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.