Last year, distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail counted more than one million visits. Its newer companion tour, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour, saw well over 300,000 distillery visits from enthusiasts who have a passion for small-batch spirits. The new KBT Craft Tour passport includes 20 artisanal distilleries across Kentucky and for the second year in a row, Jeptha Creed is proud to be included among them.
Unlike the original Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour is divided into four Kentucky regions: Northern, Central, Western, and Bluegrass. Jeptha Creed is one of the five craft distilleries featured in the Central region of Kentucky and the only distillery in Shelby County, where the Netherys have been farming for five generations. In 2018 Jeptha Creed had about 44,000 visitors, 68% from outside of Kentucky and 3% from outside the USA.
Jeptha Creed is a unique distillery on the trail. Not only is Jeptha Creed family-owned, it is also one of the relatively few women-owned distilleries in the country. We also stand out because of our commitment to being ground-to-glass, meaning we grow or locally source the ingredients used in Jeptha Creed products. Fruits, herbs, and open-pollinated heirloom Bloody Butcher corn are grown in our fields. We save seeds, use honey harvested on-site, and pull water directly from our creek. This old-fashioned process means that our distillery remains sustainable and authentic while producing excellent spirits.
To get started, visitors can pick up an official KBT Craft Tour passport at Jeptha Creed, or at whichever craft distillery they visit first. In order to get the passport stamped at each distillery, visitors must take a tour. This is a special treat at Jeptha Creed, as earlier in 2019, we were named the “Best Tour and Tasting Room” by the American Distilling Institute. Jeptha Creed distillery tours begin by heading to the warehouse area, where visitors get an up-close look at the ingredients and a behind-the-scenes look at the distillation process. Tours end with a tasting of bourbon or any of Jeptha Creed’s other spirits. While at Jeptha Creed, visitors can grab a bite at the restaurant or sample our signature bourbon cocktail: The Farmer’s Refresher, made with Jeptha Creed Bourbon, mint & orange shrub, Antica sweet vermouth, and Jeptha Creed Ne Oublie Black Walnut Bitters.
After getting a passport stamp at all of the distillery stops in a region, visitors will earn a collectable coin. Visitors who collect all four coins will earn a free, custom-designed barrel stave to display all the coins, along with an official Kentucky Bourbon Trail tasting glass.
April through December, Jeptha Creed distillery tours run every day but Monday. Please visit JepthaCreed.com/tours-and-tastings to book a tour and begin your Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour adventure. For more information about the other distilleries on the tour, visit kybourbontrail.com.