Review of Three Chord Bourbon's Backstage Series: The Allman Brothers Band Legacy Edition

 

If you’re into music, you’ve probably heard of Neil Giraldo. He’s spent the last forty years as a musician, a record producer, and a songwriter. He has been married to Pat Benatar since 1982. He’s worked with Kenny Loggins, Rick Springfield, Rick Derringer, and several other artists. He is an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also is the founder of Three Chord Bourbon:

 

“One night as I was sipping Bourbon in my studio with friends, the conversation naturally turned to music, sound and composition. We began to wonder how blending the ‘tones’ of various whiskeys together could create a unique ‘harmony’ of flavor.

We knew Bourbon’s role in Americana music and the American dream. We knew we loved it. We knew that the blues and the ‘three chord’ progression were a blank score that we could compose our own masterpiece with. Truth, heart, and integrity.” – Neil Giraldo

 

Anyway, back in what many of you would call the Dark Ages (we GenXers call it 1972), there was a rock group called The Allman Brothers Band. That year, the group released its fourth album, and it was shortly after the death of (but including) founding member Duane Allman. The album was called Eat A Peach.

 

Brother and co-founder Greg Allman said of Eat A Peach:

 

“The music brought life back to us all, and it was simultaneously realized by every one of us. We found strength, vitality, newness, reason, and belonging as we worked on finishing Eat a Peach. Those last three songs ... just kinda floated right on out of us ... The music was still good, it was still rich, and it still had that energy—it was still the Allman Brothers Band.”

 

That brings us back to Three Chord Bourbon and its latest release, Backstage Series: The Allman Brothers Band Legacy Edition. It is a blend of 9-year-old Straight Kentucky Bourbon and 11-year-old Tennessee Whiskey made from a Bourbon mashbill and aged in re-charred barrels. After maturation and blending, it was finished in peach brandy barrels from George Washington’s distillery at Mount Vernon.

 

The exact mashbills and distillers are undisclosed. This Bourbon is bottled at 53.5% ABV (107°), and a 750ml comes with a suggested $199.99 price tag and will be available online and in select stores in March.

 

Ari Sussman is the Head Distiller and Blender at Steel Bending Spirits in Chelsea, Michigan. He’s the man who knows what he’s doing with whiskey and is responsible for producing Three Chord Bourbon. I’ve tried many of the whiskeys Ari is responsible for, and I’ve never had a dud yet.

 

Before I get to the #DrinkCurious part, I must thank Three Chord Bourbon for providing me with a sample of Backstage Series: The Allman Brothers Band in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

Appearance: I poured this whiskey into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. The liquid was a deep, orange amber, forming a husky rim with thick, medium-spaced, slow tears.

 

Nose: I allowed the whiskey to rest for about ten minutes. When I brought the glass under my nostrils and inhaled, I experienced smells of cinnamon spice, dry leather, stewed peaches, and plums. I drew that air into my mouth and encountered toffee.

 

Palate: The first sip exposed me to a whiskey with a slick, oily texture. There was a potent punch of spice. Then, I took a second sip to bypass the palate shock. The front featured stewed peaches, vanilla, and nutmeg. My mid-palate discovered pink grapefruit, plums, and tobacco leaf. Flavors of oak spice, cinnamon, and black pepper formed the back.

 

Finish: The Energizer Bunny finish started soft and worked into a warm crescendo, leaving tastes of black pepper, oak spice, dry leather, rye spice, sweet vanilla, and grapefruit. It clocked in at 2:43.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Backstage Series: The Allman Brothers Band Legacy Edition drank a few points higher than its stated proof and warmed my mouth and throat for the entire duration. I had expected a heavy peach influence based on the finishing barrel. The grapefruit component took me by surprise; that’s not something that I run into other than malt whiskeys, and as such, it could indicate that a higher-than-average malted barley ingredient was used. Or, I could be totally off base, and it could be the peach brandy (which I do not drink).

 

It is a delicious, interesting, unique whiskey. I can’t say that I’ve tasted anything like it, and that’s worth a premium; so is the use of older stocks. Still, $200.00 is a big ask for most American whiskeys.

 

I believe that Three Chord’s Backstage Series: The Allman Brothers Band Legacy Edition is one of those experience whiskeys –so deep in its own universe that if you have the opportunity to get it, you should. As such, it earns my Bottle rating. If you can’t pull the trigger but you see it at a good whiskey bar, take advantage of that. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.