Whiskey JYPSI's Ari Sussman: Blending, Eric Church & The Future of American Whiskey скачать в хорошем качестве

Whiskey JYPSI's Ari Sussman: Blending, Eric Church & The Future of American Whiskey

What happens when you combine Eric Church’s vision with a whiskey maker who approaches blending like a bartender? Ari Sussman of Whiskey JYPSI sits down to reveal why traditional mash bills and age statements might be holding American whiskey back. In this episode of The Last Call Podcast, we dive deep into the art of cross-category blending with Ari Sussman. A former academic and head of spirits development at Michigan State University, Ari approaches whiskey creation like a chemistry experiment—sourcing rare, fully aged spirits globally to reconstruct complex flavor profiles. We discuss everything from his culinary roots in Ann Arbor to working in a rural French vineyard, and how his time behind the bar shaped his philosophy on craft spirits. Ari also pulls back the curtain on Whiskey JYPSI—his self-funded venture with country music star Eric Church—and breaks down the incredible history and process behind their Legacy and Explorer series. 🥃 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: The Whiskey JYPSI Philosophy: Why grain variety and yeast matter more than age statements, and why price rarely equals quality. Cross-Category Blending: How to blend whiskey with the mindset of a bartender. The Declaration (Legacy 003): The story of recreating George Washington’s historic Maryland-style rye mash bill for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Global Flavors: Why Indian single malt adds unmatched depth to American bourbon blends. Wood Terroir: The profound impact of French Tronçais oak vs. Appalachian American oak. ⏱️ Chapters: 00:00 - Meet Ari Sussman: The ‘Whiskey Maker’ Behind Whiskey JYPSI 01:25 - From Ann Arbor Roots to a Culinary Storytelling Mindset 02:41 - A Detour Into Politics & a Life-Changing Move to France 04:11 - Vineyard Work, Bartending & Michigan State’s Distilling Program 05:19 - The Craft Spirits Boom & Building Full Portfolios 07:43 - Bridging Wine, Bartending, and Whiskey’s Blind Spots 11:49 - Age Statements, Mash Bills & The Myth of Price = Quality 14:20 - Joining Whiskey JYPSI with Eric Church: Credibility vs. Celebrity 16:30 - Cross-Category Blending: Bartender Logic at Whiskey Scale 25:00 - ‘The Declaration’: George Washington, Maryland Rye & Apple Brandy Barrels 32:21 - Why Indian Single Malt Works in Bourbon Blends (Legacy 002) 37:16 - Terroir for Whiskey: Water, Grain, Climate & Flavor Notes 38:17 - Commodity Corn & the Kentucky Bourbon Scale Machine 39:52 - Unique Bartender Storytelling vs. Cookie-Cutter Whiskey 42:51 - Explorer Series: Why Wood Matters (French vs. American Oak) 44:08 - R&D Deep Dive: Forest-by-Forest Stave Experiments 46:37 - Legacy Series Pricing: The $200 Risk on Rare Blends 50:28 - Bottle as Art: Hand-Hammered Stills & The Deep Punt 53:37 - The Outsider Advantage: Innovation Over Tradition 56:44 - Rapid-Fire: Deathbed Cocktail & Sharing a Drink with George Washington 📱 Connect with The Last Call: Be sure to hit that Subscribe button for more deep dives into the spirits industry! Follow on Instagram: @lastcallwitharthur Subscribe on YouTube: @lastcallpod #Tags: #WhiskeyJYPSI #AriSussman #AmericanWhiskey #Bourbon #CraftSpirits #EricChurch #WhiskeyBlending #TheLastCallPodcast #GeorgeWashingtonRye #WhiskeyTasting