Created by Josh Boutwell, Troy Messenger
The journey has been long haul but Alabama’s first official Bourbon whiskey distillery, Conecuh Ridge Distillery, plans to open in May 2024 opening date as the complex located in Troy closes in on its completion.
Conecuh Ridge Distillery will produce the official spirit of state Alabama Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey. Moonshine whiskey was made famous by the former moonshiner Clyde May, a native of Alabama.
After serving his country with pride with the army’s 77th Infantry in World War II which earned him the Bronze Star and Purple Heart and a Purple Heart Clyde May returned home to Alabama and was regarded to be one of the “most sought-after” moonshiners of Alabama. The original still was built near Pike County in nearby Bullock County.
After Clyde May passed away in 1990 His daughter, Kenny May, launched the legal Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey in 2001 and it was made the official spirit of state Alabama in 2004.
Even though Conecuh Ridge Distillery has bottled and produced its product in Clyde May’s native state of Alabama throughout the time, it is set to be returning back to Troy, Ala., when it will open in 2024.
Conecuh Ridge Distillery will produce many items, including Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon, Clyde May’s Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey and Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
The facility will not just a distillery however, but also bottling facility as well as a bar and restaurant and the tasting room, retail store and a barrelhouse where you can make whisky in barrels. All of this will be a part of the tours in the Conecuh Ridge Distillery.
The Distillery will generate approximately 50 employment opportunities for Pike County once its fully filled to capacity.
Steve May (no relation to Clyde May) serves as General Manager and Vice President at Conecuh Ridge Distillery. Conecuh Ridge Distillery. Prior to his appointment at Conecuh Ridge, May served as Director of Marketing Operations at the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Tennessee.
During his time there he was responsible for significant growth in the distillery’s sales and guest count increasing from 191,000 to more than 300,000. This growth was also a contributor to the growth of the region. Under his leadership that time, the distillery Jack Daniel’s made nearly $25 million into capital improvement on the distillery, and also.
“I was in charge of the marketing for The Jack Daniel’s Distillery. one of the biggest tourist attraction within Tennessee,” May said. “Before the epidemic it was home to more than 300,000 people taking tours and 190 employees only in the field of marketing. It had a massive effect on economics in the region and we’re hoping that we’ll be able to replicate the same experience to Troy.”
The distillery will provide five types of tours upon opening, at a cost of between $20 and $45. Tours will start at Clyde 240, Clyde May’s first moonshine-making still, which was named for the fact that it needed the equivalent of $240 worth of copper to create the still. After learning about the history of May and the Conecuh Ridge Distillery, tourists can tour the entire distillery and learn about the process.
“We will be extremely family-friendly. If you’re bringing your kids, you can join us on a tour without liquor,” May said. “We have a amount of everything happening here. We’re not just an attraction for tourists, but a complete distillery, with an bottling plant which produces Clyde May’s Whiskey and Conecuh Ridge Whiskey.”
May ended, “We’ll be buying local corn that is grown in Alabama. Our corn will be grown on farms in this region. We’ll offer our unused corn, which is extremely nutritious local cattle ranchers.”
Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said that he believes that the distillery will offer a unique experience for tourists to Troy.
“The Conecuh Ridge Distillery will be a top tourist location and investment opportunity on Troy’s North Side of Troy,” Reeves said. “It will provide a unique chance for people who travel through Troy as well as people who are just a few hours away that would like to spend the weekend off or take an afternoon trip to explore our community and Clyde May Brands’ production. I am certain it will be a truly entertaining experience.”
Steve May said that the distillery is planning the opening in May 2024 however, conditions and other concerns could delay that. However, summer 2024 appears like it could be the year that Alabama opens its first whiskey distillery. The distillery will be situated on Highway 231 where 3 million vehicles travel each year.
The article Gallery: Alabama’s very first Bourbon distillery will open in 2024 appeared at The Andalusia Star-News.
