Ari Sussman of Whiskey JYPSI: Cross-Category Blending & The Future of American Whiskey

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Ari Sussman on Cross-Category Blending, The Declaration x Mount Vernon & Being an Outsider in 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.
⏱️ Episode Chapters:00:00 - Meet Ari Sussman: The ‘Whiskey Maker’ Behind Whiskey JYPSI01:25 - From Ann Arbor Roots to a Culinary Storytelling Mindset02:41 - A Detour Into Politics & a Life-Changing Move to France04:11 - Vineyard Work, Bartending & Michigan State’s Distilling Program05:19 - The Craft Spirits Boom & Building Full Portfolios07:43 - Bridging Wine, Bartending, and Whiskey’s Blind Spots11:49 - Age Statements, Mash Bills & The Myth of Price vs. Quality14:20 - Joining Whiskey JYPSI with Eric Church: Credibility vs. Celebrity16:30 - Cross-Category Blending: Bartender Logic at Whiskey Scale25:00 - ‘The Declaration’: George Washington, Maryland Rye & Apple Brandy Barrels32:21 - Why Indian Single Malt Works in Bourbon Blends (Legacy 002)37:16 - Terroir for Whiskey: Water, Grain, Climate & Flavor Notes38:17 - Commodity Corn & the Kentucky Bourbon Scale Machine39:52 - Unique Bartender Storytelling vs. Cookie-Cutter Whiskey42:51 - Explorer Series: Why Wood Matters (French vs. American Oak)44:08 - R&D Deep Dive: Forest-by-Forest Stave Experiments46:37 - Legacy Series Pricing: The $200 Risk on Rare Blends50:28 - Bottle as Art: Hand-Hammered Stills & The Deep Punt53:37 - The Outsider Advantage: Innovation Over Tradition56:44 - Rapid-Fire: Deathbed Cocktail & Sharing a Drink with George Washington
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Follow Arthur on Instagram: @lastcallwitharthur
Watch the video version of this interview on YouTube: @lastcallpod