Three Chord Bourbon: RIOT Double Bonded Rye and Flipside Triplewood Bourbon Review

 

If you’re into music, you’ve probably heard of Neil Giraldo. He has spent the last forty years as a musician, record producer, and 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 is also 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

 

Three Chord Bourbon has launched what it calls Volume 0002, which is a collection of whiskeys that encourages people to listen to music while they sip – so much so that each bottle has a QR code where you can play a song and learn more about what’s in your glass, surrounded by the phrase, “Turn it up and pour it down!” Girardo suggests, “This isn’t just whiskey. It’s music, bottled.”

 

Ari Sussman is the man behind the blending. Ari is no newcomer to the scene; he has been the distiller behind several brands, including Whiskey JYPSI and Mammoth Distilling. He’s known as a risk-taker; I respect innovation and thinking outside the box, and Ari has proven himself to me many times. Oh, Ari is also the narrator when you click on those QR codes.

 

Today, we’ll explore two of the four Volume 0002 selections: Flipside Triplewood Bourbon and RIOT Double Bonded Rye. The other two are called Hard-Pressed Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon and Strange Collab, a Pinot Noir-finished Bourbon.  

 

When I opened the shipping carton and saw these bottles, without even knowing what was inside, I assumed they would be pricey because of the significant heft and classiness of the presentation. Shockingly, they’re pretty affordable, especially in today’s market.

 

Before the music starts, I must take a moment to thank Three Chord Bourbon for providing me with a sample of each in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest reviews.

 

I used a fresh Glencairn glass and explored each of these whiskeys neat. Now, let’s #DrinkCurious!

 

Flipside Triplewood Bourbon

 

• Whiskey Type: Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
• Distiller: Undisclosed Kentucky distiller
• Age: 4 years
• Mashbill: 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley
• Cooperage: 53-gallon new, charred oak barrels, then finished 2-3 months in both new and vintage toasted French and American oak.
• Alcohol Content: 45% ABV (90°)
• Price per 750mL: $34.99
• Featured Artist: Guitar Shorty (American Blues musician)

 

Appearance: The Bourbon possessed a brassy color and created a massively thick rim, discharging husky, widely spaced, quick tears.

 

Nose: After allowing the contents of my glass to breathe for about ten minutes, I began sniffing and encountered aromas of roasted almonds, walnuts, strawberries, orange peel, butterscotch, nutmeg, and oak. When I brought the vapor through my lips, there was a sensation of rich toffee.

 

Palate: Flipside’s mouthfeel was silky and carried a medium weight. The front of my palate found corn, vanilla, and roasted almonds. Midway through, I detected notes of leather, tobacco leaf, and Parmesan (Yes, the cheese. I triple-checked that because I’ve never named that as a tasting note.). The back included clove, rye spice, and incredibly dry oak.  

 

Finish: Clove, arid oak, rye spice, leather, and roasted almonds remained in my mouth and throat. It maintained its silkiness throughout the duration, which ran 2:18, making it very long-lasting.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: A lot is going on with Flipside Triplewood Bourbon. At one end, it is a well-proofed Bourbon. The other left my gums tingling. To clarify, it was neither hot nor ethanol-heavy. The French oak influence was there and unmistakable, yet not domineering. The American oak provided some sweetness to the wood tannins. There were nuts – so many nuts that I’m convinced that’s what led to the Parmesan cheese note that left me scratching my head. This whole thing was crazy in a terrific way, and I now understand why Three Chord is linking it to Guitar Shorty. Plus, it is super affordable! All of this means it takes my Bottle rating.

 

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RIOT Double Bonded Rye

 

• Whiskey Type: American Rye
• Distiller: MGP and Bardstown Bourbon Co
• Age: 4 years
• Mashbill: 86% rye, 9% corn, 5% malted barley
• Cooperage: 53-gallon new, charred oak barrels
• Alcohol Content: 50% ABV (100°)
• Price per 750mL: $49.99
• Featured Artist: The Darts (Punk Rock)

 

According to Three Chord Bourbon, RIOT Double Bonded Rye is the first to blend two Bottled-in-Bond Ryes from two different distilleries. As I’ve not heard of this happening before, I’ll take them at their word.

 

Appearance: The orange amber color was inviting. The whiskey produced a medium rim with incredibly thick, fast tears.

 

Nose: I waited about ten minutes before taking a deeper look (or smell) into RIOT. I came across notes of mint, fennel, floral rye, oak, and a hint of caramel. Drawing the aroma into my mouth caused me to taste caramel.

 

Palate: With my first sip, I was exposed to a slick texture, so much so that it fell off the back of my tongue and continued down my throat. I took a second, this time attempting to create some drag, but was unsuccessful.

 

I found rye spice, mint, and caramel on the front of my palate. That was easy. More challenging was trying to hold the liquid in my mouth and guide it across my tongue so I could figure out the rest, which featured shredded tobacco and dill at my mid-palate and oak, fennel, and cherries on the back.

 

Finish: The finish had notes of rye spice, menthol, cherries, mild oak, and mint on the back. The mint and rye lasted the longest, weighing in at only 0:43. It was even-keeled.  

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Punk seemed like an appropriate musical style because RIOT made its own rules. I invested a lot of time (and alcohol) trying to nail down these tasting notes because nothing lasted long enough to be thoroughly examined.

 

I’m going out on a limb and suggest that Bardstown Bourbon Company’s component was the larger of the two. Some of the characteristics seemed familiar, but not in a classic MGP way: it was less spicy and more savory. I reached out to Ari after tasting this, and he confirmed my suspicions.

 

I can tell you this much: RIOT drank nowhere near its stated proof, and I say that because I ingested a few pours of it and wasn’t lit and suffered no numbing of my palate. I can best describe it as an easy drinker, perhaps even a dangerous one (because you won’t feel its impact coming until it has already taken effect).

 

For its uniqueness alone, RIOT deserves my Bottle rating. Add to it the affordability factor, and how often you’re going to stare at your glass, wondering what the heck is going on, and it is more than justified.

 

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Encore: These are simply perfect examples of what Ari Sussman does. He thinks outside the box and delivers something completely different than what you’d expect. Between the two, I preferred Flipside only because I was able to wrap my head around it. 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.