Jeptha Cree d
MOTHER-DAUGHTER DUO USE BLOODY BUTCHER CORN TO CREATE UNIQUE FLAVORS Story by Denise DuBois From “ground to glass” - the family motto at Jeptha Creed distillery in Kentucky. Owned and operated by mother-and-daughter duo Joyce and Autumn Nethery, Jeptha Creed sits on 64 acres of farmland cultivated in the natural grown ingredients used in all of their products. Those products include bourbon, vodka, moonshine, and limited-edition brandy. What they can’t grow themselves, they get from other farms in the area, but the secret to their success is the corn. “What makes us stand out is our corn,” said Joyce. “We grow all the corn we use. It’s an heirloom variety called Bloody Butcher Corn. It makes the alcohol different. It has a beautiful, unique flavor profile you can’t get with yellow corn. It has an earthiness. It makes me think of Kentucky soil. When I smell the bourbon, it puts me in a happy place where I think of blue skies and white clouds, green grass and sunshine.” The duo admits they’re a bit of control freaks. That’s why they want to grow their own ingredients. It allows them to experiment, and over time those experiments are aging up in such a way that they can taste the flavors that come from their efforts.
86 | Winter 2023
As for the vodka, they make original, honey, blueberry, hot pepper, and coffee flavors. “The hot is the top selling vodka,” Autumn said. But for her favorite, she gravitates more toward the blueberry because it’s more versatile in a cocktail. All their vodka is naturally flavored, with no added sugar – something that Autumn thinks makes them unique. Jeptha Creed’s moonshine also comes in different flavors, including cinnamon, blackberry, apple pie, and lemonade. While some of the flavors of moonshine do have added sugar, all of them are still naturally flavored. The family has been in the farming business for generations. The Nethery family owns around 1,000 acres throughout Shelby County, which includes the distillery property and their home farm. The 64 acres that make up the distillery property are covered in crops that are producing the grain, corn, fruits, and other ingredients that will go straight into the Jeptha Creed bourbon, vodka, moonshine, and brandy. The lines of trees are not just to provide a scenic touch. They bear apples, pears, pecans, apricots, and cherries. There are rows and rows of budding raspberries, figs, kiwi, blackberries, blueberries, chocolate
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