Dorfman’s Bourbon Starts with Barrels

Atlanta native Adam Dorfman, a bourbon enthusiast, pursued a new venture in 2015 with two of his closest buddies and named this new spirit, “Shortbarrel.”

Shortbarrel, one of Dorfman’s nicknames, is the first distillery outside of Kentucky to be based in Atlanta, producing this level of quality, which stems from carefully handpicked barrels that meet exacting standards. Dorfman’s team embarked on countless barrel-picking adventures, meticulously selecting more than 350 barrels and selling over 10,000 cases.

During a Sunday in Louisville in 2020, after indulging in bourbons for hours, the team crossed paths with a barrel broker. In a moment of “inspired intoxication,” they decided to create their brand. Shortbarrel was born, and in early 2021, they hit shelves in home state of Georgia.

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Shortbarrel is distributed in four states: Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Additionally, they offer online shipping to customers in 44 states.

Shortbarrel recently reached an agreement with the state of Kentucky to distribute within their state. This was notable as Kentucky, synonymous with good bourbon, invited the brand — an Atlanta-born bourbon, marking the first time such an invitation has been offered.

The team is expanding production on Lawn Dart — a refreshing lemon drink.

In February 2023, Shortbarrel Bourbon acquired the renowned Old Fourth Distillery which remained popular with connoisseurs over the last decade — 2024 is the 10-year anniversary. The trio of entrepreneurs are credited for the revival of what was considered a “dead brand.” They also created an award-winning rye and vodka. Recently, Dorfman released a reinvigorated Lawn Dart from the Old Fourth Distillery which is a refreshing bottled cocktail with fresh lemon and ginger ingredients that can simply freeze or pour over ice.

Dorfman was born and raised in Atlanta where he attended Woodward Academy and North Springs High School. He watched his father and stepmother, Larry and Cathy Dorfman, build a company (APCO) from the ground up; his childhood was filled with stories from both of his grandfathers, Bob Krasnoff, and the late Arnold Dorfman, about the ups and downs of building businesses.

After graduation, Dorfman attended Arizona State University and spent several years as a touring singer-songwriter, bartender, and even a substitute teacher. Try as he might, he couldn’t stay away from the world of business and founded his first company, DMC Atlanta, in 2003 (which he still runs).

Adam fell for collecting rare whiskey after discovering that bourbon is gluten-free (yes, he’s one of “those”). The Shortbarrel team daydreamed about growing the club into a business for several years until a chance meeting with those bourbon barrel brokers in Louisville in 2020 turned that dream into a reality. Adam and his partners, Clinton Dugan and Patrick Lemmond, bought six barrels of whiskey and launched the Shortbarrel brand with six single barrels of bourbon.

“The thought was, we were either going to make this thing a reality, or we just wouldn’t buy bourbon for a while!” exclaimed Dorfman.

While Dorfman has a talent for building companies, he never imagined things would take off as quickly as they have. He jokes that the team is “building the plane while flying it.”

Shortbarrel, a bourbon brand created by Adam Dorfman, Clinton Dugan, and Patrick Lemmond, is skyrocketing in distribution including Kentucky, known for its own quality whiskey.

With quicker than expected growth, the three partners bootstrapped the business, taking out home equity lines on their houses to purchase barrels and equipment and working mornings, nights, and weekends on Shortbarrel while holding down full-time careers and raising young families.

When the team found out that Old Fourth Distillery, Atlanta’s oldest distillery since prohibition, was for sale, they dug in and purchased the brand and assets with the goal of growing both under one roof. Both brands currently reside in Norcross just off Jimmy Carter Boulevard.

Last year was a year of significant growth for both brands, with early 2024 pacing to be a record for Old Fourth Distillery. The brand is distributed through United Distributors.

Dorfman, Dugan, and Lemmond have their sights set on national expansion for Shortbarrel and Lawn Dart; and see Old Fourth as one of Atlanta’s premier spirit brands with a tasting room opening in Terminal E of the Atlanta Airport in early 2025.

Adam and wife, Lara Aronoff Dorfman, live with their two children by Chastain Park and are members of Temple Sinai.