Heeeeeellllllllllloooooooo Otterites!
This past weekend, Francis and I went to a local Liquor Barn where the Master Distiller of Jeptha Creed was present signing bottles. Jeptha Creed is a standout distillery in a few ways. First, it’s one of the few with a woman Master Distiller, Joyce Nethery. She works closely with her daughter Autumn Nethery. Second, they take a “ground to glass” approach. The corn used in their bourbons (and their vodka and moonshine) is grown right there and everything is locally sourced unless that’s not possible.
Red, White and Blue has 3 different corns in it at 100 proof. There’s 25% each of Bloody Butcher (red), Heirloom White, and Bruce’s Blue, 20% malted rye and 5% malted barley. It’s the exact same mash bill as their high rye bottled in bond bourbon except 3 types of corn instead of just the Bloody Butcher. The different types of corn make it come off sweeter than it would with just the Bloody Butcher corn.
There’s a third version called Bloody Butcher named after the corn, coming in at 98 proof, which is a 4 grain bourbon. It’s 70% Bloody Butcher corn and the rest are malted grains. The malting is what apparently calms down the rye effect and all their non-corn grains are malted. Even with the higher rye in the mash bill, RWB is sweeter than the regular Bloody Butcher.
The rye is muted somewhat and doesn’t hang around to spoil your palate as so many do. You get the spiciness, but it gives way to a deep warm finish for the most part. This is one of the few bourbons I would whole-heartedly recommend neat. I like a little ice to chill the bourbon and to let it bloom with the melt. That does greatly enhance the RWB, but it’s still great without it.
All three are sweet, though the RWB is the sweetest. They all drink very smooth too. You really experience the sweetness on the nose with the RWB, which is very pleasant. Depending on the bottle they retail from around $50 to $70.
5