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My guest for Episode #264 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Joyce Nethery, the master distiller and CEO of Jeptha Creed Distillery.
With a rich background in chemical engineering and a unique journey through teaching and distillation, Joyce brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to the world of Bourbon.
In this episode, Joyce shares the inspiring story of how a family dream, combined with her expertise and a fortunate mistake, led to the creation of Jeptha Creed's unique and beloved spirits. Join us as we explore the challenges and triumphs of running a woman-owned distillery in Kentucky and the innovative spirit that drives their success.
Joyce also discusses the critical mistake that led to the development of Jeptha Creed's signature mash bills, the unique challenges of being a woman-owned and operated distillery, and the importance of family and tradition in their business. Tune in to hear how Joyce’s expertise and a serendipitous error turned into a flavorful success story in the world of Bourbon.
Questions and Topics:
- Can you tell us about your daughter's role?
- How rare is it to be a woman-owned and woman-run distillery in Kentucky or elsewhere?
- Why did you end up in Wisconsin instead of working with a Kentucky distillery?
- Can you explain the malting process and its impact on flavor?
- How has your chemical engineering background and industrial experience helped with distillation and process methods?
- How long did you have to wait to see the impact of different barrels on your bourbon?
- As the master distiller, how do you predict what's going to age best?
- How do you approach blending different barrels to achieve a consistent product?
- How unusual is it to use malted wheat in bourbon?
- Can you describe your experimental batches and how you finalized your products?
- What is a mash bill?
- Can you tell us more about bloody butcher corn and why you chose it?
- How do you manage the ground-to-glass process at Jeptha Creed?
- What does the name Jeptha Creed mean and how does it reflect your values?
- How can people learn more about Jeptha Creed and visit your distillery?
Scroll down to find:
- Video version of the episode
- How to subscribe
- Quotes
- Full transcript
Find Joyce and Jeptha Creed on social media:
- Jeptha Creed on Facebook
- Jeptha Creed on Instagram
- Jeptha Creed on Twitter
- Jeptha Creed on YouTube
- Joyce on LinkedIn
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Quotes:
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Automated Transcript (May Contain Mistakes)
Mark Graban:
Hi, welcome to my favorite mistake. I'm Mark Graban. Our guest today is Joyce Nethery. She is master distiller for Jeptha Creed Distillery. Joyce earned a master's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Louisville and for 15 years worked as a process engineer in industrial scale distillation.
Mark Graban:
She's 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. And the rest, as they say, is history. And I think that history is still being distilled and packaged and enjoyed. So, Joyce, welcome to the podcast. How are you?
Joyce Nethery:
I'm great. Thank you so much for having me, Mark.
Mark Graban:
Well, it's great to have you here. And I was going to ask you, I know from meeting you at the Bourbon Society of Greater Cincinnati, it really is a family business. Your daughter is involved. Tell us about her role, if you would.
Joyce Nethery:
Well, we are a family owned distillery, so in addition to being master distiller, I am also our CEO and the mother half of our mother daughter ownership team. In full disclosure, my son is also an owner, but we are majority woman owned and 100% woman run. The distillery is woman run. So pretty awesome that way.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, go ahead. Well, I was going to say my mistake for leaving the CEO title out of the bio. I apologize for that.
Joyce Nethery:
Oh, no problem, no problem. So my daughter's role is she is our vp of operations. So she is now over marketing and sales. And with that vp of operations, she also has production under her wings. So it's one of those deals where she's taking on a lot more responsibility and I can see retirement in my future.
Mark Graban:
Sounds like three different careers and then a retirement phase someday. How rare is it in Kentucky or elsewhere to be woman owned and woman run when it comes to bourbon and whiskey?
Joyce Nethery:
To my knowledge, we are the only woman owned distillery in Kentucky and definitely the only mother daughter team in Kentucky. We're not the only mother daughter team in the country, but I think we calculated that women owned distilleries in the whole entire country only amount to about 3% of all the distilleries in the country. So that puts us in a pretty rare category.
Mark Graban:
And it still, it seems pretty noteworthy. There aren't too many women serving in the distiller or master distiller role.
Joyce Nethery:
It is growing. Right now there are two women master distillers in Kentucky. I think soon there will be three, but there are two of us. So we're up and coming, and there have been women involved in distilling throughout distilling history, and there have been women master distillers in the past, even before that master distiller term was used. So women have been involved the whole entire history of distilling.
Joyce Nethery:
We just always haven't gotten the full credit that womanhood deserved.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, I'm going to hold up a bottle of. I'm going to try not to hit my microphone in the process. A bottle of one of your bourbons that I was able to pick up at the local storage up the creed, Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, RWB heirloom mash bill. So I'll probably ask you a little bit later in the podcast to tell us your red, white and blue a little bit about your approach. And I wouldn't normally be enjoying bourbon during a podcast recording, but it's pretty late Friday afternoon.
Joyce Nethery:
Yes.
Mark Graban:
People listening. I'm going to pretend like it's a little poor and it's like 2oz. But, hey, we're going to start the.
Joyce Nethery:
Weekend any way you like it. Enjoy it any way you like it.
Mark Graban:
So I'm going to enjoy it as we hear your story and have a conversation, Joyce. So. Oh, I saw a glass.
Joyce Nethery:
Yeah, I saw a glass. I'm going to have some, too.
Mark Graban:
Great. I'll join you when. When in Kentucky.
Joyce Nethery:
Absolutely. Here we are. A distillery talking about bourbon. Got to enjoy it.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. Which one? Which one are you going to enjoy while we're talking here of your different releases, I'm going to join you in.
Joyce Nethery:
The red, white and blue.
Mark Graban:
Okay, great.
Joyce Nethery:
So I have red, white and blue here also.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. Lovely bottle. Wonderful. I've had a couple of. A couple of pours over the last couple of weeks.
Mark Graban:
Have really enjoyed it, so.
Joyce Nethery:
Well, I'm so glad. We are super proud of it. This one is a special once a year release. We release it on Veterans Day because we opened to the public on Veterans day. So we will always share our anniversary with Veterans Day.
Joyce Nethery:
And that's really beautiful and a great. A great thing for us because, you know, honoring our veterans and all those who've come before us to allow our country to be the great country that it is, in spite of some of the crap that we're going through now. But it's still a wonderful country, and we're super, super proud of it. And the red, white and blue is really one of our ways to honor our veterans. So for our first anniversary, you know, we haven't actually talked about the corn too much yet.
