Three Chord Blended Bourbon Whiskey
Three Chord Blended Bourbon Whiskey is the flagship bottling of Neil Giraldo's Three Chord range — 40.5% ABV (81 proof), 750mL, a medium-high-rye blend (73% corn, 20% rye, 7% malted barley) of Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee bourbons, including bourbon up to 12 years old, finished with toasted American oak staves and the brand's Perfectly Tuned Taste tonal-vibration process, bottled in small batches of about 250 gallons. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 40.5% (81 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Mash bill: 73% corn, 20% rye, 7% malted barley (blended)
- Blend: Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee bourbons, up to 12 years old
- Finishing: Secondary controlled charring with toasted white American oak staves; Perfectly Tuned Taste tonal-vibration finish
- Batch size: Small batches of about 250 gallons
- Origin: Distilled in Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee; blended by Three Chord (Steel Bending Spirits)
Three States, Three Chords, One Blend
The name is the recipe in miniature: three basic chords sit at the root of the blues, and three bourbon traditions sit in this bottle. Founder Neil Giraldo — Pat Benatar's guitarist and a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee — built Three Chord with whiskeymaker Ari Sussman on sourced bourbons chosen for blending, not geography: Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee whiskeys on a shared 73/20/7 corn-rye-barley frame, given a secondary charring with toasted oak staves for depth and a breath of smoke, then finished under sound — the Perfectly Tuned Taste process Giraldo developed after watching drinks vibrate on his amplifiers. It is bottled 250 gallons at a time, at an easy 81 proof. Pour it from our bourbon whiskey collection, browse the whisky shelves, or see the full range on the Three Chord Bourbon vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Dark mahogany-pretzel colour; maple syrup, caramel and vanilla (official notes). Palate: Complex and lightly sweet, grassy at first, spice giving way to light citrus fruit and mild charred oak. Finish: Refined and lingering — honeycomb, with a mild warmth.
How to Enjoy
An 81-proof blend built for versatility: neat for the maple-and-honeycomb profile, on the rocks for the evening, and a natural base for an Old Fashioned that should taste of bourbon first and bitters second.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a straight bourbon? It is a blended bourbon whiskey — bourbons from three states (Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee) married on one mash frame, rather than a single-distillery straight bourbon. The blend includes bourbon up to 12 years old; that is the oldest component, not an age statement for the whole bottle.
How is it different from Three Chord Strange Collaboration? Strange Collaboration is a separate bottling — a Kentucky straight bourbon finished in Pinot Noir casks at 99 proof. This flagship is the core 81-proof three-state blend, with no wine-cask finish.
Who is behind Three Chord? Guitarist and producer Neil Giraldo, through Steel Bending Spirits, with blending by whiskeymaker Ari Sussman — and the brand's signature Perfectly Tuned Taste finish, which rests the whiskey under tonal vibrations.
The flagship blend, three states deep — buy Three Chord Blended Bourbon Whiskey online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.