Nothing like a little black label for some inspiration. These days Eric Church has his own whiskey label, launching Whiskey JYPSI back in 2023 with the goal of creating “the finest whiskey possible.” The label has released three offerings so far, including the latest “Tribute” double-barreled bourbon which was released just last month. Church has obviously always been a whiskey drinker, which you would expect from a guy with songs like “Jack Daniels” and “Drink In My Hand.” In fact, during a recent appearance on The Fred Minnick Show, Church recalls drinking whiskey before his shows before he was even legally allowed to drink: “It was always something I would do right before I’d play a show, even before I was able to legally do it. At that time I would have a Jack Daniel’s and I would always do a little bit of Diet Coke with it, because when you have straight grain alcohol…it’s hard to do when you sing. It’s hard on the vocal cords. That was always kinda my starter. That was the thing that I always had. It let me know that it was showtime, and it’s still that way now. It’s kind of an upper for me. A lot of people drink whiskey when they wind down, they relax. When I drink whiskey, it’s letting my body know after 25 years of training that it’s about to be showtime. We’re about to go. So it’s a little bit of a different thing for me.” But it’s not just before a show that Church likes to pour himself a glass of whiskey: Apparently he does it before he writes songs too. Church has written (or co-written) the vast majority of the songs that he’s recorded and released over the years, and has even written songs that have been recorded by other artists like Morgan Wallen, Jon Pardi, Luke Combs and Keith Urban. And according to Church, he was drinking whiskey while writing most of those songs: “I got a little Hemingway in me, where probably 85, 90% of the songs I’ve written drinking whiskey.” Seems like it’s worked out well for him. Church also explained that when it came to creating his own whiskey label, he didn’t want it to be just another “celebrity” whiskey like so many other artists have these days, where they just slap a label on one whiskey and call that his brand. Instead, he wanted to be able to create different versions of the product, experiment with blends and mashbills, and create a unique product that could stand on its own in the crowded whiskey market. And I’d say he’s done that. I’ve only tried the first release so far (need to try to track down a bottle of the double-barreled because those are some of my favorite whiskeys) but JYPSI has a complex but smooth taste and flavors that set it apart from some of the other offerings out there on the market. Of course you’d expect nothing less from Church. If he’s going to be drinking it every time he sits down to write a song, it better be good. The post Eric Church Says He’s Written “85 to 90%” Of His Songs While Drinking Whiskey: “Got A Little Hemingway In Me” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.