Whiskey JYPSI is a collaboration of three men - famed recording artist Eric Church, renowned entrepreneur Raj Alva, and a very serious, accomplished distiller, Ari Sussman. Sussman is a whiskey hero of mine, so I was partial to the project right off the bat. “I was excited to work with these guys because it all centered on quality and creativity,” Sussman noted. “There were no rules or parameters. It just had to be the finest whiskey possible. Period.”
For those of you who are not familiar with these three, a refresher. Kenneth Eric Church is an American singer-songwriter and minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets. He has released seven studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's Sinners Like Me, produced three singles on the Billboard country charts including the top 20 hits "How 'Bout You", "Two Pink Lines", and "Guys Like Me".
Raj Alva spent more than 25 years in Investing and M&A across a variety of industries. From 2010 to 2015, he was a Managing Director at Credit Suisse. Before that, he was a Partner at Lazard where he spent more than 15 years doing financial advisory. Prior to his time at Lazard and graduate school, he worked in Mergers & Acquisitions at Kidder Peabody.
Ari Sussman is one of the most accomplished young whiskey makers in America. A graduate of Michigan State, he first rose to notoriety as a distiller at Red Cedar Spirits, then rose to national prominence as the head distiller at Mammoth Distilling. He then also made whiskies for Three Chord Bourbon, while also founding Mash Networks a DTC management system. He is now the Whiskey Maker at Whiskey JYPSI. Oh yeah, and he won a coveted Icons of Whiskey Award in 2025. .
Whiskey JYPSI Tribute Double Barreled is made with an heirloom, near-extinct Cherokee White Corn, which is grown by small family farms. Ari's alma mater, Michigan State, helped reclaim these sustainably raised heirloom grains. Once the mash is distilled, it was aged a minimum of four years in new charred American oak. The whiskey was then re-barreled for an additional 3-6 months in another new American oak. Bottled at 86 Proof, this deep caramel colored whiskey exhibited notes of caramel, toffee, vanilla, baked apple, and some nice spice at the end. Smooth and rich, this whiskey was an instant crowd pleaser.
Legacy Batch 003: “The Declaration” is the big, bold pinnacle, IMO, of this JYPSI brand. This is instantly a tremendous bottling, a blend of whiskeys ranging from eight to twenty-five years old. Sussman sees this version “Declaration” as a statement of independent whiskey thinking. Batch 003 "revives and reimagines a Colonial-era Maryland-style rye mash bill-crafted with aged spirits from three distinct origins and a finish that directly connects to George Washington’s historic Mount Vernon Distillery." This 115.74 high-proof blend of a bold Indiana rye, finished in apple brandy barrels from Mount Vernon Distillery; a rare Canadian corn whiskey re-barreled in new American oak; and aromatic Virginia single malt. The result is an absolutely devastating rye whiskey, at once big and sweet, and soft, as it is big, and spicy, and hot. Notes of apple, honey, toffee, vanilla and butterscotch give ways to a fire bomb of Christmas spices of nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and black and white pepper. Never out of balance, this whiskey has highs and lows like a great song - alternating seamlessly - into one powerful and delicious experience. One of my absolute favorite whiskies of the year so far. A definite finalist this publication's whiskey of the year.
Whiskey JYPSI Explorer is a blend of six-year aged whiskeys and unique finishing woods from around the globe. "Explorer 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... and American Oak...." The final whiskey offers a bright, chewy whiskey with flavor and spice. Notes of baked apple, sweet cereal, and honey and butterscotch give way to a dry-ness that counteracts all those up front sweet notes. The final notes of toast, ginger, and white and black pepper make this a complex whiskey with many layers of flavors. This kind of whiskey can make a good sipper, stout enough to stand up to ice, or is a great cocktail whiskey as well - begging for an Old Fashioned or something slightly more complex. Exceptional.
Whiskey JYPSI is an intriguing collaboration of three successful individuals - a one strong statement for whiskey. Fantastic.