Mark Graban:
No.
Joyce Nethery:
And that's where my favorite part of where my favorite mistake comes into play.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
But, um, we grow all of the corn ourselves, and it's this red varietal right here called bloody Butcher. And for our first anniversary, my husband had also grown some blue heirloom corn. We are now also growing the white, and I source some white for that very first one. And I did a red corn, white corn, blue corn, bourbon mash bill. Cooked it, fermented, distilled, barreled, aged everything.
Joyce Nethery:
All three corns all together. And that is the red, white, and blue that we're enjoying now. So it is a once a year release.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
So I will join you.
Mark Graban:
Well, cheers. As we're going to enjoy, we're going to have virtually through the zoom screen here. So I'll let you have a sip. And then, as we. As we normally do here to really kick off the episode, I'm really curious to hear your story.
Mark Graban:
Joyce. What would you say is your favorite mistake?
Joyce Nethery:
Well, my favorite mistake, as I kind of was alluding to a little bit, is around our mash bill. So we grow all of the corn that we use in our jeff, the creed products, except for this red, white, and blue, where we add the white and the blue corn in there. Also. We grow it ourselves. And this corn is non gmo.
Joyce Nethery:
It is open pollinated, and it has been documented in use since at least 1845. So open pollinated means each kernel on the cob is a seed, and we save those seeds over the winter, plant them back the following spring, and get the same exact corn again. So that makes it very sustainable, and it makes us seed savers. So a lot of super, really cool things going on with the. The heirloom corn that we're growing.
Joyce Nethery:
So the first year that we were growing this corn, before we had even started the distillery, it was just an idea, and we were like, we needed to grow a corn for our bourbon that was unique and distinct, because right here in the middle of bourbon country, I didn't want to do something that was, hey, we're. We're using yellow corn also for our bourbon. Like everybody else, we had to have something that was distinct, unique, you know, something that was just for us that really reflected who we are. And we saw this red corn from people who were growing it for their own cornbread use. So we thought, well, if it makes good cornbread, it can make good bourbon.
Joyce Nethery:
But we needed to know that for sure before we invested in the distillery and all the equipment and everything that comes with it. So we grew about five acres of this bloody butcher corn in a field next to a field of non GMO yellow corn that we were also growing for the cattle and everything. And we would watch the deer and the turkey, and deer hunting in my household is like a national holiday, you know, it's a big deal.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
And we would watch the deer and the turkey walk through the yellow to get to my bloody butcher field to eat, and they ate it and ate it and ate it, and our yield kept going down. But that told us something.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
The deer had a choice.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
And they chose to eat bloody butcher.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
So we wanted to choose it, too. But I still had to know it was going to make excellent bourbon. So we found a distillery that could do a couple of really small batches for us. And this distillery just happened to be in Madison, Wisconsin, and I contracted with them to do a few batches, and they were responsible for getting the wheat and the rye for our batches, because we. We'd grown the corn, we were bringing it, we ground it up here and hauled it to Wisconsin with us.
Joyce Nethery:
And, you know, had the time scheduled, and they were going to get big grains, the other flavoring grains, the wheat and the rye and the malted barley.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
So when we got up there to do these experimental batches, rather than the raw rye and the raw wheat that I had requested, somehow, some way, I don't know where the screw happened, I don't know where this mistake happened, but malted rye and malted wheat was delivered instead. So we got up there and, you know, I had my corn there. I had the time scheduled. We had enough of the malted ryes and the malted wheats to do the batches that I'd requested. So I'm like, we have to go ahead and do this.
Joyce Nethery:
So we just have to roll with this mistake and do these batches. It'd be consistent across. Yeah, so we did. That's what we did. And, well, it was our thought that Jeff, the creed going up there was going to have one bourbon and that it probably be a multigrain bourbon.
Joyce Nethery:
And the first batch that came off the still was the bloody butcher corn with the malted wheat. And I loved it.
Mark Graban:
So there was no malted rye in that one, is that right?
Joyce Nethery:
Right, that one. There was no malted rye. We didn't know which way to go yet. So I'd set it up where we had malted wheat with a bloody butcher corn. Malted rye with a bloody butcher corn.
Joyce Nethery:
And then we had controls. We had commercial yellow with the malted wheat and the malted rye. So, you know, as a former engineer, I. I had to have controls in my experiment. So the first batch that came off, like I said, was the malted wheat, which was supposed to be raw wheat, sold mistake.
Joyce Nethery:
Malted wheat. And I loved it. It was so good and so smooth, and I thought, how lucky can I be? This very first batch coming off the still is perfect. Well, the next day, the malted rye with the bloody butcher corn came off the still, and that one my husband loved, he's like, no, our bourbon can't be the malted wheat.
Joyce Nethery:
It needs to be with the malted rye. And I'm like, nuh uh. So we ended our experiment with Jeptha Creed, ultimately having three bourbons and three bourbons with the malted grains, with the mistake that we have, our weeded bourbon that just got released, it's at six years old, so it will be starting to be seen in the stores, in the markets that we're in now. And our malted rye, we call. That is our bottled and bond bourbon and our four grain bourbon.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
So those are the three that we ended our experiment with with the malte grains, because we loved the interaction of those malted grains with the beautiful flavor profile that we get with our bloody butcher corn. So that was a mistake that we still, to this day, do not know exactly how that happened, but that mistake gave us the beautiful mesh builds that we have with our, you know, developed into our beautiful bourbons that we are so, so proud and in love with.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
And the one that we're actually drinking, the red, white, and blue, is a fourth. It is the additional one the. For grain come up with.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, yeah. And, you know, when I heard you tell that story at the Cincinnati Bourbon Society right away afterwards, I need to invite you to please come on the podcast.
Joyce Nethery:
Well, thank you so much. Yeah.
Mark Graban:
Share that story and talk about it, because it goes in that category of maybe a happy accident, a mistake that turned into something positive that wouldn't have been anticipated otherwise.
Joyce Nethery:
Absolutely.
Mark Graban:
So, and you're saying you don't know if that Wisconsin distillery ordered it wrong or if the vendor delivered it wrong. All you know is that, hey, this was not what you asked for, right?
