Goodwood Brewing Pairs With Three Chord for Bourbon Blend

In a move toward diversifying its portfolio and reaching spirits consumers, Goodwood Brewing and Spirits announced a foray into the craft spirits space with the launch of a premium Bourbon aged in stout barrels in 2019. This summer, Goodwood is going back in.

The Louisville-based brewery said it will release a collaboration blend with Three Chord Bourbon after a year-long “barrel tour” over multiple states. Three Chord is the brand founded by legendary guitarist Neil Giraldo, who is well known for his work with Pat Benatar, Kenny Loggins, Rick Derringer, John Waite and others. He also was the writer of and played lead guitar on the Rick Springfield hit, “Jessie’s Girl,” among other collaborations with Springfield.

The barrel tour has lasted for more than 12 months between Kentucky Goodwood’s locations and Michigan’s Three Chord homestead. First, Goodwood’s signature imperial stout was aged in Three Chord bourbon barrels for four months. That brew, also named Sweet Harmony, was released on tap last summer at Goodwood locations. The collab was a bourbon cocoa beer clocking in at 10% abv.

From there, the barrels were refilled with a blend of Kentucky bourbons and aged for another eight months in Michigan. The result is a deep oak and buttery caramel goodness with chocolate malty notes surrounded by warm oak with a rich mouthfeel, followed by a long finish of malty molasses and tobacco notes. The final and bottled result is a blend of 15-, 7-and 6-year-old Kentucky bourbons with 55.5% abv. Sweet Harmony will be available for purchase on July 1.

Three Chord sources whiskies from distilleries in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Indiana for use in blends, single-source bottling, and special releases. By using carefully selected barrels and combining unique flavor profiles, Three Chord aims to create an expression that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Per Three Chord’s website, the brand’s whiskies are aged in heavy-toast 4-char #1 barrels, French and American oak “hybrid” char #3 barrels, barrels imported from Cognac (not charred), and barrels from Spain, (not charred). After blending, they are returned to the barrels a second time, then bottled in Chelsea, Mich. Finally, each small batch blend of Three Chord is evaluated by a trained sensory panel.

Goodwood and Three Chord will hold a bourbon release dinner on June 30 at the Goodwood Frankfort location. Meet and greet with Three Chord Whiskeymaker, Ari Sussman (along with the Goodwood team), be among the first to taste the new bourbon prior to its release and enjoy dinner and drinks on the Kentucky River. Learn more at www.goodwood.beer.