‘State Spirit’ Lagging in Sales
By David Irvin, Montgomery Advertiser, Ala.
Jan. 17–Alabama drinkers prefer Canadian and Tennessee whiskey by a wide margin over the state’s native spirit, officials at the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board said Tuesday.
Since October, the owners of Conecuh Ridge Whiskey — a Bullock County potable that became the “official state spirit” in 2004 — have moved only $24,244 worth of the drink.
Sales volumes for Crown Royal, a Canadian blend, were approximately 268 times higher at $6.5 million. Jack Daniels, the famous Tennessee whiskey, outpaced Conecuh by a multiple of 152, bringing $3.7 million in sales.
According to Emory Folmar, the former mayor of Montgomery and the current ABC Board administrator, the performance of Conecuh in the past quarter ranked the whiskey No. 323 of all 460 brands of alcohol carried by the state’s liquor board.
“It’s doing all right, but in three months to only sell $24,244 is just not anywhere close to the top sellers,” Folmar said, adding that the top 20 brands make up approximately half of all alcohol sales in Alabama.
Produced in Kentucky, each 750 mL bottle of Conecuh Ridge Whiskey goes for about $40.
Officials with Conecuh Ridge could not be reached for comment, but last year the president of the company said they would not use the designation as the state’s official whiskey in their Alabama marketing.
The Alabama Legislature christened Conecuh Ridge the “official state spirit” in 2004, but that title was nearly stripped after company founder Kenny May — the son of famous bootlegger Clyde May — pleaded guilty to liquor law charges.
The conviction invoked the wrath of the Alabama ABC Board, which pulled Conecuh Ridge’s license and stopped placing orders.
The state board gave Conecuh Ridge another shot when the company was sold and started placing orders again. Today Alabama’s spirit can be found in 70 of the ABC’s 158 stores around the state, Folmar said.
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