The Whiskey JYPSI brand was created by musician Eric Church and businessman Raj Alva. The two describe themselves as “serious whiskey enthusiasts but not yet experts in making it,” and as a result chose whiskey maker Ari Sussman, who is also known for his role in making Three Chord Bourbon. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Whiskey JYPSI does not distill themselves, instead sourcing whiskeys from various distilleries and further aging, blending, and in some cases, finishing. Whiskey JYPSI has two lines of whiskey with their Legacy series focused on cross-category blending and their Explorer series focused on finishing blends in woods from around the world.

‍‍This is the first release in their Explorer series. According to the company, “The inaugural Explorer release starts with a blend of two six-year-old bourbons - a low rye distilled in Kentucky and selected for its sweetness and an Indiana high rye chosen for its spice. The combined mash bill of 66% corn, 30% rye and 4% malted barley is then slowly reduced to 103 proof and finished using two oak varietals - French Oak from France’s famed Forest of Trançais and American Oak from the Appalachian Mountains. Each of these woods was chosen for its ability to accentuate the sweetness and spice of the blend.”

The aroma is light and balanced. Rye spice, caramel, leather, and charred oak layer in with a savory undertone. There’s a hint of underlying dried apricot that adds a touch of sweetness to the mix. The combination is pleasant, favoring subtlety over big overpowering flavors.

There’s an underlying candy sweetness to the sip. Familiar flavors of caramel, vanilla, and oak are prominent, but there’s a faint sweet, hard-candy like flavor to it as well. A slight dryness creeps in on the backend. Dried fruit, apricot, and a hint of raisin come out as you roll the sip around in your mouth. The whiskey is unusually dry and juicy at the same time, most likely due to its underlying base blend providing the juiciness and its oak stave finishing attributed to the dryness. Nothing about the whiskey is overpowering or bold, instead leaning fully into its complex, subtle side making for a very well-integrated palate.

Caramel, vanilla, and baking spices are prominent from the onset. Light milk chocolate develops at the midpoint along with traces of raisin and apricot that mingle in. Spice develops intensely, and then lingers as the sip fades. Dry oak continues to permeate throughout the finish, which is well-balanced and leans into its spicy side.

Country music star Eric Church co-founded Outsider Spirits with friend Raj Alva in 2020. Church isn’t new to whiskey, a self-proclaimed enthusiast who attached his name to a limited edition Jack Daniel’s single barrel line that was introduced in 2020. Church and Alva released their first whiskey, Whiskey JYPSI Legacy Batch 001 in May, 2023. The Explorer Series contrasts their Legacy Series by focusing on exploring various woods from premium common woods to exotics, while the Legacy Series intends to marry whiskeys from various origins and using cross-category blending to create the final product.

Explorer Release #1 marries a 6 year old low rye Kentucky bourbon and a 6 year old high rye Indiana bourbon. French oak staves and American oak staves from the Appalachian Mountains were inserted in the base blend to finish it.

Whiskey JYPSI Explorer is packaged in an eye-catching bottle that doesn’t skimp on attention to detail. The detail doesn’t end there, as the whiskey is dynamic and nuanced in its flavor profile as well. The oak stave finishing lends additional flavors to the whiskey, though Appalachian really just refers to oak that is common in the northeastern United States. Regardless, French oak is known for its addition of delicate flavors of vanilla and honey, and the blend combines bourbons from Kentucky and Indiana to ultimately make for a dynamic yet subtle sip that will be most appreciated by those who enjoy more nuanced whiskeys.

At $70, Whiskey JYPSI Explorer isn’t a budget bottle, but it pulls a lot more together at the price point than many other whiskeys being released today. There are plenty of straight Kentucky bourbons for less, but there are also plenty of sourced bourbons with minimal effort applied to them for a similar price, or more. JYPSI Explorer has a respectable 6 year age statement, combines whiskeys from Kentucky and Indiana, and is finished with multiple types of oak staves. That’s a significant effort applied to make the whiskey something unique, and that effort shows. Considering the number of options available in the $70 price range, JYPSI Explorer is definitely a whiskey that makes good on its price point. I’d categorize it as a solid buy recommendation for anyone who appreciates a complex, subtle whiskey.

Eric Church may be better known for his music, but this is far from a celebrity whiskey and falls more accurately in the “enthusiast” whiskey category. Whiskey JYPSI Explorer Release #1 is an approachable blend of two bourbons that’s been finished with various types of oak staves. It’s complex but subtle, and is bottled at a proof that works for a wide range of whiskey drinkers.

Ari Sussman’s hand in creating this whiskey likely plays a critical role in bringing the brand’s vision to life, which we got a taste of when we spoke with Sussman at length when creating our own unique bespoke finished blend. The blend was finished in a toasted barrel under Sussman’s guidance before being bottled.

To help garner some attention, Whiskey JYPSI Explorer comes in eye-catching packaging that will certainly help draw consumers in who are unfamiliar with the brand. Future releases will (likely) vary, so it’s a one-of-a-kind limited release by that measure. Nothing about the whiskey is extraordinary on its own, but somehow the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.