Outsiders Spirits, LLC was founded by CMA Entertainer of the Year and 10-time GRAMMY nominee Eric Church and entrepreneur Raj Alva in 2020 as a purpose-driven creative incubator for whiskey innovation. After two years of research and development into creating and curating the finest possible whiskey products, processes, team, and partnerships, the company officially launched its first whiskey release, Whiskey JYPSI’s Legacy Batch 001, in May 2023. This whiskey recently received the coveted Double Gold Medal from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition – awarded to only the finest products in the world.
Whiskey JYPSI’s Legacy Batch 001 is based on a traditional bourbon mash bill, but instead of blending the grains before fermentation, or sourcing from the usual geographies, Whiskey JYPSI sourced individual aged whiskey components from various origins, and scientifically blended them to recreate the mash bill.
Outsiders Spirits 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,” said 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.
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, Sussman worked in the vineyards of Bordeaux, raised ostriches and grew almonds with Bedouin tribes, and lived in a kibbutz, an intentional community in Israel traditionally based on agriculture.
“I was excited to work with these guys because it all centered on quality and creativity,” said Sussman. “There were no rules or parameters. It just had to be the finest whiskey possible, period.”
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,” noted Sussman. “I immersed myself in Eric’s music, thinking it just might influence my process, and 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.
Whiskey JYPSI has partnered with ReserveBar, a well-established e-commerce leader in rare, luxury, and ultra-premium spirits to make Legacy Batch 001 available in 38 states and with a suggested retail price of $199.99.
For more information visit www.whiskeyjypsi.com.
