BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Blended and bottled by Whiskey JYPS using bourbon sourced from KY and IN.
• MASH BILL: A combined mash bill of 66% corn, 30% rye and 4% malted barley (a low rye bourbon from KY and a high-rye bourbon from Indiana)
• AGE: 6 Years – A blend of two six-year-old bourbons.
• YEAR: 2024
• PROOF: 103 Proof (51.5% ABV)
• MSRP: $69.99
• BUY ONLINE: Whiskey JYPSI Website

POPS’ NOTES

SHARE WITH: This bottle is best shared with those willing to spend some time with the bourbon and appreciate the results of the blending effort. Avoid sharing with bourbon drinkers who prefer to stick with high-proof, super-rich flavor profiles. Those who appreciate subtlety will enjoy this one the most.

WORTH THE PRICE: At $70, there are plenty of other daily drinking bourbons I stocked up on for far less money. That said, $70 for a blend that adds up to more than the sum of its parts makes it worth buying a bottle to spend some time with it and appreciate the effort of everyone behind the bottle.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: BOTTLE—Grab a bottle to learn that celebrity whiskeys don’t have to be dull or just a simple repackage of another distillery’s product. It may not become a daily drinker but it’s a bottle that will make you appreciate the “art of the possible” when it comes to blending American whiskey.

OVERALL: If you remember my review of the brand’s initial release, Whiskey JYPSI Legacy Batch 001, you’ll recall how surprised I was upon tasting it. Based on that positive experience, my expectations for the Explorer Series were much higher than when I first tried Legacy Batch 001. However, I still felt a bit apprehensive about the “celebrity whiskey” status of the Explorer Series and its price point, which was more than half that of Legacy Batch 001.

How good could it be if they are charging $130 less per bottle, right?

Up front, it’s immediately clear that the Explorer Series release is a different whiskey than Legacy Batch 001. Both share a big floral nose, but the Explorer Series has a brighter nose filled with top notes of fruity notes of crisp apples, pears, and oranges. Below the top notes, you’ll find creamy notes of vanilla, caramel and baking spices. All of this is wrapped up in a base layer of leather and oak. A lovely nose filled with things to discover, but it’s a softer nose compared to Legacy Batch 001, requiring a bit more effort to suss out all the aromas it has to offer.

On the palate, it has a silky mouthfeel that is a pure pleasure sip after sip. Based on the wood finishing of this bourbon, it will come as no surprise that the palate is very oak-forward. I normally find this a bit too much for my preference, but in this case, the oak notes are balanced out by floral notes with an undercurrent of vanilla and maple. The end result is you get to taste the wood influence without it being overly tannic and bitter. In fact, the vanilla and maple provide a sweetness that helps transition the wood notes into more fruit (apples and pears) on the palate along with a bit of baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar.) There’s a lot going on, but as with the nose, it’s a bit muted, requiring more effort to appreciate the whiskey. It’s time well spent in my opinion.

If you’re sensing a theme in my tasting notes at this point it’s best described as “subtle”. There’s a lot going on in this bourbon but it requires some time and effort to appreciate it. So when it came time to comment on the finish I was a bit shocked. I expected a short to medium finish on this one but to my surprise, the finish kept going, and going, and going. Even better is the fact that the sweeter flavor notes of vanilla and maple take the lead on the finish with baking spices and oak providing backup vocals. Eventually, there’s a bit of dryness from the finish, but nothing that pushes the bourbon out of balance.

With this Explorer Series Release #1, the Whiskey JYPSI team has once again shown that when it comes to blending American whiskey, 1+1 can indeed be greater than the sum of its parts.

With this Explorer Series Release #1, the Whiskey JYPSI team has once again shown that when it comes to blending American whiskey, 1+1 can indeed be greater than the sum of its parts. The fact that they’ve brought this to market at just under $70 should be a warning shot to others in the industry who insist that a quality sourced and blended product be priced at $100+.

Keep up the good work, fellas, and let me know when you’re ready to get together in person to enjoy some bourbon and banter.

BRAND NOTES

The Explorer Series is based on the harmony of unparalleled six-year aged whiskeys and unique finishing woods from around the globe. Perfectly paired to showcase the impact of the woods on the whiskey — from premium versions of common woods to the exotic — and beautifully marries our passion for whiskey with our spirit of exploration.

The inaugural Explorer release 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 from France’s famed Forest of Tronçais and American Oak from the Appalachian Mountains. Each of these woods was chosen for its ability to accentuate the sweetness and spice of the blend.

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.