Jeptha Creed: Mother-Daughter Duo use Bloody Butcher Corn to Create Unique Flavors

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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 diff erent. It has a beautiful, unique fl avor profi le 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 fl avors that come from their eff orts.

As for the vodka, they make original, honey, blueberry, hot pepper, and coff ee fl avors.

“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 fl avored, with no added sugar – something that Autumn thinks makes them unique.

Jeptha Creed’s moonshine also comes in diff erent fl avors, including cinnamon, blackberry, apple pie, and lemonade. While some of the fl avors of moonshine do have added sugar, all of them are still naturally fl avored.

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, fi gs, kiwi, blackberries, blueberries, chocolate

mint, peppermint, spearmint, strawberries, and basil—even beehives for honey.

Joyce, with a passion for chemistry, earned her Master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Louisville’s Speed Scientific School. For 15 years, she worked as a process engineer in industrial scale distillation. She then spent a decade teaching high school chemistry and physics before her husband Bruce’s dream of opening a distillery reignited her passion for the distillation process.

Autumn spent a year at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, studying the craft with some of the best distillers in the world to truly ignite her passion. Now Autumn is among the youngest distillery owners in the country. Using what she learned traveling abroad with Semester at Sea, as well as through her studies at the University of Kentucky, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Autumn’s dream is to expand Jeptha Creed’s reach into every state, while still maintaining the “family feel” that the distillery is known for.

“The whole family is involved, and everyone is contributing to the business. We all get along, and it’s a lot of fun to be able to do something that is so iconic to Kentucky,” Joyce said. That’s what she loves most about the business – working with her family.

Autumn agrees that today, there are more women in the business than a decade ago, but she added that everyone she has met wants everyone to succeed together.

“We all work together and make sure everyone succeeds,” she said.

Both love the history of the farm and being part of Kentucky’s history of bourbon. They aim to continue being authentic to the area and making the best “ground to glass” spirits for their customers.

Mother-and-daughter duo Joyce and Autumn Nethery own Jeptha Creed, a ground to glass distillery in Kentucky. They use Bloody Butcher Corn to make their spirits.

Jeptha Creed sits on 64 acres of farmland cultivated with the naturally grown ingredients used in all of their products. Those products include bourbon, vodka, moonshine, and limited-edition brandy. It is located at 500 Gordon Lane, Shelbyville, Kentucky 40065.

APPLE SAUCED

2 Bottles Jeptha Creed Apple Pie Moonshine 1 Gallon Apple Cider 16oz Brown Sugar Simple 10 Dashes Ne Oublie Black Walnut Bitters Cinnamon Sticks

Build into a crock pot on low heat. Introduce 2-3 cinnamon sticks and allow to warm, stirring occasionally. Serve in a mug and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Our Take: I was excited to make this drink because we’ve had several freezing days this winter. I was ready to get warm. I had to go on a little hunt for the walnut bitters, and I’m not sure if the kind of apple cider I used would affect the taste, but I assembled it confidently. I waited (rather im)patiently for the fragrant cider to heat in my crockpot so I could fill my mug. I may have even spooned it out with a ladle for the first taste. At first, the applely warmth was all I could focus on, but then the richness of the moonshine came through. The bitters were a nice touch, and I love adding a cinnamon stick to any drink this time of year. It was delicious and reminds me of sitting by a fire in the cold air, my breath making a little puff. That is the perfect time to sip on this delicious Apple Sauced cocktail. I made way too much and bottled the rest and put it in the fridge for another cold night.

BLOODY BUTCHER TODDY

1.5 oz Jeptha Creed Bottled-In-Bond Rye Bourbon .5 oz Jeptha Creed Cinnamon Moonshine .5 oz Lemon Juice 2-3 tbsp Honey 4-5 oz Hot Water

Combine spirits, lemon, and honey in mug. Stir in the hot water and continue stirring until all of the honey has dissolved.

Our Take: I tasted the bourbon first. Yall, it’s strong, and I liked it. I also took a little sip of the moonshine before I added it to the toddy. The cinnamon filled my mouth with its hot flavor. I used local honey, too, because of its health benefits. I frequently add local honey to my hot tea in the morning, and I was excited to try it in this drink. All the ingredients made the bourbon smoother. That’s fantastic for someone who thinks bourbon is too strong for them. I didn’t taste much of the cinnamon in the moonshine. It was more of an after taste with the warmth of the drink. This flavorful toddy is unlike anything I’ve ever sipped, but I’m officially a fan of warm cocktails! I’ll enjoy it all winter along with a good book and wrapped in a warm blanket.