CMA Entertainer of the Year and 10-time GRAMMY nominee Eric Church–To Unveil New Whiskey

by Phillip Galyean

Outsiders Spirits unveiled its premiere release today—a bold, new best-in-class spirit that friends and company co-founders Eric Church and entrepreneur Raj Alva have named Whiskey JYPSI – a contemporary interpretation of the “JYPSI Spirit” in all of us that seeks adventure and deeper meaning.

The first release, Whiskey JYPSI’s Legacy Batch 001, recently won the Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and is based on a traditional bourbon mash bill. However, instead of blending the grains before fermentation, or sourcing from the usual geographies, Whiskey JYPSI lived up to its name – sourcing individual aged whiskey components from various origins, then scientifically blending them to recreate the mash bill.

The Outsiders partners took a hands-on approach to every aspect of their new whiskey, creating and curating everything from inception to release – from taste, packaging and marketing to point of view. With Whiskey JYPSI, the brand has set out to not only create the finest whiskey, but also to inspire.

“Whiskey JYPSI celebrates doing things the unconventional way. It’s the commitment to the creative spirit, the process and the journey that excite me the most” says Church. “It’s meant to inspire others to take chances like we have – follow a different path and enjoy and experience life at its fullest.”

As serious whiskey enthusiasts but not yet experts in making it, Outsiders sought the help of experienced masters in the art and science of the spirit who could reimagine the traditional whiskey industry conventions – and bring a series of rich, complex blends of whiskey and bourbon to life in a variety of releases over time. After meetings with various master distillers and blenders, they chose Ari Sussman for their first release.
“I was excited to work with these guys because it all centered on quality and creativity,” Sussman notes. “There were no rules or parameters. It just had to be the finest whiskey possible. Period.”

Sussman is the former head of Spirits Development at the Artisan Distilling Program at Michigan State University, and an award-winning whiskey maker. He also has a bit of the JYPSI Spirit in him. Before he entered the whiskey world, Ari worked in the vineyards of Bordeaux, raised ostriches and grew almonds with Bedouin tribes, and lived in an Israeli kibbutz.

Recognizing that extraordinary whiskeys are created every day all over the world, Sussman took Church’s lead in departing from industry conventions, with groundbreaking new processes destined to disrupt the category and lead to extraordinary whiskey experiences.

“Eric’s music led the way to JYPSI’s unique mix,” says Sussman. “I immersed myself in Eric’s music, thinking it just might influence my process,” adds Sussman. “What I discovered was a rich, diverse blend of music and an artist who doesn’t conform to the usual norms. That inspired me, so I took that road in creating the premiere batch of Whiskey JYPSI.”

The rest of the Whiskey JYPSI team followed suit. From the patented bottle design inspired by traditional copper pot stills, to the untraditionally produced liquid itself – everything had to be best-of-breed. Whiskey JYPSI’s Legacy 001 release promises to be just the first of many expressions at various price points.

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