Three Chord Blended Bourbon Whiskey Review

By Michael Cervin

Grade: B-

If whiskey is music to your ears, then Three Chord might be on your scale.

Musician Neil Geraldo, better know as rocker Pat Benetar’s long-time guitarist and husband, has composed a new whiskey. I can see you rolling your eyes: another celebrity spirit?

Sure, that’s understandable. But there’s more. Three Cord is made of Kentucky and Tennessee bourbons, aged between four and twelve years, all in first char American oak. The mash bill is 74% corn, 22% rye, and 4% barley malt. That might be the end of it, however given Geraldo being a musician, there is the inevitable twist. To finish the aging process, tonal vibrations are used to, well, harmonize the whiskey.

The process Three Chord developed to apply the vibrations is proprietary so they keep those exact details private. However, according to them tonal vibrations make the liquids in the bourbon expand and collapse. They claim this process “develops a nuanced taste and aroma, and ultimately brings out the flavors and marries them together.” Different vibrations are used depending on the blend and their master distiller monitors it and applies the vibrations until the blend reaches the taste profile that Geraldo and his team envisioned.

To be certain, using vibrations, music or otherwise, is nothing new; ultrasound has been used similarly by Terressentia. Gimmick? Well, that’s for the consumer to decide. Ultimately nothing can accelerate or manipulate true time in barrel and its effects on the whiskey. But all whiskeys are ultimately judged by the same standard: how do they taste in the glass?

The Bourbon

Color: Amber hued with dark golden highlights – the classic bourbon look.

Nose: There are immediate scents of caramel, toffee, and sugared apricot. There are more nuanced notes, but the overall scents are pleasant, if not sweet.

Palate: The sweetness continues on the first sip. The approach is one of honeycomb and sweet resin, caramelized fruit, maraschino cherry, and sugared vanilla. Interestingly, there are back notes that echo deeper flavors, though only minimally: cinnamon spice, cracked black pepper, elements of rye, toffee, orange zest, floral overtones and a barely noticeable component of coffee and condensed milk. There is a nice lingering finish, tingling as it does, and heat that will last for quite a while. Overall this is a pleasant if not commercial bourbon, playing to the inherent love of sweet over multi-faceted. It is, in essence, a non-threatening bourbon, something that will appeal to a wide swath of casual bourbon drinkers. For the hard core, this is enjoyable, but not complicated. At the end of the day, this might be just the respite you seek – a bourbon worth sharing with your less bourbon-inclined friends and in that sense it achieves that goal.

The Price
Released in mid-2018, it has limited availability, only a handful of states as of this review, though they plan a broader rollout. Currently it retails for $40.