Caramel corn | Burnt sugar | Agave | Light cherry | Light toasted oak

Honey | Sweet corn | Golden raisin | Peach | Light & sweet

Toffee | Soft oak | A touch of lingering rye spice | Short

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 Fu Manchu, an American rock band formed in Orange County, California, in 1985 that has released 13 albums. The bottle is adorned with an intriguing depiction of a person being abducted by an unidentified object in the sky. The blend is a union of straight bourbon from undisclosed distilleries from Indiana and Kentucky, that is then finished in toasted oak and cherry bounce barrels, a spirit made with cherries, whiskey, and baking spices.  

This release is noticeably sweet and an all-around easy sipper. It’s straightforward from start to finish, and at no point does it try to be something it’s not. Scents of caramel corn and agave on the nose give way to honey, sweet corn, and golden raisin on the palate, along with toffee and soft oak on the finish. The cherry bounce aspect is notably absent during its sip, though toasted oak is threaded throughout. Like all of Three Chord’s Backstage Series, the price is right, and anyone who is a fan of Fu Manchu will find plenty to enjoy, just not much to love.