjoy our Shortbarrel Sapsquatch Bourbon Review!
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Shortbarrel Sapsquatch Bourbon Review
Shortbarrel is an Atlanta-based craft spirits brand founded in 2020 by friends Adam Dorfman, Clinton Dugan, and Patrick Lemmond, who turned their passion for whiskey into an award-winning brand built on authenticity and transparency. Shortbarrel Sapsquatch Bourbon first appeared in May of 2025 as a very limited single barrel finish. This latest batch is the first to feature a broader selection of 20-to-30 barrels of six-to-eight-year-old bourbon hailing from distillers like Jim Beam, Barton, Bardstown Bourbon Company, Green River, and MGP. Master Blender Clinton Dugan engineered a unique two-stage finishing method designed to challenge what maple finishing can be, utilizing sugar maple infusion spirals for six to eight weeks in stainless steel tanks followed by a secondary maturation in Kelvin-toasted barrels that previously aged maple syrup from Vermont and Ohio.
A Maple Finished Bourbon Not Meant To Be Overly Sweet
“We found that simply finishing our bourbon in former maple syrup barrels wasn’t the right approach, it lacked consistency and missed the balance and depth we were looking for,” says Dugan. “Our goal was never sugary sweetness. Maple here is a structural component, contributing to mouthfeel, mid-palate density, and a perception of roundness without pushing the whiskey into dessert territory.”
Details — Shortbarrel Sapsquatch Bourbon Review
- Brand: Shortbarrel
- Whiskey Name: Sapsquatch Bourbon
- Type: Blend of Kentucky and Indiana Whiskeys
- Qualifiers: Finished with Sugar Maple Infusion Spirals and Maple Syrup Barrels
- Proof: 110
- Age: 6 to 8 Years Old
- Mashbill: Typically 70% corn/21% rye/9% malted barley and 75% corn/21% rye/4% malted barley
- Source Distilleries: Jim Beam, Barton, Bardstown Bourbon Company, Green River, and MGP
- SRP: $89.99
Tasting Notes — Shortbarrel Sapsquatch Bourbon Review
Let’s taste it:
Ed:
* 🛏 Rested: 15 minutes in a Glencairn glass
* 👉🏻 Nose: Mild syrupy sweetness that is not too sweet, hints of maple syrup, caramel as my nose acclimates, sweet cherry candy that morphs into darker cherries, raisins, rye spices, fleeting hints of licorice, light floral notes, and a sweeter wood in the background. Alcohol vapor appropriate for the proof.
* 👉🏻 Taste: Sweeter than the nose and somewhat more syrupy, mild maple syrup, tart citrus, and tannins.
* 👉🏻 Finish: Maple syrup is present and mild, becoming more distinctive at the beginning of the finish, followed by a fairly dry transition with capsaicin spice, tart orange citrus, and tannins that go on for a fairly long time with a bit of sweetness hanging on to the end.
Dean:
* 🛏 Rested: 15 minutes in a Glencairn glass
* 👉🏻 Nose: Wood with oak & maple up front, wonderful baking spices, clove, licorice, prunes, and a Luxardo cherry note with noticeable but appropriate proof.
* 👉🏻 Taste: No real maple syrupy flavor, honeyed orange up front, faint lime, mild red hots, a little bit of white pepper, a building heat through the palate, and a fleeting hint of green apple.
* 👉🏻 Finish: Nice long finish where the heat fades really slowly, mild red hots, citrus coming back all the way at the end, and a slow dryness that does not dry you out completely.
Surprisingly Similar Flavor Notes
Surprisingly, Dean and I got very similar flavors from Shortbarrel Sapsquatch Bourbon. For a whiskey with a complex maple finishing process, we found that the flavors weren’t at all as sweet and maple syrup dominated as we had expected. On the nose, I got a mild, syrupy sweetness, with caramel, fruits, rye spices and fleeting hints of licorice. When I tasted it, it was a bit more syrupy than the nose suggested, but the maple syrup was still mild, and was accompanied by tart citrus and tannins. The finish lasted for a long time, starting out with that mild maple before becoming fairly dry with capsaicin spice, tannins and tart orange citrus. Nonetheless, mild sweetness lasted til the end.
Wood Spirals vs. Toasted Barrels — Shortbarrel Sapsquatch Bourbon Review
On the nose, Dean picked up a distinct wood and maple aroma, along with clove, baking spices, and a dark fruit character like prunes and Luxardo cherry. On the palate, he also didn’t notice much of a maple syrup flavor at all. Instead, he got a honeyed orange up front, a little lime, and a mild red hot candy spice that brought a building heat, with fleeting green apples. For him, the finish faded very slowly, bringing that citrus note back at the very end with a gradual dryness, and continuing mild cinnamon red hots. We both agreed that the combination of the sugar maple infusion spirals and the Kelvin toasted barrels really worked well with the base whiskeys to give this whiskey balance without taking it into overly sweet dessert territory, as we might have expected.
An Easy Sipper with Great Balance
Both Dean and I really enjoyed this bourbon. It’s an easy sipper with maple syrup notes that aren’t cloyingly sweet or overpowering. I honestly didn’t know what to expect because maple syrup can easily take over a whiskey, but that certainly wasn’t the case here. Interestingly, Dean and I found ourselves closer on our flavor notes than we usually are, which is just how palates work sometimes. If you have shied away from maple syrup finishes in the past for fear of being overpowered by the maple or sweetness, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised by Shortbarrel Sapsquatch Bourbon.
Have you tried the Shortbarrel Sapsquatch Bourbon? What did you think? Cheers!🥃
We hope you have enjoyed our Shortbarrel Sapsquatch Bourbon Review! Next, read these related articles: Shortbarrel Four Grain Bourbon Review and Shortbarrel Announces Afterswarm Meadowfoam Limited Rye Whiskey.
Note: This sample was graciously provided by the Brand for my review. I appreciate it!
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About the author: Ed Escott is truly "Bourbon Obsessed". He is the founder of Bourbon Obsessed, LLC, and an Executive Bourbon Steward of the Stave and Thief Society. In addition, he has authored and edited over 600 bourbon and other whiskey reviews, over 50 in-depth distillery write-ups, and many other related articles. He is on the board of the Kentucky Bourbon Influencers and a member of the Lexington Bourbon Society and the Bourbon Capital Guild. Last, but not least, Ed has attended many bourbon-related educational sessions, visited countless distilleries, and is on a never-ending quest to try every bourbon.
Prior to focusing solely on Bourbon Obsessed, Ed practiced in academic medicine for three decades. He most recently was a Professor at the University of Kentucky and served as Chief of the Division of Neuroradiology and Vice Chair For Faculty Mentoring, Development & Wellness of the Department of Radiology. He has extensive editorial experience in academic medical publication, and brings that same academic mindset to Bourbon Obsessed, which is a unique approach for a spirit-focused media company.
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