Clyde May's Bourbon Dinner at Kinsale

We had the privilege to attend a Clyde May's Alabama Style Whiskey dinner on January 12th at the Kinsale Country Club in beautiful, Powell, Ohio thanks to friend of the blog Corwin.

For those unfamiliar with Clyde May's, they are mostly known for their 'Alabama Style Whiskey', which is their proprietary formula that traditionally used dried apples in the aging process. Their marketing materials describe this as "a whiskey of unparalleled smoothness and richness." Today, instead of dried apples, they use hints of natural apple essence.

Clyde May's is not currently distilled in Alabama, rather, it is sourced from facilities out of state (mostly rumored to be Kentucky). However, they are in the process of planning a new distillery in Troy, Alabama, but no dates have been announced when this would be operational.

The evening was themed around different dishes that would pair with the various Clyde May's whiskey and bourbon. The first course was shrimp and grits paired with the Clyde May's Alabama Style Whiskey. I could pick up the apple flavor on the nose but I didn't pick up any apple on the taste. Instead, I picked up hints of caramel with a medium to long finish without a lot of bite that other people at the table described as 'velvity'. Overall, it paired nicely with the spice in the grits and was easy to drink.

The second course was a grilled flat iron steak with sweet potato fries paired with Clyde May's bourbon. The bourbon is a 92 proof with the same mash bill as the Clyde May's Alabama Whiskey. With the bourbon, I didn't pick up anything on the nose, which was a bit odd. People at the table compared this to drinking scotch. I thought it was a bit bland with a medium warm smoky finish. I will qualify that it is tough to get a gauge based on one pour. 

The third course was the star of the meal. The chef prepared a peach tart with maple whipped cream paired with Clyde May's rye. The tart had a beautiful flaky crust that melted in your mouth. The rye was aged a minimum of three years and is made with a mash bill of 96% rye and bottled at 94 proof. 

In all, it was a fun night filled with great food and some whiskeys and bourbons that I had never had before. We'll be looking to add Clyde May's to our review queue in the future. I also want to thank Corwin for the invite and the great Kinsale staff for the hospitality. We'll be looking to do more of these in the future. If you have any thoughts, suggestions, or questions on Clyde May's, drop a note in the comment box below.