Burnt sugar | Caramel | Cinnamon | Nutmeg | Burnt oak

Brown sugar | Oak | Vanilla | Cinnamon churro

Caramel | Nutmeg | Cinnamon | Rye spice | Medium length

Musician Neil Giraldo founded Three Chord Bourbon, and the company’s Backstage Series takes his background and fuses the two. According to the company, the series brings together iconic bands with each of their unique bourbon blends in bottles adorned with the band’s artwork. First released in 2023, their 2024 follow-up includes 11 new releases.

For this release, Three Chord partnered with Atreyu, an American metalcore band formed in Yorba Linda, California, in 1998 that has released nine albums. The bottle is adorned with a spot-foil label. The blend is a union of Kentucky-distilled straight bourbons finished in toasted oak barrels.

Atryu’s Three Chord release is surprisingly light for a metalcore band and is the lowest proof option in the 2024 Backstage Series. The lower proof does mute the flavors somewhat, with traditional notes of soft vanilla, caramel, and oak forming the backbone of the entire sip. Different shades of cinnamon and nutmeg are also an enjoyable addition. This Three Chord release would be a good introduction for someone new to bourbon as it is an easy sipper and quite approachable overall. For those with more experienced palates, there isn’t much for them to discover here.