Three Chord Un-Edited Bourbon — Volume 001 Review

Distillery: Undisclosed – see below

Proof: 118.0 (59.0% ABV)

Age: Blend – see below

Mashbill: Blend – see below

MSRP: $70

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Blended straight bourbon.  High-proof.  Multi-state sourcing.

Three Chord’s Un-Edited Bourbon, Volume 001 is positioned as a statement piece.  Unfiltered, high proof, and deliberately untamed.  It blends 4-year Tennessee, 6-year Indiana, and 7-year Kentucky bourbons into a combined mash bill of 76% corn, 18% rye, and 6% malted barley, bottled at 118 proof with an MSRP of $70.

On paper, the blend seems to make sense.  The Kentucky bourbon should bring structure; Indiana contribute sweetness and spice; Tennessee to soften the edges.  The mash bill sits squarely in what we would consider classic bourbon territory.  The spread of ages suggests balance rather than youth.  The issue here isn’t ambition or construction.  It’s how assertively the proof drives the experience once it reaches the glass.

This is a bourbon that asks to be taken seriously.  The question is whether the proof allows the blend to fully express itself.

Three Chord Un-Edited Bourbon — Volume 001 Review: Tasting Notes

Nose – 4.1/5

Sweet corn.  Cocoa powder.  Light vanilla.  Alcohol sharpness.
Strengths:   Corn sweetness is clear and well-defined.  Cocoa note adds early depth.  No sour, musty, or off notes.
Why It’s Not Higher:  Proof compresses the range of notes.
Rating Justification:  Clean.  Compelling cocoa-corn notes.  Alcohol sharp notes narrows the range and limits the Nose.

Palate – 3.5/5

Immediate proof impact.  Bright citrus.  Sharp spice.  Constrained sweetness.
Strengths:  Citrus provides clarity.
Why It’s Not Higher:  Proof suppresses the mid-Palate and blunts sweetness.

Rating Justification:  There’s just enough definition to avoid collapse.  The issue isn’t imbalance, it’s suppression.  The whiskey delivers its alcohol presence first, and the flavors have to fight for space behind it.

Finish – 3.8/5

Long.  Warm.  Sharp.  Lingering citrus bitterness.
Strengths:  Length and persistence.  Clean exit with no off-notes.
Why It’s Not Higher:  Bitterness appears before flavors resolve.
Rating Justification:  Credible length.  Closing bitterness and sharpness feel like they are proof-driven rather than fully developed final notes.

Value – 3.8/5

At $70, this sits among many high-proof bourbons that manage to more effectively translate intensity into complexity.  The blend composition and transparency are strengths, but the proof choice limits drinkability and the range of notes.  That keeps the Value lower than compelling.  You’re asked to pay for a transparent, multi-state blend at a serious proof point, but the experience doesn’t consistently deliver the complexity or integration that defines the best bottles in this price tier.

Three Chord Un-Edited Bourbon — Volume 001 Review: The Verdict

Three Chord Un-Edited Bourbon, Volume 001 leans too heavily on proof as its defining feature.  The underlying blend shows good construction and clarity, and there is purposeful intent in the blend.  Yet the elevated proof consistently compresses flavors rather than elevating them. 

This is over-proofed rather than under-developed.  Intensity is not the same thing as expression.  With a lower bottling strength (101) this whiskey could move comfortably higher.  As it stands, it commands attention, but doesn’t fully reward it.

Verdict – 3.8/5

We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.

Scoring System:

• Platinum – 4.5 – 5
• Gold – 4 – 4.5
• Silver – 3 – 4
• Bronze – <3