What Happens When Musicians Start Making Whisky?
Tunes aren’t the only thing popular musicians are creating. Whisky Advocate highlights the great whisky artists being produced by artists like Neil Giraldo.
Expert Reviews & Awards
HIGH HONORS
We have been honored to receive high reviews from some of the most prestigious bourbon and whiskey experts in the US. See below for just some of the reviews that keep coming in.
EXPERT REVIEWS
94 points by Whiskey Advocate
Bourbon/Tennessee | $80
Butter pecan ice cream, peanuts in the shell, oily grain, milk chocolate, cooked orange, cherry tart, and blueberries on the nose. The palate is spiced, nutty, and chewy, with milk chocolate, orange soda, cherry cough drop, baking spice, brown sugar, a hint of eucalyptus, and loads of peanuts. More rich spice, chocolate, and fruit on the finish, along with peanut butter, spearmint, and generous oak. Not a hair out of place.
93 points by Tastings
Rye Whiskey | $50
Golden amber color. Aromas and flavors of rye crisps, baked apricot, nutmeg, fresh dill, and sage with a satiny, crisp, fruity medium body and a sleek, compelling, medium-long finish. A smooth, well-integrated rye with both spicy and delicate flavors that delight the senses; practically cognac-like.
93 points by Whiskeycast
Bourbon/Tennessee | $40
This Bourbon created by musician/producer Neil Giraldo, distiller/blender Ari Sussman, and their colleagues at Three Chord Bourbon, Inc takes sourced Bourbons and blends them together, then hits them with tonal vibrations designed to bring out desired flavors in the final whiskey. The nose has notes of caramel apples, honeycomb, soft spices, and hints of orange peel and oak. The taste is smooth, velvety, and sweet at first, followed by spicy notes of ground peppercorns and chili powder that build up nicely while not overpowering the sweeter notes underneath for an excellent balance and complexity. The finish is long and lingering with gentle spices, caramel, and honey sweetness. An excellent debut! (December, 2018).
Video Reviews
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of your products and would recommend them to anyone!
This is good, I recommend it!
It is worth taking the time to find this new rye whiskey.
A- from Drinkhacker.com
I rate this 93 points...
Spectacular
As smooth as the guitar playing of its creator
A Bourbon Worth Sharing
Very smooth bourbon – very nicely blended
- Wine Searcher
I rate this 107 Proof Reserve at 94 points
Highly recommended
- Tastings.com
Best of Class for Small Batch 11 years or Older - Gold
- Craft Distillers Spirits Competition
Best in Show Overall: 12 Bar Reserve - Gold
- Craft Distillers Spirits Competition
Three Chord Strange Collaboration is a favorite pour. Now, I’m adding the 12 Bar Reserve to that list!
- Mark Pruett
Awards
Best in Show Overall: 12 Bar Reserve - Gold
2018 Craft Distillers Spirits Competition
The big winner was Three Chord Blended Bourbon, which was awarded Best in Show for its Twelve Bar Reserve. The same release was named Best of Class for small-batch bourbon 11 years or older. Three Chord is a new brand, released in 2018, from Grammy-winning artist Neil Giraldo. “In music, every instrument by itself is dormant until it gets in the hands of the player,” explains Giraldo. “Bourbon is no different. Every blend and complex structure is dormant until it gets into the hands of the creator.
Best of Class for Small Batch 11 years or Older - Gold
2018 Craft Distillers Spirits Competition
The big winner was Three Chord Blended Bourbon, which was awarded Best in Show for its Twelve Bar Reserve. The same release was named Best of Class for small-batch bourbon 11 years or older. Three Chord is a new brand, released in 2018, from Grammy-winning artist Neil Giraldo. “In music, every instrument by itself is dormant until it gets in the hands of the player,” explains Giraldo. “Bourbon is no different. Every blend and complex structure is dormant until it gets into the hands of the creator.
Silver Medal for World Spirits Championships
2018 World Spirits Competition
The 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition was held at the Hotel Nikko, San Francisco from April 13th through April 15th. The 2018 Competition was another record-breaking year that featured 2,469 spirit entries from all corners of the world, marking an 11% increase over last year’s competition.
Tastings.com Gold 2019: Three Chord Amplify Rye Whiskey – 93 Points
2019 International Review of Spirits
Press Articles
Apr
21
2020
Press Articles
Sep
09
2018
Grooves to the blues
In its 23rd year, the annual Red, White & Blues Festival saw its largest turnout ever Saturday.
“I’m estimating 800-1,000 people this year, just in the park alone, not including bar traffic,” Festivals Fredonia Chairman Larry Fiorella stated.