Joyce Nethery:
I don't know. I kind of feel like there was some divine interaction going on here and exactly where it came into play. I don't know. I don't know if it was the distillery that we were working with, you know, mistakenly ordered the malted grains or if the vendor that was delivering them mistakenly delivered malted grains. But malted grains is what we got.
Joyce Nethery:
And it's what we love.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. No, as a bit of a bourbon geek, I'm curious, how did you end up in Wisconsin instead of working with one of the other Kentucky distilleries?
Joyce Nethery:
Well, this experiment was a pretty small run that we were needing to do. I mean, we literally did four batches, and that's really small. So even back then, this was in 2014, there weren't many distilleries that would take time out of their production runs to do a small batch like this. And looking at myself and our size right now, at this point in our development, I don't know that I could stop and do a small run like that myself at this point. But at that point, we found a distillery.
Joyce Nethery:
It was death's door at that time, and they. Well, they had several stills, and they were able to open up some time on their hybrid pot still to be able to do these runs for us. So we were very lucky and very blessed that they had the availability and we took full advantage of it and went up there. So that's why when those malted grains came in, backing out and not doing the run really wasn't an option for us, because there really wasn't much other open capacity to be able to do this.
Mark Graban:
Interesting. So, and for people who don't know, um, malting, like, I've had a chance to visit Scotland and be out in a malting floor where they're, oh, aren't you lucky? Malting barley and. And kind of know what the smells and, um, that environment is like. But for.
Mark Graban:
For those who aren't familiar, could you talk a little bit about malting and. And what that process is with the grain and. And why that can make a difference than with the flavor. Um, scotch using malted barley, um, bourbon using, as I understand it, you're the expert, but a little bit of malted barley to help the, the process move along. But using other malted grains, could.
Mark Graban:
Could you talk about malting and the impact of. Of doing something different that way?
Joyce Nethery:
Sure. Um, there really, we are talking about three malted grains, and that's where our four grain product comes from, is our bloody butcher corn, and then the malted rye, malted wheat, and then the malted barley. So, throughout all the bourbons, you will probably be finding a mash bill that includes malt. They'll probably just say malt. And when they talk about just malt, and this goes for beer also a lot, they're talking about malted barley with that.
Joyce Nethery:
And the reason that you use malted barley is because. Well, let's back up a little bit what malting is. Malting is actually taking the grain, immersing it in water, and taking it out, letting it dry a little bit back in water, doing this process several times so that the grain starts to germinate. And that germination process causes some enzymes to develop in the seed. And those enzymes are what are used to convert in the cooker when we're making our mash bills, is what is used.
Joyce Nethery:
Those enzymes are used to convert these starches into sugars. Okay.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
Now, the reason you see malted barley so much more than the other two grains is because the amount of enzyme that is created in that barley is much greater. You know, there's a lot of enzyme that is generated with that malt, malted barley. And that is what historically, before, you know, synthetic enzymes and, you know, processed enzymes were available. Malt is what was used to do that conversion from the starches to the sugars. Well, the same thing does happen with the wheat and the rye.
Joyce Nethery:
It's just that the amount of enzyme that is generated in wheat and rye when it's malted is much lower than with barley. So it's not as cost effective for the generation of those enzymes. The other piece that happens when you're germinating those grains is for the wheat and the rye is. And I think for the barley, too, is that those flavor profiles, it's easy to talk about the rye is those spices that are generated with rye are there, but they're kind of smoothed out. The malting process smooths that flavor profile out and actually kind of leans it a little bit towards a smoky, uh, type of flavor.
Joyce Nethery:
And note that that malt, like. So if you taste a malted milkshake versus a regular milkshake, that's a little bit of the flavor difference that you can, can taste. And sometimes, if you have a really malty pretzel, because malt gets used in pretzels also, you can taste that flavor difference of the pretzel versus other generic, you know, regular breads. Yeah, that that flavor profile is kind of what we're looking at. So, you know, it gives us those enzymes, and it kind of smooths the flavor profile out that I just think is gorgeous.
Joyce Nethery:
And the earthiness of our bloody butcher corn that we get combined with the maltedness from the wheat and the rye is just beautiful.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, yeah. I'll tell you a quick story. I had somebody gift me a bottle of a malted rye. It was from a very small distillery in Texas. And I tried it, and I thought, boy, that's a mistake.
Mark Graban:
Or at least I thought. I don't. Apparently, I thought, I don't like malted rye. Lesson learned. And then I think I learned.
Mark Graban:
I just didn't like that particular malted rye. Like, that one had, like, some really off flavors. But now, here in Kentucky, and I don't mean to make this a Kentucky versus Texas thing, but I've had some malted ryes that I've really, really enjoyed, and that seems, uh, you know, the less, or it's becoming a little bit more common. Um, so to turn my story into a question is, is it really unusual to use malted wheat? Like, I don't think I'd remember ever hearing about malted wheat in a bourbon until I saw your presentation a couple months back.
Joyce Nethery:
To my knowledge, it is pretty unusual to be using malted wheat. Even the malted rye is pretty unusual. I don't think either one is unheard of. Prior to us. I mean, I'm not out here trying to say where we're the first to use these multi drinks.
Joyce Nethery:
I don't think that's the case. But the combination with the bloody butcher corn, I think, makes it pretty unique and beautiful. So there are a lot of other pieces in the process of making bourbon besides just the malted rice, so that if you don't have the fermentation down, well, you know, you. Maybe you have some cleaning processes aren't quite up to snuff, and you're distilling. You know, if you're distilling on a.
Joyce Nethery:
Well, if you're distilling and not making your cuts, well, you know, a lot of the off flavors can come from those pieces, too. So there could be some differences between distilleries, and even if they're using the same grains.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. So that kind of brings me to another question I was going to ask you. How much in particular do you think your chemical engineering background and your industrial experience has helped you either with distillation at this scale or just having a methodical approach to process?
Joyce Nethery:
I think that engineering background has helped me with both of those pieces. That engineering background, and specifically, I had some industrial distillation experience coming into this. I was a process engineer working for a company called Roman Haas, which is now part of Dow and part of Dupont, and in their distillation unit, distilling methyl methacrylate, which is a founding monomer in lots of different plastics and plastics additives. So the engineering background, you know, specifically with my experience in the MMA distillation allowed me to apply that to bourbon. So what I have found over time is if I am distilling MMA for, you know, plastic, or if I'm distilling ethanol for bourbon, the principles and applications and techniques are all very, very similar, but I found that bourbon is a lot more fun, for sure.
