Clyde May, a World War II veteran who came home to Alabama and started making whiskey outside the law, is probably the most famous moonshiner ever to come from the Yellowhammer State. (Of course, fame in that career can lead to unwanted attention from the authorities, and in May's case, that led to a prison stint.) Though May has been gone for years, his family business lives on as a popular Alabama spirits company known as Conecuh Brands. Actually, Conecuh has only recently moved production to a new Troy, Ala., plant after years of purchasing juice from a Kentucky distillery, but the company has earned lots of loyalty from whiskey lovers in Alabama and beyond.
The Clyde May’s brand already garnered acclaim for its straight bourbon whiskey, and the latest offering is also making waves in the whiskey world. Clyde May’s Straight Rye is a 94 proof product that came out late last year amid much excitement.
I gave it a taste, and this rye — aged at least three years —surprised me with its complexity, given that it's a younger product. But since rye is spicier than corn (think rye bread vs. cornbread), a rye whiskey with some character generally takes less time to create.
Clyde May’s Rye is definitely grain-forward, especially because the higher proof magnifies the spicy heat on the tongue. That’s not a bad thing, but if you’re not already a fan of rye, you might not like this one as a sipper instead of older, smoother bourbon. That’s cool, because rye really shines as a cocktail ingredient, where it can interplay with other flavors to create something balanced and delicious. The folks at Clyde May's suggest making a Perfect Manhattan with their rye, and I agree that's a fine use of this juice.
As opposed to a traditional Manhattan, which is 2 parts rye, 1 part sweet vermouth, and 2 dashes of angostura bitters, the Perfect Manhattan divides the vermouth share between equal half-parts of sweet and dry vermouth. The youth of Clyde May’s rye is well-served by this decision, since an overly sweet Manhattan would have trouble balancing the spice of the rye. I like the Perfect version quite a lot, thank you.
Legend says (because anything attributed to a moonshiner, particularly when it comes from a marketer, needs to be taken with a grain of salt) that Clyde May was a big fan of rye whiskey. “Rye is not new to those who knew Clyde,” says Roy Danis, president and CEO of Conecuh Brands. “In fact, it was the only spirit that the bootlegger made and kept for himself, so this spirit truly honors his craft and dedication." Danis adds that May made his rye in Alabama "in open pot stills with fresh Alabama spring water and the finest local ingredients.”
That sounds pretty darned impressive, considering how difficult it is to cook sticky rye grain down to make a wash — that’s the reason why so many distilleries depend on huge industrial plants to distill their rye for them, and to good effect.
But if Clyde really hauled bags of rye down into the holler, cooked it down and then used a jackhammer to clean out his still afterwards, good for him. And good for us today since we get to enjoy another good rye whiskey priced in the lower-premium niche of the low-to-mid-$40 range. If you try out a bottle, let us know what you think in the comments below.
