Jeptha Creed Red, White & Blue Bourbon (Batch 3) Review

 

 

Founded by Joyce and Bruce Nethery in 2013, Jeptha Creed was meant to be handed down to their children, Autumn and Hunter. Joyce serves as the Master Distiller; Autumn is the Marketing Manager. Bruce grows grains, and Hunter is the beekeeper who provides honey for the various spirits produced. The distillery was built on the family cornfield in Shelbyville County, Kentucky.

 

In 2016, the distillery barrelled its first Bourbon, the county's first legal barrel since Prohibition. It released that Bourbon in 2019.

 

And that brings us to the subject of today’s limited-edition, annual release of Red, White & Blue Bourbon. It is the third batch of the series and began with 60 curated barrels distilled in 2019 and 2020 from a mashbill of 25% Bloody Butcher corn, 25% Heirloom white corn, 25% Bruce’s Blue corn, 20% malted rye, and 5% malted barley. The bottle claims a four-year age statement; ten of the sixty barrels were five years old.

 

Aside from the three colors of corn, why did Jeptha Creed name this Bourbon Red, White & Blue?

 

It pays homage to whiskey’s intertwined history with American battles. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington paid his troops with whiskey. Next came the Whiskey Rebellion. In the Civil War, troops were provided Bourbon as part of the rations for the Northern forces. The Great War (World War I) had troops who were given whiskey (and gin, rum, and beer) to help them deal with battle fatigue and PTSD. World War II was a staple for American soldiers fighting the Germans, Italians, and Japanese. It was there for the Korean and Vietnamese conflicts.

 

Red, White & Blue Bourbon is packaged in a 750ml at 50% ABV (100°) and has a suggested price of $74.99. Proceeds from the sale of this batch are donated to CreatiVets.

 

“CreatiVets’ goal is to offer opportunities for relief and healing for the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country. Our purpose is to use various forms of art, including songwriting, visual arts, music, and creative writing, to help disabled veterans cope with service-related trauma (i.e., post-traumatic stress, or PTS) by fostering self-expression in a way that allows them to transform their stories of trauma and struggle into an art form that can inspire and motivate continued healing. Through compassion, we are helping veterans live again.”

 

Thanks to Jeptha Creed's kindness, I procured a sample in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s #DrinkCurious and learn more.

 

Appearance: Inside my Glencairn glass, this Bourbon presented as a reddish-orange amber. A thin rim produced tightly spaced, thin, slow droplets.

 

Nose: I smelled corn. Lots and lots of corn. There was some caramel, a bit of citrus, and a hint of chocolate. Mostly, it was corn. Drawing the vapor through my lips exposed me to cherries and oranges.

 

Palate: I sipped Red, White & Blue neat. The mouthfeel was very creamy. On the front, I tasted corn, cinnamon, and cocoa. The middle offered pears, apples, and caramel. The back featured oak, ginger spice, and mild clove.

 

Finish: Red, White & Blue Bourbon possessed a long-lasting, even finish. Ginger, clove, and cinnamon were prominent but didn’t overwhelm the caramel and vanilla flavors. I timed the duration at 3:04, placing it into the very long category.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: This is the second Bourbon I’ve had from Jeptha Creed. It is important to note that before the first, people commented that they found what this distillery offers to be “undrinkable,” “awful,” or “vile.” That was neither my experience with its Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon nor this Red, White & Blue Bourbon. Either our palates aren’t the same, or perhaps this young distillery has come into its own as its stocks matured. Unfortunately, I’ve no frame of reference with earlier releases to make a confident statement.

 

Regardless, I love the cause, and I enjoyed this Bourbon. I believe you will, too. That’s worthy of a Bottle rating. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.