Whiskey Jypsi's newest release - Explorer - seeks to show how the core identities of French and American oak species affect flavor in whiskey. They take the consumer on a world tour, stopping both in Eric Church's backyard (North Carolinian American white oak near to where Church grew up) and French oak from the Tronçais forest.

Neither wood is entirely new to American whiskey drinkers (especially white oak...it's what almost everyone uses as a new cask, right?), and French oak has been used enough to have a passing familiarity.

The difference here is how Ari and the Whiskey Jypsi team use the wood - and, most importantly, the use of new French oak rather than ex-wine casks or other used cooperage. By toasting and charring staves and inserting them to finish the whiskey - using the entirety of the stave, not just the thin layer that's been charred on the inside of a cask - much more flavor is extracted.

Note: I said flavor. Not oakiness. For all the wood exploration in this release, woodiness and tannins are not among the explorations. And thank heavens for that.

The story is intriguing - blend the influence of Tronçais forest's wood, formerly overseen by the Duke of Bourbon and the origin point for the troubadour tradition, with American oak from the home of the country artist behind the blend. As a plus, at least in media kits, we got small pieces of each wood type to smell and see, a sensory experience that greatly helped me in discerning which note was from which wood.

Ultimately, though, it comes down to the product at hand. After all, anyone can write a good story - it takes skill to translate that through the art of blending into a good whiskey. Enter: Ari Sussman, frequent friend of the podcast and all-around good source of whiskey knowledge.

Thanks everyone for listening, and thank you to Ari for returning to the Whiskey Ring!

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Whiskey JYPSI

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Raj's return brings news about Amrut, the king of Indian Single Malt. It is no longer the only Indian Single Malt on the market like it was in 2004, but neither has Amrut been sitting on its laurels.

With Ashok Chokalingham at the helm as head distiller - a post he gained after many years in sales and production - Amrut is promoting the idea of Indian Single Malt while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of what that can mean.

With the four expressions I tried with Raj, each were an experiment. The Single Malts of India Kurinji was distilled at a different Indian distillery but aged entirely at Amrut's warehouses in Bangalore, 3000' above sea level with relatively low humidity. What would that whisky have tasted like at sea level? At its home distillery? Who knows - all I know is that it tastes damn good.

The Triparva is a triple-distilled single malt, echoing the butteriness and spice from Irish whiskies while staying true to the core Amrut profile (probably something to do with the 6-row instead of 2-row barley). The rye is a 100% malted rye, using Scandinavian grain but otherwise running it like they would a "normal" barley-based single malt; the spicy and herbaceous rye comes out like a custard, rounded and polished while still letting you know it's a rye.

Finally, the Naarangi, a whisky that uses sherry casks that have been seasoned for multiple years with locally grown oranges that give a distinctly tart flavor to cut through the sherry sweetness.

The sad news is that for two of the Amruts - the Rye and the Triparva - this is the last time they will be produced and released. The Naarangi is up in the air, but it won't be a regular release. Ashok has created over 40 different varieties of single malt based on flavors, casks, grains, and interplays between those three - there will always be more Amrut, but not always more of those releases. So grab them before they're gone (and if you listen to the episode and still don't want them, buy one for a friend).

Thanks everyone for listening, and thank you to Raj for returning to the Whiskey Ring!

_________________________________________________________

If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring

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Amrut Indian Single Malt

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I have a general rule when given the opportunity to interview NDPs on the podcast - they must do something with the whiskey other than buying stock and slapping their own label on it. Otherwise, how many times can you talk about the same MGP bourbon or rye? (Yes, I know there are other sources now, but the point remains).

With Filmland Spirits, they are doing some of their own blending, proofing, and - down the line - finishing. So right away they've cleared the first hurdle. Once you clear that, you have to be interesting - and Troy and Charlie have created that in spades.

With each release from Filmland, such as Ryes of the Robots and Moonlight Mayhem, a story is created. In classic b-movie style with horror, campiness, supernatural creatures, there are entire trailers, storyboards, posters, and more. Basically all that's missing is an actual movie being produced.

By doing this, Filmland Spirits does what we need most in bourbon right now: they have fun. These guys love what they're doing. They love their craft and how they can apply their years of screenwriting to another passion. Easter eggs are hidden in each label and poster, and samples are sent with thought-out names rather than "barrel #xxx".

Then, there's Town at the End of Tomorrow - a 9YO Kentucky Bourbon that was flat-out excellent when I tried it at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. Definitely worth checking out (if you can still find it!).

Thanks everyone for listening, and thank you to Troy and Charlie for entering the Whiskey Ring!

_________________________________________________________

If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring

If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website.

Filmland Spirits

• Filmland Spirits Website
• Filmland Spirits on Instagram
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Thanks to our Lead Sponsor, Black Button Distillery

• Black Button Distilling Website
• Black Button Distilling on Facebook
• Black Button Distilling on Instagram

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, ImpEx Beverages

• https://impexbev.com
• ImpEx on Instagram
• ImpEx on Facebook
• ImpEx on Twitter