1 Oct 2015 --- This fall, Clyde May’s is launching a Special Reserve whiskey, the first line extension in the brand’s history, which will be available for sale in limited quantity. Clyde May’s Special Reserve reflects the same heritage that made Clyde May’s the official State Spirit of Alabama.
Clyde May’s Special Reserve is based on original recipes created by Clyde himself. Three distinct higher-proof Alabama-style whiskies were created to characterize the best features of five to six year-old bourbon stock. The bourbon is aged up to six years and finished non-cold filtered with a slight hint of apple, in the Alabama style. The final liquid was bottled at 110 proof, and will be available in different lots, each exhibiting subtle variation and tasting notes.
Over the past year, Clyde May’s Whiskey has also implemented a program that allows retail partners to create bespoke editions ofClyde May’s Special Reserve, drawing from a selection of hand-selected barrels. These barrels were organized into three distinct lots. The lots reflect the finest expressions of Clyde May’s Whiskey and can be mixed by retail partners according to taste. Clyde May’sintends to expand this program in the coming years.
Ron Call – a highly regarded whiskey veteran with more than 40 years’ experience – partnered with Clyde May’s in the development ofClyde May’s Special Reserve. He has also been involved in the development of Clyde May’s 85 proof whiskey. Call has had a long, productive relationship with Clyde May’s and has taken on additional duties as Whiskey Master. Call’s rigorous attention to quality and consistency will maintain the iconic legacy of Clyde May and his whiskey.
“One of the features that has pleasantly surprised people who’ve tasted Special Reserve is its smoothness,” said Ron Call, Whiskey Master, Clyde May’s Whiskey. “At the 110-proof level, there can be an expectation that the liquid is going to knock your head back. But the Alabama-style finish just smooths it out – it’s almost counterintuitive. And our retail partners are having great fun creating their own versions of Special Reserve based on the expressions we’re providing. It’s not common that whiskey brands permit that sort of tailoring and our partners love it.”
Beginning in October, Special Reserve will be available for purchase nationwide and online for $70. Online retail locations where Special Reserve will be available include Caskers, Binny’s Beverage Depot and Total Wine and more.
About Clyde May’s Whiskey
Clyde May’s Whiskey was created by Clyde May, an Alabama farmer and war hero, in the late 1940s. Clyde lived in Alabama’sConecuh Ridge, and was a moonshiner by trade but a craftsman by heart. Using copper stills, fresh Alabama spring water and the finest local grains, he vowed to make the best whiskey Alabama had ever tasted. Clyde aged small batches in charred oak barrels and experimented until he perfected his own unique finish – Alabama Style. He added oven-dried apples to his barrels and the resulting hint of green apple made his whiskey particularly smooth. That smoothness is what sets Clyde May’s Whiskey apart. Clyde eventually paid the price for his passion, spending eight months in a federal penitentiary, but he set up a new still the day he was released. In 2001, though he had passed, Clyde’s son recreated his father’s famous recipe and began legally distilling his father’s brand, hewing to the same traditions that made his father’s whiskey famous. Clyde May’s Whiskey is the Official State Spirit of Alabama.
