Clyde May’s 9 Year Old Cask Strength Rye Whiskey
Clyde May's 9 Year Old Cask Strength Rye Whiskey is a one-time limited bottling from Conecuh Brands, built on a 91% rye mash bill and aged a minimum of nine years in ex-bourbon barrels before a four-month finish on a mixture of American oak, cherry wood, and French oak chips. Bottled at cask strength — non-chill filtered, straight from the barrel — in 750mL, it is a bold, spice-led rye from the brand that is Alabama's "Official State Spirit." It's available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Strength: cask strength (barrel proof), non-chill filtered — exact barrel-proof figure taken from the bottle at audit
- Size: 750mL
- Age: minimum 9 years
- Mash bill: 91% rye (proprietary Conecuh Brands recipe)
- Finishing: after ex-bourbon aging, steeped four months on American oak, cherry wood and French oak chips
- Edition: one-time limited bottling (SRP $64.99 at release — do not print price)
The Alabama Moonshiner's Rye
Clyde May began in 1946 as an Alabama moonshiner who preferred rye for its spice — and was convicted partly over 300-plus pounds of rye grain. The brand bearing his name leans into that heritage here: nine years in ex-bourbon wood, then a four-month wood-chip finish that layers fruit, caramel and vanilla over the rye's signature spice. The official profile promises prominent rye spiciness with oak, coffee beans and vanilla, finishing in a medley of fruit, caramel and vanilla. Find more rye whiskey or shop the Clyde May's range at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Per the brand's official release and retailer copy: toasted oak, cracked pepper and rye spice on the nose with sweet tobacco and dark cherry; the palate brings caramel, cinnamon, leather and dried fig over a hot, oily rye backbone; the finish is long, warming and dry — spice, charred vanilla and cocoa.
How to Enjoy
Neat, or with a few drops of water to open up the wood-chip finish. A cask-strength rye this bold also makes an excellent Old Fashioned.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it really cask strength?
Yes — bottled at barrel proof, non-chill filtered, in a one-time limited bottling.
What makes it different from regular rye?
A four-month finish on American oak, cherry wood and French oak chips after nine years in ex-bourbon barrels.
Who was Clyde May?
An Alabama moonshiner from 1946 whose brand is the "Official State Spirit of Alabama" (Conecuh Brands).
Barrel-proof rye with moonshine roots — order Clyde May's 9 Year Old Cask Strength Rye Whiskey online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.