Joyce Nethery:
So the engineering background allowed me to lay out the whole, because we built from ground up Greenfield. So the engineering background allowed me to lay out all of the equipment, size it, lay it out, you know, set up our processes, sizing the, the chiller, the boiler, you know, the column still, the pot stills, the cookers, fermenters, you know, I was able to lay out and size even the physical structure, all of those pieces with my engineering background laid out the piping, the valves, you know, all the nerdy engineering stuff that I really enjoyed construction, I didn't love all of the engineering pieces I did.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
So it allowed me to do all of that. And engineering, specifically process. Chemical engineering requires you to think in a process flow kind of a way. And I found that this way of thinking applies to everything. It applies to accounts payable, it applies to accounts receivable, everything.
Joyce Nethery:
You can apply this flowchart process thinking, too. So I find engineers, and specifically chemical engineers just, it's like part of us. It's the way we think. And the specific schooling and engineering training reinforced that in us. And it's just something I found applies to everything.
Mark Graban:
Yes, you're speaking absolutely speaking my language here. I don't know if I shared with you before. I'm an industrial engineer.
Joyce Nethery:
Oh, yeah.
Mark Graban:
And I started my college career as a chemical engineer, and I learned very quickly that, no, I didn't think that was a good fit for me. I didn't know about bourbon. I, you know, maybe I could have ended up on a different.
Joyce Nethery:
Can you come back and join us in bourbon now?
Mark Graban:
I could have gone on a different path, but when you talk about laying out a process flow or thinking of anything as a process, that's right up my alley. And, you know, industrial engineering wouldn't be able to get into the details. We don't normally deal with liquids, but if you look at, let's say, a bottling line and those bottling and packaging operations or the high level flow, I love geeking out on that stuff, too. So when I visit a distillery, I can't help but try to look at the overall flow. Or you see, there's so much equipment work in a distillery, but when you see somebody, if it's manual bottling or something where there's really more direct hands on work that that's up my alley, as opposed to, you know, distilling is a pretty complicated process, but then once it's up and running, it's more the type of thing you monitor.
Mark Graban:
Right, right.
Joyce Nethery:
Distilling specifically with the column still. Yeah. Once you get it up, you know, getting, getting it started up at the very beginning and fine tuned and exactly where the, you know, we have a little bit of PLC process controls in our system. So getting those tuning parameters set up just right, that those pieces take a little bit of time. But once you get them set, you know, then the startup and shutdown procedures become pretty routine and, you know, kind of a checklist kind of a thing that you can use.
Joyce Nethery:
Yeah. You know, like with the bottling line, we do hand label and hand bottle everything right now. But like you're saying, you know, that that is a process flow.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
You know, so we label, and then you fill the bottle, and then it goes and it gets the cork and then it gets, you know, the top label. Yes. And then it gets the shrink wrap, you know, so then you have to heat it, and, you know, that's all process flow right there, too. So you have to do this piece before you do this piece, and then it goes over to this piece, then it goes into the box, and then you have to close it and seal the box. And then you got to make sure it's labeled correctly.
Joyce Nethery:
The box itself is labeled correctly.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. And then there's a lot of legal requirements, and that's someone else's department. Right.
Joyce Nethery:
And every state is different and wants different things on the box.
Mark Graban:
One other thing I want to ask about Joyce. My, I appreciated the part of your story, you know, as an engineer of framing those small experiments, those small tests when you were up there in Wisconsin and ended up doing different experiments than you thought was going to happen. But I wanted to ask in general, even once you found a recipe that tastes really nice coming off of the still, there's still this long term experiment of how is it going to age?
Joyce Nethery:
Yes.
Mark Graban:
Can you talk about either some of those first experiments? How long did you have to wait to discover what the impact of different barrels might be? Or even now, as you distill something, how do you help, as the master distiller, predict what's going to age best?
Joyce Nethery:
Well, that is actually a piece that we are still learning and figuring out.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
As you know, with bourbon, it's a long term, at least four years now that you have to wait. So it's sitting in the warehouse. And there's lots of variables that can happen in that warehouse because the distillate that goes into the barrel is actually clear. So, like what you just showed, that beautiful amber color that we have that is actually clear as water when it goes into the barrel. So all of that color is generated inside the barrel.
Joyce Nethery:
One of the things we think we have going on because we, you hold up ours, you know, next to another four year old bourbon, and we've got more color.
Mark Graban:
You know, that's a lot of color. And it's not because of the red corn. The color comes from the wood. Or is it developed differently?
Joyce Nethery:
The color comes. It develops in the barrel. For sure. It develops in the barrel, but we think we are getting that beautiful deep amber color that you have versus some yellow corn bourbons, because of the bloody butcher corn. Like, there are some reactions, and we don't have any quantifiable data to support this.
Joyce Nethery:
This is my empirical theory that we are getting some additional color because of the red in our blood, amateur corn, that those anthrocyanins are coming in, in the distillate and then reacting in the barrel and giving us, you know, components that have that beautiful color. So a lot of things happen in that barrel. And I have had experiences in trying to blend our products where I have barrels that were filled on the same day from the same batch in the same tote, because we proof our product down in a tote so that tote could fill four or five barrels. I've got four or five barrels that are sitting next to each other on a rack in the warehouse. I pull those down and sample them, and you would think you'd have five of the same tasting things, and we don't.
Joyce Nethery:
Yeah, there is a lot of variability that happens in those barrels as they're aging. And the barrel, you know, adds a lot of. It's a big component of that. So there's a lot of variability happening there. And for us, our barrel, we call them barrel barns, are pretty small.
Joyce Nethery:
And you would think, well, with a small little barrel barn that we have, it holds about, you know, 5500, 700 barrels, that there wouldn't be a whole lot of difference necessarily from one that's right here to one that's over there. But I think there is some differences that are happening that way and being able to gather the data to figure out, okay, we're getting more of that honey flavor over here, and we're getting more of the rye spices and the baking spices over here. We're starting to collect that data. But to say I've got a real, true, good experiment going on, it's. Right now it's like, okay, I'm working on empirically and just tasting every batch or every barrel and figuring out, okay, this one's good, this one needs to age longer, and this one is a single barrel going through, doing all that manually.
