Three Chord Whiskey Signs 7 Bands to Release ‘Backstage Series’ in Unprecedented Collaboration Between Whiskey and Rock & Roll

The Michigan based whiskey producer, Three Chord, has recently unveiled their ‘Backstage Series’ collaboration. Uniting bands from all over the country with their own portfolio of whiskeys for blending, it’s a collaboration of unmatched sized, at least as far as I have seen. I was at Bourbon & Beyond earlier this year when the first collaborations were announced, a highlight for any brand given the size of the festival and its notoriety in Kentucky.

While the whiskey landscape these days typically sees bands or artists themselves pick up a taste for whiskey and release their own brand, this comes with startup costs, requires a fully dedicated team, and sometimes groups are too late to the game to have access to great stocks. The Backstage Series is unique in featuring artists that worked with the Three Chord team to custom produce their whiskeys from the sizable barrel stocks that Three Chord owns and has access to. As a result, each band has access to some pretty wild whiskey: well aged, a variety of different provenances and many finishes.

Today I’m diving into all seven expressions from Three Chord and each band in the lineup: The Cadillac Three, Goodbye June, Halestorm, Lucero, Black Stone Cherry, Dinosaur Jr and Theory of a Deadman. That’s a pretty wild lineup, and while I’m not a diehard fan of all of these bands, I am a diehard whiskey fan, which works out well. I’ve listened to my fair share of Halestorm over the years and can appreciate getting acquainted with the unique sound each fellow band has so I am donning my headphones and Glencairn today to dive in!

Today I’m tasting a little differently. With a whiskey glass in one hand and my Spotify dash in the other, I’m cueing up each band and giving these a taste.

Three Chord is currently selling each via their website, at ThreeChordBourbon.com. The brand sent along these samples for tasting, on the house. 

Three Chord Backstage Series “The Cadillac Three”

Blend of 3 and 5 yr Tennessee Whiskeys, 90pf, $49.99.

Tasting Notes: Big pop of sweet cream and honey on the nose. Pleasant palate that’s smooth and sweet, full of candy corn, toffee and a pinch of pepper. Short, crisp finish.

Overall: Great sipping whiskey, it’s clear why The Cadillac Three put all their chips into Tennessee whiskey on this one as a Nashville producer. Pairs great with ‘White Lightning’.

Three Chord Backstage Series “Goodbye June”

Blend of 5yr Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee cask strength (!!) Bourbons finished in Cherry Bounce barrels, $69.99

Tasting Notes: Whoah baby! High proof and full of life, each state of origin styles nicely here with the Cherry Bounce finish. Rich caramel, sweet oak, punchy cherry cordials and tobacco sing loud and clear. Long finish, totally killer.

Overall: My first brush with Goodbye June, their upbeat, dynamic and punchy sound totally fits with this high proof bourbon, wailing with personality and flavor. The Cherry Bounce finish sings like the textured guitar punching through their track ‘Oh No’

Three Chord Backstage Series “Halestorm”

Blend of 6yr Kentucky and Indiana Bourbon, 2.5yr Tennessee Bourbon and 8yr Kentucky Corn Whiskey finished in Toasted Barrels, 90pf, $49.99

Tasting Notes: There’s nothing safe about this blend of whiskeys – each component unique and pretty different from the other. They come together nicely, the nose is pure dessert sweetness, the palate is a crescendo of baking spice, pepper and toffee. The finish ties it all together with a punch of baking spice, caramel and a final brulee sweetness. Sneaky ABV and almost too easy to drink at 90pf.

Overall: The whiskey reminds me of Love Bites – it’s all over the place up front but ties together really well on the palate with a long, killer finish. The corn component sets the stage with this release like well layered drums.

Three Chord Backstage Series “Lucero”

Blend of 2, 3 and 6yr Tennessee Whiskeys, 96.6pf, $49.99

Tasting Notes: Spritely and lively, this collab is sweet and full of orange peel, honey, a hint of barrel char and no shortage of sweetness. Sweet, easy and smooth, pinches of pepper and sweet oak balance. Sweet, quick finish with a touch of young oak.

Overall: From a band I never heard of to the band I will keep rolling on my Spotify when this piece is published, Lucero’s sound reminds me of what I love about good music – it can be played in a variety of moods. I found Lucero’s collaboration whiskey the most versatile – great neat, but made a killer Old Fashioned or Whiskey Sour, making it the best of the series to “Drink ‘Til We’re Gone” (also my favorite track of their releases, from their 2001 album).

Three Chord Backstage Series “Black Stone Cherry”

Blend of 8yr Kentucky Corn whiskey and 2yr Kentucky Bourbon finished in Toasted Barrels. 98pf, $49.99

Tasting Notes: Punchy on the nose, this release is full of vanilla, creamed corn, tobacco and a crackle of ethanol on the nose. Palate is full bodied, tons going on with cornbread, pepper, sweet oak and a hint of maple. Long finish, the higher proof is appreciated and pops here with a finish that sticks around.

Overall: Back in the hard rock saddle, this Kentucky outfit picked two loud whiskeys to marry together for a release that’s crankin’. At 98pf, it’s the second highest of the series and punches just like their layered guitar riffs and unapologetic wah peddle.

Three Chord Backstage Series “Dinosaur Jr.”

Blend of 8yr Corn Whiskey, 6yr Bourbon, 2yr Bourbon from Kentucky, finished in Toasted Barrels. 96.6pf, $49.99

Tasting Notes: Roasty, toasty, loaded with french toast character: maple, buttery sweetness, brioche bread and cinnamon and nutmeg. Totally about the dessert here with this release.

Overall: Decadent sweetness rolls with the punches and the riffs, this release caters to my sweet tooth out of all of the releases in the collection, and it’s entirely too easy to enjoy, just like their 1987 hit, Just Like Heaven.

Three Chord Backstage Series “Theory of a Deadman”

Blend of 6yr Straight Bourbon from Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky. 93.4pf, $59.99

Tasting Notes: Pleasant stack of baking spice, oak structure and an apple butter sweetness on the nose and palate. At 93pf, it could use a touch of a bump for my taste, but it’s well blended and each layer presents nicely without a punch of ethanol on the palate. Long finish, the star of the show, apple butter, pastry, toffee and oak see this pour out on the finish.

Overall: Rx has unironically been in my listening lineup for years so I’m familiar with the band, although far from a groupie. Theory has the most developed sound of the entire Backstage Series roster and their whiskey embodies the same. Also, if you haven’t heard their cover of Hallelujah, it’s pretty good as far as covers go. Rx will always be #1 Deadman track in my heart, though.

The Post-Show Roundup

Overall, this is a darn cool project. Much like the bands themselves, some pours were more to my liking than others, but I felt like I could feel each of the band’s personalities in each pour as I hit up their profiles on Spotify and got listening.

When it comes to my favorites, Goodbye June was easily my top pick, with Halestorm and Lucero coming in hot on the heels. Whether you’re looking to find a new favorite artist or a new favorite whiskey, the Backstage Series is a really cool look at how I think celebrity whiskey should be done: with whiskey experts, whiskey producers and the celebrities themselves working together hand in hand.

Rock on!