Oak | Vanilla | White peppercorn | Faint cotton candy | Light overall

Creamy vanilla | New oak | White peppercorn spice | Faint baking spices | Light brown sugar

Vanilla sugar | Oak | Light baking spices | 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. The series was originally released in 2023, and their 2024 follow-up included 11 new releases, with additional bottles being slowly announced for their 2025 series.

Michael Ray is a country music singer and songwriter who released his first album in 2010. With three full-length albums under his belt and another purportedly in the works, he’s delivered a number of fan favorite songs, including the aptly named, “Whiskey and Rain.” For his Three Chord Backstage Series release, the company took a blend of Indiana and Kentucky bourbon and finished 30% of it in used cherry bounce barrels. This unusual finishing barrel once held a spirit made with cherries, whiskey, and baking spices.  

Three Chord Backstage Series: Michael Ray is a straightforward, no-nonsense bourbon. The portion finished in cherry bounce barrels pulls in baking spices but has little impact beyond that. The nose is light, focusing on traditional flavors with a hint of cotton candy. The midpoint is mild, which is surprising considering the 100 proof the bourbon is bottled at. Ending on a straightforward pathway, the finish is short and to the point. While fans of Michael Ray will most likely be interested in this release from a fandom standpoint, this bourbon blends into a sea of other sourced bourbons available in the market.