Joyce Nethery:
Hopefully through this, we can gather data and be able to do something a little bit more streamlined, like you're talking about.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, yeah. Distilleries always talk about the different floors or the different warehouses and hot areas and cool areas. And there was a different distillery I got to spend some time at where, like, you were describing two barrels that had been aged right next to each other for six years. One, I mean, like, part of the same run off of the still. So basically the same distillate, same process, different.
Mark Graban:
And all you can figure is the variation of the wood between those two barrels that came from the same Cooper. Probably not the same tree. I don't know as much about barrel making, but one of them was, like, very light and kind of out of character for that distillery where they probably would have blended it in with other barrels. And then one was really bold and rich and beautiful, and they did bottle that one as a single barrel.
Joyce Nethery:
Yeah.
Mark Graban:
That makes your job harder.
Joyce Nethery:
It does it, absolutely. You know, from an engineering standpoint, you would think blending well. You have, you know, everything should be the same like we talked about. You think, you know, you put it in from the same tote into the barrel. The barrel should theoretically be the same barrel.
Joyce Nethery:
You put it right next to each other, so everything should come out the same. And it doesn't. So that makes blending to be a real, true art. And I've been doing our blending, and. And that's kind of tough.
Joyce Nethery:
You know, I've tried to apply some engineering to it and give. Give every single barrel a rating and then blend based on those ratings. And sometimes I come out good, and sometimes I'm like, oh, I have to go back and redo this.
Mark Graban:
You're trying to turn it into an equation or an algebra.
Joyce Nethery:
I'm trying to turn it into a little bit more scientific, but it is truly an art. And it's more like cooking, really, because I rate my barrels from one to five. One being, oh, my gosh, that thing needs to sit for a while longer. Five being, oh, this is beautiful. And this is a single barrel.
Joyce Nethery:
So I rate them, and I've kind of started setting up my batches, you know, threes and fours get blended because fives are single barrels. But sometimes there's twos. And to get the flavor that you want, you need a tube in there. And I kind of think of it like cooking or with the bar and making cocktails. Like, to make a really good cocktail, a lot of times you need a little bit of bitters.
Joyce Nethery:
You need a couple drops of bitters. And that's kind of what I'm thinking about with those twos. When I add those twos to the batch, it's kind of like adding the bitters to a cocktail, and it just blends and makes it all balanced and beautiful.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
So blending, to me, is kind of an art form, and it's a little bit more like cooking and making cocktails at the bar.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. And it would be a mistake for someone to confuse that process of blending, combining, marrying, some people say, the different Kentucky straight bourbon whiskeys. It would be a mistake to confuse that with a quote unquote blended whiskey. That could be some. Basically some vodka mixed in with.
Mark Graban:
With whiskey. So.
Joyce Nethery:
Right, so when I was talking about blending, I am talking about just taking barrels of the same product.
Mark Graban:
Right.
Joyce Nethery:
And putting those barrels together to make a larger volume that it goes into the bottle.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
Yeah. I'm not talking about taking a canadian whiskey with ours and blending those. That's not what I'm talking about.
Mark Graban:
Right, right.
Joyce Nethery:
I know that our product.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. I just want to clarify for the listener to make sure we cover terminology. A single barrel would be a barrel that you thought tasted so good on its own. You're going to just bottle that without combining it with any other barrel?
Joyce Nethery:
Yes. It's just on its own. And we actually do it at cask strength also. So it's. It could be 122 proof.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. What we're enjoying here, I see, is 100 proof. And I know it says on the bottle aged at least four years, and there could be some different ages involved, but it tastes older, and, uh, it not just by the looks of it, it tastes like an older bourbon, I think. Not so old that it's gotten oaky, but it's definitely not. It doesn't taste young and hot.
Mark Graban:
Not at all.
Joyce Nethery:
Yeah. No, that what is in our bottles right now has aged almost five years. Um, not quite five, but almost five. So it's got a little bit more age than four, but, yeah. I think the bloody butcher corn gives us this beautiful color.
Joyce Nethery:
I think it gives us, once it gets over this hump of immaturity and gets to mature, we get a beautiful, mature, flaving tasting bourbon.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. So, one other thing I wanted to ask some time. Terminology thing that people might not know. I should have jumped in earlier. Mash bill means basically just what's the combination of grains and what proportions?
Mark Graban:
Right?
Joyce Nethery:
Yes. Mash bill is essentially the ingredient list of the recipe.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. So back to those ingredients. I'd like to hear a little bit more about the red corn or even the bloody butcher corn. I've heard, I think, within the last year was the first time I ever heard of anybody using quote unquote, bloody butcher corn. Now, is that a particular type of red corn, Ben?
Mark Graban:
It's like an heirloom.
Joyce Nethery:
Yes.
Mark Graban:
Corn.
Joyce Nethery:
You said it's an heirloom corn. It is a varietal of the corn. Okay. Corn has many different colors. You can find varietals of corn in just about every color under the rainbow.
Joyce Nethery:
So we have personally grown this red bloody butcher. So that is its varietal. We have also grown right now for our red, white, and blue. The white of the red, white, and blue. We are growing hickory king for it.
Joyce Nethery:
So it is also an heirloom varietal, but it's white. And we are growing a blue that my husband kind of put together. It's a combination of blue hopi and blue claridge. So it's kind of a beautiful, cool blue that way, which is also an heirloom, open pollinated corn. So those are both heirloom.
Joyce Nethery:
And so the bruce's blue is the open pollinated corn. So, again, the open pollinated just means that. Well, that means it's not a gmo, genetically modified organism.
Mark Graban:
Right.
Joyce Nethery:
Open pollinated means that each kernel is a seed, and we can save the seeds and plant them back, which we do every year. In fact, that's what we are just completing today, is planting our corn. We're just getting done because this spring has been. Well, this may has been really, really wet. And we have found that bloody butcher does not like to have cold, wet feet, you know, germinate when it's cold and wet.
Joyce Nethery:
So we have learned to wait until, essentially, derby day for us, which is the first Saturday in May, which is our last free date, you know, frost free date. So we can plant after that, because it's what, the soil is warmer, and it's not as cold and damp.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
So that. That's when we plant the bloody butcher. So we've got a pretty narrow window here because it's, you know, a long growing corn, and we harvest when it's dry like this. And. And that's essentially in October.