Press Articles
Sep
02
2018
Rocker Neil Giraldo brings new bourbon to Michigan State Fair
Neil Giraldo may be a hotshot rock ‘n’ roll guitarist after 40 years with wife Pat Benatar and other musical concerns.
But these days he’s hitting us with best shot — bourbon shot, that is.
It’s actually Giraldo’s extra-musical concerns that have turned him into a bourbon maker — and, via his new Three Chord Bourbon brand, connected to him to Michigan and events like the Ann Arbor Blues Festival and this weekend’s Michigan State Fair. Giraldo is also a screenwriter, and a social media posting about one of his projects caught the attention of Brian Canning, a longtime friend who hadn’t been in touch for a number of years.
Press Articles
Jul
10
2018
Official Press Release 7/10/2018
MUSICIAN AND PRODUCER OF GRAMMY-WINNING HITS, NEIL GIRALDO, UNVEILS THREE CHORD BLENDED BOURBON, AN INNOVATIVE NEW SPIRIT INSPIRED BY MUSIC AND FINISHED USING TONAL VIBRATIONS
Three Chord’s process applies vibrations to enhance the structure of their aged bourbon blend
Ann Arbor, MI, July 10, 2018 – A new blended bourbon was introduced to the market today that embodies the spirit of music, creativity, and innovation. Three Chord Blended Bourbon was created by musician and producer of Grammy-winning hits, Neil Giraldo, and is crafted using a proprietary process that applies tonal vibrations to the aged bourbon blend. This process develops a nuanced taste, aroma, and character that is exclusive to Three Chord Blended Bourbon.
“When I first began playing guitar, I understood the influence of three basic chords — the roots of the blues — and recognized that the beauty of the perfect melody, the arrangement of notes and vibrations of tones, could impact one’s mood and elicit powerful emotions,” said Three Chord founder, Neil Giraldo. “I also saw how drinks resting on our guitar amplifiers would vibrate and wondered if the implementation of sound and vibrations could also be used to alter and enhance the structure of a seasoned spirit. I wanted to take that same philosophy and apply it to making bourbon.”
The Three Chord creation process begins with carefully sourced barrels from select American Cooperages. Implementing the latest barrel-toasting techniques, American Oak from the Missouri Ozarks is charred to a precise temperature, which allows for the extraction of the flavors of maple syrup, vanilla, and caramel embodied in the wood. Three Chord sources up to 12-year-old bourbons from distillers in Kentucky and Tennessee. Then, Master Distiller Ari Sussman handcrafts the perfect blend of aged bourbon and the Three Chord toasted oak techniques to create an authentic taste profile. Using a proprietary and unique process termed ‘Perfectly Tuned Taste,’ Three Chord applies tonal vibrations to finish the blend and extract additional barrel notes of caramel, vanilla, and maple.
“In music every instrument by itself is dormant until it gets in the hands of the player,” added Giraldo. “Bourbon is no different. Every blend and complex structure is dormant until it gets into the hands of the creator. We’ve developed a process that harmonizes the bourbon and creates a taste profile that is unique to Three Chord.”
Three Chord Blended Bourbon is now available for $39.99 at select locations in Michigan, New York, New Jersey, and California. Three Chord is produced in Jackson, Michigan and is based in Ann Arbor. The company is represented by Empire Merchants North in New York, Fedway Distributors in New Jersey, Imperial Beverage in Michigan, and Liberation Distribution (LibDib.com) in California. Distribution is quickly expanding and a product locator can be found at https://threechordbourbon.com/find-us. Online shipping options are also available via the website, threechordbourbon.com.
About Neil Giraldo
Innovation is nothing new to Giraldo. With a back catalog of more than 100 songs written and more than 45 million records sold, Giraldo has written, produced, arranged, and recorded for Pat Benatar, John Waite, Rick Springfield, Kenny Loggins, Steve Forbert, The Del Lords, Beth Hart, The Coors, and others. Over the years Neil has produced many Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning hits including “Love is a Battlefield” and “We Belong.” His complete discography can be found here.
About Three Chord Bourbon, Inc.
Three Chord is led by musician Neil Giraldo and is produced by Three Chord Bourbon, Inc., an Ann Arbor, Michigan, based company. Three Chord Blended Bourbon is produced in Jackson, Michigan, and is the company’s first product to be introduced to the market. Other spirits are in production, including a reserve bourbon, and will be introduced to the market in the near future. Three Chord Blended Bourbon is currently available in select locations nationwide. More information and a product locator can be found at threechordbourbon.comor on Facebook @threechordbourbon, Twitter @3ChordBourbon, and Instagram @threechordbourbon.
