Who makes it? Currently sourced for Indiana

Mashbill: Bourbon – 78% corn, 12% rye, and 10% barley

Rye – 95% rye, 5% malted barley

Where it’s from: Bottled by Conecuh Ridge Distillery

When it Started: 2002 officially but Clyde May has been distilling since 1946

He was unlike a lot of moonshiners in the area, since his reputation was attached to every bottle he produced it had to be of the utmost quality. He never sold a legal bottle of whiskey but in 2002 his son Kenny wanted to bring his father’s whiskey to the market legally and so the journey began. Now, the grandson of Clyde May, LC is the face of the company and even stopped in and shot a video with us giving first hand accounts and everything that goes into making Clyde May’s Whiskey.

The first bottle we taste is the Single Barrel Straight Bourbon 102 proof. It pleases the nose right out of the glass, a few baking notes and sweetness. On the finish, it lets you know you drank something. A little bit of the heat but still goes down smooth. Definitely something to pick up if you can find it. It’ll cost you about $50.

The second bottle is the Straight Bourbon 110 Special Reserve that won double gold at the San Francisco competition. We did more talking that tasting but it did have different profile that the single barrel but has a much bolder aspect to it and this one easier to find. This will run you about $60.

The last bottle was their Straight Rye Whiskey with mint on the nose, finishes of smooth with Erik saying it is different, different. A good rye to add to your whiskey cabinet. This comes in about $40

A solid showing by Clyde May’s and thoroughly enjoyed each bottle, with Kris’ fav leaning toward the 110 special reserve and Erik going for Straight Rye.

Who makes it? Jack Daniel’s

Mashbill: 80% corn, 12% barley, and 8% rye

Where it’s from: Lynchburg, Tennessee

When it Started: 2012

We met Luke at a few of our events, being a fellow whiskey enthusiast he offered one of prized bottles for a review. We took him up on it and Luke dropped by with 2 bottles from the Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Series. Jess Motlow the second distiller was chosen plus Kris had a surprise in his #whiskeyventure backpack.

A little background, Jack Daniel passed away in 1991 and left the distillery to his two nephews Lem Motlow and Richard Daniel. Lem bought out Richards interest and was more interested in running the company so he put his brother Jess in charge of the distilling. The brothers made it through World War I, Prohibition(being one of the few that a medical license to distill and sell whiskey, and WWII. Lem died in 1947 and his brother Jess retired soon after. The company then went to Lem’s 4 sons that held onto the company for 9 years and then sold it to Brown-Forman for 20 million dollars!

Popping it open, it was easy on the nose. A little heat for Kris with a little sweetness to it. Erik said it didn’t smell like Jack and actually nosed like a good bourbon. On the finish Kris said that for an 86 proof whiskey he could feel the bite but dissipated quickly. Erik thought it was hotter than expected and thought the same that the flavor went away quickly. Luke was pleasantly surprised and found it refreshing. He liked that fact that the finish went away quick because he was ready for another sip faster.

Adding the ice smoothed it out some and brought the sweet flavors, where Erik got a maple flavor and Luke could taste honey. Kris felt it definitely brought the sweetness and could taste a little more of the char.

All in all it was a decent bottle and for 40 bucks but if you check the net you’ll find it all over the price scale. From 60 dollars on up to 400!