Joyce Nethery:
So it's in the field for quite a while. A lot of people are going to relate to corn with the corn in the cob that they get at the grocery store. And that corn in the cob is actually a immature phase of the corn. It's called the milk phase of the corn. And those varietals are actually a sweet corn.
Joyce Nethery:
So they have been developed and hybridized to have more sugars at that stage while you're eating them. I mean, our bloody butcher also has corn. I mean, sugar in it, but it's more of a maltose sugar. So it's not quite the sucrose and glucose that you're going to get with the peaches and cream. Silver queen, you know, those varietals that you get at the grocery store.
Joyce Nethery:
So those are designed to be eaten in that milk phase. But the white corn, the blue corn, there's pink corn that we've tried, and we've actually had a pink corn bourbon laid down that we'll be coming out with in October at some future date.
Mark Graban:
Okay.
Joyce Nethery:
Not this year. It probably be 25 for honoring women. Breast cancer awareness month.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
So coming out with our pink bourbon, the bourbon won't be pink, but the corn going in, we're now using half white, half red, with a few kernels of pink corn going in to make that pink varietal. So we've also got some green, green corn laid down. We've got some. We've got another white varietal that we're growing now. It's called Thomas Jefferson, which dates back to Monticello and Thomas Jefferson's time.
Joyce Nethery:
And it's really, really wild looking. It's really cool. We're growing that one and are starting to distill it and lay down bourbon. So that was like five years away. But, yeah, we've got all kinds of different corns that we're growing and laying down bourbon.
Joyce Nethery:
So our innovation for us is really around the corn and the soil and, you know, trying to generate our products based on that, rather than changing yeasts and all of those pieces.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
Our focus is to innovate from the soil, from the ground.
Mark Graban:
Lots of choices, lots of opportunities to differentiate yourself, as you were saying, at the beginning. And that includes doing your own farming as a ground to glass distillery. That's pretty unusual as well, right? Because most distilleries would source their grains, buy them, and then start their process. Right?
Joyce Nethery:
Most of them do source their corn from farmers who are growing it around them or from the big grain grain brokers. So we are kind of unusual in that we are ground to glass, and that means that we are growing the corn ourselves, on our own estates, on our own properties. So all of our bloody butcher corn, our white and our blue corn are all estate grown corns. So we are very vertically integrated that way. It makes it extra hard, it makes it extra tough, but we love it.
Joyce Nethery:
And that's one of the pieces that we just find to be beautiful about what it is we're trying to do.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
Let me just tell you a little bit about Jeptha Creed. Or tell your audience what Jeptha Creed means.
Mark Graban:
Oh, yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
Yeah. The name that we have, our home farm, where we still live and where we raised our children is at the foothills of some hills right here called the Jephtha knobs. And those knobs were named by Squire Boone and Daniel Boone when they came in and explored Kentucky in the late 17 hundreds and part of Ohio and Indiana, and Missouri. And they've really traveled a lot. You know, it's amazing what they, they accomplished, but they came in and explored Kentucky and they went to the Jeptha knobs and up there.
Joyce Nethery:
One of the reasons they were attracted to those hills is because there was a salt lick up there. So that's where the buffalo and the deer and the turkey were. So I like to say it was a grocery store of their day. And we found documentation that says they named him Jeptha after a biblical warrior in judges eleven. So we want to be all about our local history, heritage, and culture.
Joyce Nethery:
And my local personal family history is right there. We've got local and state history with the boons. We've got Bible history connected to what we're doing here. So we think Jeptha is perfect.
Mark Graban:
Yeah.
Joyce Nethery:
And then Creed is our promise to stand by honoring those values as we grow. Okay, so, you know, the whole ground to glass piece combined with the Jeptha of the name is just, like, so tied together for us that it's really part of who we are to find that ground to glass concept in Jeptha Creed.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. Well, it's great to hear about what you all have created. It's great to taste and smell and experience what you've created at Jeptha Creed. Tell people as we wrap up here how people can learn more your website, like, they can come and visit and taste and. And buy.
Joyce Nethery:
Absolutely. You can find out about us on online. We are at jepthacreed.com we are also on all the socials. We are on Instagram and Facebook and TikTok and Instagram and Twitter. We're on all those.
Joyce Nethery:
And we're Jeptha Creed on all of those. And you can come visit us at the distillery. We're at 500 Gordon Lane in Shelbyville, Kentucky. We're right off of I 64, so we're super easy to get to. And we have a beautiful facility with a gift shop.
Joyce Nethery:
We have tours and tastings of the distillery. We have great experiences. We have a barrel tasting experience, a cocktail class. You know, we also have a bar where you can get cocktails as you're enjoying the tours and tastings and a, we call it the Creed Cafe. So you can come and have lunch or, you know, dinner while you're here.
Joyce Nethery:
We have pizzas and appetizers and we have a beautiful backyard with rocking chairs and Cornhole. And it's a beautiful, awesome place to come hang out. And we have some concerts, some outdoor concerts in our backyard. We got three of them scheduled this year. So in a couple of weeks on June 16, 16th, 15th, June 15, we have Mason Ramsey, who's going to be singing here.
Joyce Nethery:
So get a ticket, bring your lawn chair, and come and hang out and enjoy. And then we have Philip Phillips coming in August and JD Shelburne coming in October. So we have a beautiful outdoor facility, too, that you can come and enjoy an outdoor concert.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. Well, that's cool. I look forward to checking it out soon. Thank you again for coming. I've got my glass from the, the Bourbon Society of Greater Cincinnati.
Mark Graban:
So thank you again for that. Making time and come and letting us taste and learn about what you're doing. And then, my gosh, to find out there's a mistake story core to your recent history.
Joyce Nethery:
Yeah, a beautiful mistake. And I think it's meant to be. One of those mistakes that are meant to be.
Mark Graban:
Yes, I think so. So I'm going to. Yeah, sometime over the summer, my wife and I will schedule some time and come and visit and see the property and do the tour. So I look forward to that.
Joyce Nethery:
I'd love to see you.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. Well, thank you again. We've been joined. Joyce Nethery, CEO master distiller blender many, many roles and lots of hats. Lots of hats up the Creed distillery.
Mark Graban:
Joyce, thank you for doing this. Has been a lot of fun. Thanks for letting us geek out on bourbon and all the interesting things about that process that make it really cool. So thanks again.
Joyce Nethery:
Well, thank you so much for having me. I've enjoyed talking with you. Thanks.
