posted by admin on Jan 14
I spent a few days on the Alabama coast recently, and stumbled upon a whiskey that was new to me – Clyde May’s Conecuh Ridge Alabama Style Whiskey. Being the curious sort, I tried some and asked my friendly bartender about it.This was a whiskey with an interesting story. The bartender told me that it was based on an old moonshine recipe, and was introduced by the moonshiner’s son. It was available for awhile, but then it wasn’t. Now the moonshiner’s family is no longer involved, and its not made in Alabama. Hmmm. I had to dig a bit deeper to find out more.
Conecuh Ridge claims to be “Alabama Style Whiskey” (a loose term) made from an old moonshine recipe developed by Clyde May, a legendary local bootlegger who sold his homemade hooch for decades, before eventually going to jail for moonshining. Mr. May died in 1990, and his son Kenny May searched for a way to honor his memory.
The Official State Spirit of Alabama
Kenny May founded the Conecuh Ridge Distillery and introduced the whiskey legally in 2002 in Alabama. The whiskey is not (and the legal version never was) made in Alabama, and it’s not made from the corn/sugar blend that Mr. May used. Instead, it’s made in Kentucky using a corn/rye/barley mash, with Alabama spring water that has been trucked to the distillery. Regardless, Mr. May reportedly felt the spirit was close to his father’s recipe, and he worked hard to sell it.
Alabama (a control state) swiftly put the whiskey into their stores, and sales were brisk at first. The Alabama legislature even designated the spirit the official spirit of the state in 2004, after overriding the governor’s veto of the bill. This veto & override stirred up a firestorm of controversy (and fueled sales), and certain officials in the government were not happy about the situation.
Sales Halted in Alabama
Later in 2004, the Alabama Liquor Commission reported that sales had declined, and they decided to pull the spirit from the shelves, relegating it to special order status. In December 2004, Kenny May was arrested for selling liquor without license, and selling to an underage person. Kenny eventually pled guilty, and the company’s license was immediately revoked (and Alabama stores stopped selling his product). The company’s perspective (an online posting by one of its executives then) was that Mr. May was set up by the Liquor Commission. After his guilty plea, others stepped in and took over management of the company, and they continued to produce and sell the whiskey in other states over the next few years.
In late 2005, some Georgia-based investors reportedly stepped in and purchased a controlling interest in the company. In mid-2006, the whiskey returned to shelves in Alabama liquor stores under this new management, and the whiskey is still designated as the official spirit of the state (despite attempts by certain parts of the legislature to revoke the designation).
So the May family is no longer involved in selling or making Claude May’s Conecuh Ridge Alabama Style Whiskey, and it’s currently run by Georgia company and made in Kentucky. It seems like it hasn’t been going too well since then, either - sales are reportedly sluggish in Alabama, and the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year (the case is still pending). Wikipedia says there is a shareholder derivative suit pending also.
So enough of the history, how does it taste?
Given the story and reported popularity of the spirit in certain circles, I was hoping to really like it. However, I wondered if the flavor had changed over the years as the company changed hands, and my friendly bartender thought that it had changed somewhat. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find an older bottle to try for comparison.
The whiskey had a strong maple aroma, and a lingering maple syrup flavor - it was a bit sweeter than I expected (and than I prefer). It has a bit of spice, but is a bit simpler and lighter in flavor than my preferred bourbons or whiskeys.
The few online reviews and comments I found were similar, although a couple really raved about it.
Though it wasn’t my favorite, I’ll surely remember the story, and perhaps now you will too. I think it would have been fun to meet Mr. May, he surely must have been a character.
Source: Moonshine History Continues Today (Sort Of)
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