‘Official State Spirit’ Returning to Stores
By David Irvin, Montgomery Advertiser, Ala.
May 10–Alabama is getting its spirit back.
Conecuh Ridge Whiskey, the state’s official whiskey, will return to liquor stores next week after a 15-month absence. It will be available at two wholesale stores in Montgomery at first. If Conecuh Ridge gets sufficient distribution, it could be placed in ABC stores statewide again.
The Alabama Legislature christened Conecuh Ridge the “official state spirit” in 2004. But state leaders threatened to strip the title away after company founder Kenny May — the son of famous Alabama moonshine bootlegger Clyde May — pleaded guilty to liquor law charges, including selling a case of whiskey to a minor.
The Union Springs native’s conviction invoked the wrath of the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which stopped placing orders and took away Conecuh Ridge’s license. But May has left the company and moved to Iowa, so the state board is giving the company another shot.
“Now that Kenny May is out of it and has nothing to do with it, if somebody wants to list it and put it out, we’ll be glad to get it and sell it,” said ABC Board Administrator Emory Folmar. Folmar said a “top notch” distributor is interested in Conecuh, which is based in Troy but produces whiskey out of a distillery in Kentucky.
Folmar refused to name the distributor, but officials with Alabama Crown Distributor, which has offices in Montgomery, Birmingham and Mobile, confirmed they are brokering the whiskey and a shipment is on the way to the state from Kentucky.
Each 750 mL bottle of Conecuh Ridge Whiskey goes for about $40.
Conecuh management said the company won’t use its designation as the state’s top choice whiskey for the basis of their marketing plan, at least not at first. The Alabama House tried to revoke Conecuh’s “official spirit” status after May’s conviction, but the Senate didn’t follow suit and the whiskey remains on the books.
“We need to prove ourselves back into the state,” said Tom Abker, president of Conecuh Ridge. “(With) the experience that we have, we approach things professionally, because we have been in the industry all those years.”
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