Episode Summary and More
The Inspirational Journey of Jeptha Creed Distillery: A Testament to Women's Leadership in the Spirits Industry
Breaking Barriers: Women Leading the Charge in Distillation
In an industry steeped in tradition and often dominated by men, the story of Jeptha Creed Distillery emerges as a beacon of progress and innovation. At the helm of this pioneering venture is Joyce Nethery, a master distiller with a rich background in chemical engineering and a fervent passion for the art of distillation. Joyce's transition from a fifteen-year career as a process engineer working with industrial-scale distillation processes to leading one of the most unique distilleries in Kentucky encapsulates a remarkable narrative of resilience, expertise, and a deep-seated love for bourbon.
This commitment to excellence and innovation extends beyond Joyce to her family, creating a powerful mother-daughter ownership team that propels Jeptha Creed Distillery forward. The distillery's emphasis on being majority woman-owned and 100% woman-run sets it apart in the Kentucky bourbon landscape, marking a significant step toward diversifying leadership roles within the distillery sector. The involvement of women in various capacities, from operations to marketing and production, demonstrates Jeptha Creed Distillery's commitment to challenging norms and fostering a culture of inclusivity.
A Distillery Born from Passion and Innovation
The foundation of Jeptha Creed Distillery is rooted in a shared dream and an unwavering dedication to the craft of distilling. Joyce Nethery's journey took a dramatic turn when her husband, Bruce, reignited their mutual dream of starting a distillery. This dream was not driven by mere fascination but by a desire to create something unique, something that reflects their values and dedication to quality. Their story is a testament to the power of passion, vision, and the courage to pursue one's dreams, regardless of the obstacles that lie ahead.
The distillery's innovative approach to bourbon production is highlighted by its selection of corn varieties. Jeptha Creed does not settle for the conventional; instead, it seeks out unique, heirloom varieties that are not only sustainable but also imbue their bourbon with distinctive flavors. This commitment to sustainability and excellence is further exemplified by their decision to grow all their corn, ensuring that every bottle of Jeptha Creed bourbon is a reflection of their dedication to quality and environmental stewardship.
Embracing Mistakes: The Path to Uniqueness
Perhaps one of the most compelling aspects of Jeptha Creed Distillery's journey is its embrace of mistakes as stepping stones to innovation. Joyce Nethery's narrative about their accidental use of malted grains instead of raw in their initial distilling experiments serves as a powerful reminder of the serendipity that often accompanies the creative process. This “happy accident” did not lead to disappointment but rather, to the birth of Jeptha Creed's signature bourbons, each with its distinct mash bill and flavor profile that distinguishes them in a crowded market.
This spirit of experimentation and openness to new possibilities is what distinguishes Jeptha Creed Distillery in an industry that greatly values tradition. Their ability to turn an unforeseen mistake into an opportunity for differentiation underscores the innovative spirit that Joyce Nethery and her team bring to the distillery every day. It is this relentless pursuit of excellence and uniqueness that not only defines Jeptha Creed Distillery but also contributes to the broader evolution of the spirits industry.
Conclusion
Jeptha Creed Distillery's story is a powerful reminder that innovation, passion, and leadership know no gender. As the distillery continues to push boundaries and redefine norms, it stands as a beacon of progress, not just for women in the bourbon industry but for all those who dare to dream and innovate. The journey of Joyce Nethery and her family serves as an inspiration, proving that with passion, persistence, and a willingness to embrace the unexpected, anything is possible.
Exploring the Dynamics of Maturation and Barrel Influence
An intrinsic aspect of the distilling process, especially when it comes to bourbon, is the aging and maturation phase. Joyce Nethery's insights into the impact of barrels on the aging process reveal a complex interplay of variables that can significantly affect the final product. The fact that bourbon enters the barrel clear and emerges with a rich amber color underscores the profound transformation that occurs within the wood. Joyce's observation about the unusual depth of color in Jeptha Creed's bourbon, hypothesized to be influenced by the unique properties of Bloody Butcher corn, invites a deeper exploration of how different corn varieties and their inherent characteristics might interact with the barrel to produce distinctive color profiles and flavor nuances.
Barrel aging is not only about the passage of time but also about the environment in which the barrels are stored. The variability found in barrels filled with the same distillate on the same day, yet developing distinctly different profiles, highlights the nuanced nature of bourbon aging. This variability can be attributed to several factors, including:
- Barrel Placement: The location of a barrel within a warehouse can lead to significant differences in temperature and humidity exposure, influencing the rate of evaporation and interaction with the wood.
- Wood Characteristics: Each barrel, being a natural product, has its unique grain patterns, density, and wood compositions, contributing to the bourbon’s unique flavor and color profile.
- Corn Varietals: As suggested by Joyce, the specific corn used, in this case, the Bloody Butcher variety, may interact in unique ways with the barrel, potentially affecting the color and flavor profile due to its unique anthocyanins.
- Warehouse Design: The design of a barrel storage facility, including its size, ventilation, and orientation, can also impact the maturation process, emphasizing the importance of warehouse management in craft distilling.
The Role of Experimentation in Aging
One of the most exciting aspects of distilling is the experimental nature of aging. Joyce's approach to understanding the impact of different barrel conditions and corn varieties on the aging process exemplifies the innovative spirit of Jeptha Creed Distillery. Experimentation in aging not only involves the strategic selection of barrels and storage conditions but also continuous learning and adaptation based on the outcomes observed.
For Jeptha Creed Distillery, the aging process is a journey of discovery, one that involves:
- Taste Testing: Regular sampling and taste testing of barrels over time to monitor the development of flavors and identify standout profiles.
- Blending Experiments: Exploring how different barrels can be blended to achieve a desired flavor profile or introduce new product lines.
- Environmental Control: Experimenting with controlled variations in storage conditions to observe their effects on maturation.
- Innovative Barrel Treatments: Investigating different treatments of the barrel interior, such as toasting or charring levels, to infuse distinctive flavors.
The Future of Bourbon Aging at Jeptha Creed
Looking forward, Jeptha Creed Distillery is poised to continue its exploration of the nuances of bourbon aging. With an unwavering commitment to quality and a passion for innovation, the distillery is set to delve deeper into how different factors influence the maturation process. This includes experimenting with new grain varieties, exploring alternative aging environments, and potentially incorporating technology to monitor and control aging conditions more precisely.
