Conecuh Ridge Whiskey on NBC Nightly News

[cornsqueezins]

You mentioned this whiskey being very buttery and perversely smooth at 90 proof. Reminded me of George Dickel No. 12, white label.

Do you notice any similarities between the two?

-Troy

[hollywood]

Squeeze, I do drink Dickel #12 at times, but the answer is..No. Although D12 is fairly smooth, it isn't in Conecuh's class in that way. However, D12 is a little thicker pour. Conecuh has a hugh nose...you LITERALLY think you're smelling pancakes on Sunday morning with MELTED butter and Mrs. Butterworth's syrup to boot! In all seriousness, this whiskey should always be enjoyed neat in a snifter. A rocks glass will not do it justice Alot of difference between them..I think D12 is much more subtle. See ya, H'wood

[cornsqueezins]

I second Hollywood's impressions of Conecuh Ridge. I was finally able to get a taste of this stuff after locating a supply of it in an ABC store in Huntsville. A store employee pointed me to their stash and said that it had just arrived earlier that day. There was a small number of bottles sitting removed from the whiskey section of the store next to one of the cash registers. Not as conspicuous as you might guess. I never would have spotted them had I not been shown point blank where they were.

Two of the employees seemed really curious about this whiskey after I had asked them about it. They actually knew nothing about it and began asking me questions...they were even clueless that it was a new whiskey.

Anyway, the Conecuh Ridge bottle does not even come close to resembling the bottle's "image" that was illustrated in a Union Springs article earlier this year. Instead of a rounded bottle displaying the state of Alabama and a whiskey still, the bottle has a rectangular shape with a medium neck and an orange/amber and grey label. The label states "Clyde May's Conecuh Ridge Whiskey" with a note below it which reads "Made from Mr. Clyde's Famous Alabama Recipe, closely guarded and handed down for generations". Another note refers to the Conecuh Ridge Distillery being located (at least for the present) in Bardstown Kentucky. Could this mean that Barton is involved in making this whiskey? Heaven Hill no longer has distilling operations based in Bardstown since the '96 fire do they? The label states that this whiskey has been handcrafted in small batches with the current bottle being from batch #001, 90 proof.

Hollywood's impression of butter and pancakes is right on the money. The nose of this whiskey has a country sweetness that is unique. Something akin to hot buttered blue-berry pancakes that slowly develops into a rich butterscotch with hints of toffey. The body is light to medium with a taste which is sweet and similar to the nose but not as penetrating or intense. As Hollywood said, this stuff is incredibly smooth which actually disappointed me slightly. The smoothness seems to result from a body and finish which are somewhat thin (watery, maybe?) and simple. Nevertheless, this whiskey has merit, especially in the nose. Maybe the taste will open up with time. But it seems a little more age and refinement could really produce a humdinger; then again, that might defeat Kenny May's purpose in keeping with the taste profile of his dad's whiskey.

All in all, a welcome newcomer and a respectable little brother to our family of Kentucky bourbons and Tennessee whiskies.

-Troy

[ratcheer]

Remember the TV news article I watched? There seemed to be a concerted effort to relate Conecuh Ridge to the moonshine that was produced, say, 50 or 60 years ago. That would be a very simple taste profile. On the other hand, they ended up saying this is a very refined whiskey, comparing it to single-malt scotch. All in all, a very confusing message.

Tim

[brendaj]

Troy,
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Another note refers to the Conecuh Ridge Distillery being located (at least for the present) in Bardstown Kentucky. Could this mean that Barton is involved in making this whiskey? Heaven Hill no longer has distilling operations based in Bardstown since the '96 fire do they? The label states that this whiskey has been handcrafted in small batches with the current bottle being from batch #001, 90 proof.


[/QUOTE]
I'm trying to get ya'll an answer. I've called the attorney for the Kentucky Distillers Assoc. but don't expect to hear much anytime soon, it is Christmas...
I dunno but, I'm beginning to smell Evan Kulsveen here. What if this is something he bought from them before the fire?
I know we've had this conversation before, and I'm pretty sure the larger part of his warehouse space is sitting un-used. However, he still has more than enough space in the buildings close to his bottling line and warehouse to hold a few hundred barrels of something.
Just a hunch,
Beej

[cornsqueezins]

Thanks Beej!

Your "X-files" handiwork is appreciated by one and all in bourbonia.

[Bob]

I just saw this piece on NBC Nightly News tonight. Interesting look at Conecuh Ridge Whiskey. I believe they said it was aged one year. Is this right?

Bob

[cornsqueezins]

I just caught that piece myself. Yeah, the "aged 1 year" has me wondering too. There's no age statement on the bottle. But the whiskey is so smooth and the nose is so sweet and mellow, it's hard to believe it's anything less than 4 years old.

Here's a pic of the bottle below.....a WT 101 bottle is sitting behind it, so that's why you have the word "WILD" floating around in the Conecuh Ridge bottle.

[Paradox]

here's a description I found for it on a website advertising it... In it it says that it is aged for a year or more...

Just a few years ago only a select few could taste the smooth, mellow whiskey Clyde May brewed in South Alabama. Take just one sip and you'll understand why folks from miles around risked a brush with the law for a bottle of Mr. Clyde's Alabama Moonshine Bourbon. Using a recipe passed down for generations, Conecuh Ridge is made with the purest spring water and the best whole grains. Aged to perfection in caramel-charred white oak barrels, Clyde May's famous whiskey is now available, legally, for you to enjoy.

In the hills and hollows of South Alabama, Clyde May made the best moonshine bourbon in the South. Consumed by quality and attention to the craft, Mr. Clyde spent his life perfecting the art of small-batch whiskey making. His famous product was admired by not only the fans of his masterful Alabama Moonshine Bourbon, but also by the federal revenue officers duty-bound to chase him across the Alabama's red-clay roads.


Conecuh Ridge takes pride in keeping true to Clyde's original recipe for fine whiskey. Clyde May's core values live on in the product today. Good whiskey starts with the purest water and finest ingredients. Conecoh Ridge is committed to the expensive and time-consuming process of making whiskey in small batches, using master distillers, not automated machines. And they believe that sophisticated taste can only be achieved with time. Good whiskey can't be rushed. The result is a warm amber whiskey with rich finish. Each sip will make you want to linger just a little longer and savor its purity, just as Mr. Clyde intended.

If you drive down deep in the heart of Conecuh Ridge, you'll soon find that the flat black-belt, so famous for its rich soil and cotton-spotted history, gives way to a sandy rise. This is what it's all about – an enormous natural deviation of pure sand. Spring heads and artesian wells abound in this region of the state, gushing forth the cleanest, brightest spring water in the South. You simply can't find a purer water source. And that's how we start a bottle of Clyde May's Conecuh Ridge.

One taste of this rich amber whiskey, and you'll know how pre-prohibition bourbon made its mark on the American South. Conecuh Ridge is carefully crafted to 90 proof, using whole-grains to create a southern sour mash that can't be beat. Once fermented and distilled the resulting clear liquid is poured into charred white oak barrels where it is aged for a year or more. While that may not sound like a lot of time to a Scot or a Canadian whiskey maker, our aging process is naturally enhanced by Alabama's hot summers.

The rich golden result is as mellow and gentle a whiskey as we believe you'll find.

[Blackkeno]

I find the repeated references to "bourbon" in the article a bit misleading. Since this isn't a straight whiskey, couldn't they be taking it off the still at a much higher proof (than bourbon). If so, the more substantial amount of water needed for dilution to bottling strength, might result in a lighter, more approachable spirit despite its youth?