The goal is not just to produce bourbon but to craft expressions that tell a story, reflect a commitment to sustainability, and push the boundaries of traditional distilling practices. As Jeptha Creed Distillery progresses, its journey into the complexities of aging and barrel influence is sure to yield more insights, contributing to the ever-evolving narrative of bourbon production and enriching the tapestry of flavors available to enthusiasts around the world.
The Science and Art of Blending Bourbon
One of the most intricate parts of bourbon creation that Jeptha Creed Distillery focuses on is the delicate balance of blending. The process of blending, as described by Joyce Nethery, leans heavily on both scientific method and artistic intuition. Joyce approaches blending with a systematic method by assigning ratings to each barrel. These ratings are designed to quantify the quality of the bourbon within each barrel, ranging from those that need more aging to those considered perfect as single barrel releases. Despite this methodical approach, blending at Jeptha Creed leans closer to an art form, likening it to creating a complex cocktail or crafting a gourmet dish where individual components, some unexpectedly, come together to enhance the whole.
Blending's purpose is to maintain a consistent flavor profile across batches or to develop new flavor profiles that single barrels alone cannot achieve. This involves not just mixing barrels based on their numerical rating but understanding how different flavor profiles interact. Indeed, the inclusion of a ‘two-rated' barrel might be akin to adding a dash of bitters to a cocktail: seemingly minor but transformative. This artistic touch ensures that each batch of Jeptha Creed bourbon has its own unique character yet retains a consistent quality and flavor that brand enthusiasts expect.
The Influence of Corn Varietals and Sustainable Practices
Jeptha Creed's experimentation with various heirloom corn varietals, such as the Bloody Butcher corn and others like Hickory King and a custom blue corn blend, underlines their commitment to innovation and sustainability. These varietals are not just chosen for their unique flavors but are grown in a manner that respects and responds to the environment. This ground-to-glass approach ensures a unique terroir, wherein the taste of bourbon reflects the land from which its grains were harvested. It's this ethos of sustainability and attention to detail that sets Jeptha Creed apart in the bourbon industry.
The distillery's focus on non-GMO, open-pollinated corn types allows them to harvest seeds from one planting season to the next, maintaining a cycle of growth that is as natural as it is ecologically responsible. Moreover, the decision to plant post-frost and harvest in the dry season of October is based on extensive experience and observation, highlighting a farming strategy that respects natural cycles.
The Success of Jeptha Creed's Innovations
The careful blend of science, art, and sustainable agricultural practices has positioned Jeptha Creed Distillery as a pioneer in the bourbon industry. Their commitment to quality, innovation, and sustainability not only enriches their final product but also contributes to the wider narrative of bourbon in Kentucky and beyond. With an eye always on the future, Jeptha Creed continues to explore the vast potentials of bourbon, whether through the integration of new grain varietals, the nuanced art of blending, or the meticulous science of aging.
Their story redefines what it means to produce bourbon in the modern age, marrying tradition with innovation in a manner that respects the past while eagerly looking forward to the future. The inclusion of unique corn varietals, each with its distinct color and flavor profile, offers a glimpse into the potential for even more diverse and rich bourbon experiences. From grain to glass, every step of the Jeptha Creed process is infused with a commitment to quality and creativity.
As the distillery moves forward, enthusiasts and casual drinkers alike can anticipate new and exciting bourbon releases that reflect the signature Jeptha Creed blend of tradition, innovation, and artistry. Their continued exploration of aging processes, blending techniques, and sustainable farming practices ensures that Jeptha Creed Distillery not only remains at the forefront of the bourbon industry but also contributes to its evolution, one batch at a time.
Celebrating Culture and Community at Jeptha Creed Distillery
Jeptha Creed Distillery is not just pioneering in the realms of bourbon production; it's also shaping community culture through engaging events and concerts. The distillery extends its innovative spirit beyond bourbon, embracing the local community with a series of concerts set against the picturesque backdrop of their outdoor facility. This initiative, spearheaded by Lynn Kelley, offers a unique blend of sensory experiences, combining the rich flavors of Jeptha Creed bourbon with the sounds of celebrated musicians like Mason Ramsey, Philip Phillips, and JD Shelburne. These events underscore Jeptha Creed's commitment to creating a vibrant social space where bourbon enthusiasts and music lovers alike can gather to enjoy the finer things in life.
The strategy of organizing such gatherings is twofold: it breathes life into the local culture, providing a platform for artists and musicians, while simultaneously weaving Jeptha Creed into the fabric of Kentucky's rich festival and event landscape. Patrons are invited to bring their lawn chairs and become a part of this burgeoning tradition, signifying a harmonious blending of bourbon-making excellence with community celebration.
The Art of Welcoming Mistakes
In a revealing candid conversation, a “beautiful mistake” was mentioned, highlighting another facet of Jeptha Creed's philosophy: embracing errors not as setbacks but as potential stepping stones to innovation and success. This mindset allows Jeptha Creed to navigate the unpredictable waters of bourbon production with resilience and creativity. Viewing mistakes as opportunities rather than failures is a testament to the distillery's forward-thinking approach, where each mishap is meticulously analyzed and potentially integrated into their process, further enriching their bourbon's complex flavor profile or refining their operational model.
This approach is reflected in their willingness to explore unconventional corn varietals, unique aging processes, and blending techniques, striving for perfection while respecting the unpredictability inherent in nature and craftsmanship. Such a perspective not only enhances their product but also strengthens their resolve to push boundaries and redefine standards, making Jeptha Creed a beacon of innovation in the bourbon industry.
Inviting the World to Experience Jeptha Creed
Jeptha Creed Distillery opens its doors to enthusiasts and curious visitors alike, encouraging them to experience first-hand the meticulous care and passion that goes into each bottle of bourbon. The distillery tours offer an immersive glimpse into the world of bourbon production, from the science of distillation to the art of aging and blending. Visitors have the unique opportunity to witness the dedication of the team.
These tours are not just educational; they're an invitation to become part of the Jeptha Creed story, offering a deeper appreciation for the craft and a personal connection to the spirit of innovation that drives the distillery. As Jeptha Creed continues to host events, embrace mistakes, and innovate within the bourbon industry, they pave the way for a future where tradition and innovation coexist, fostering a community that appreciates the depth and complexity of bourbon culture.