Clyde May’s Alabama-Style whiskey and Berkshire Bourbon Smoke & Peat each have a unique style to their expressions. They also are great in Dark Chocolate Bourbon Brownies!
I really enjoy baking with spirits. It's interesting to see how an individual expression effects the flavor of the treat.
When I made Dark Chocolate Bourbon Brownies, I compared how Clyde May’s Alabama-Style whiskey and Berkshire Bourbon Smoke & Peat would taste in celebration of the Kentucky Derby. In that post I mentioned that I had actually tasted the Clyde May's lineup before but had never published my review.
Well, Dear Reader, it’s time to rectify that grave mistake as both these expressions, indeed the whole line up from that day, deserve their place in the sun.
Bourbon vs. whiskey
According to that repository of all worldly information, Wikipedia: "Bourbon whiskey is a type of American whiskey, a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn."
Well, that’s simple enough. Here are some of the legalities for a spirit to be called bourbon:
- Made in the United States
- The grain mixture is 51% corn
- Aged in new, charred oak barrels
- Bottled at 80-proof (40% ABV) or more
While Kentucky produces 95% of the bourbon in the US, Tennessee is also home to some major bourbon producers, although they prefer to call their product Tennessee whiskey instead.
Clyde May’s takes a traditional approach with a twist. Their mash bill contains corn, rye, and malted barley with dried apples thrown in.
It can’t technically be called a bourbon (hence the name “Alabama-style” whiskey). The story goes that the Clyde May decided to add the dried apples to take the edge off the rye. Whatever the reason, the resulting spirit is amazing!
[Side note: the tasting review below also include my recent notes from when my family and I held a tasting panel for the whiskey used in the bourbon brownies where TL=me, S=my daughter, D=her fiancé.]
Clyde May’s Alabama-style whiskey
At Gordon's DTX, July 26, 2017
Clyde May's Alabama-style Whiskey
Tasting Notes
- Nose: sugar starts, vanilla underneath, rye shows up, too
- Taste: soft, satin, no burn, cinnamon apples, rye
- Finish: rye lasts
- Comments: such a smooth sip! Not harsh at all, entry level to whiskey...sweet without being cloying
Comments
- Nose
- TL: honey, orange, grain, rye
- D: vanilla, nectar
- S: caramel, vanilla, sweet
- Taste
- TL: rye, grain, tart green apples, black pepper, cardamom, cloves
- D: strong, not burning strong, clean on the palate
- S: cinnamon rolls
- Finish
- TL: long, cloves, nutmeg, baking spices, not a peppery burn, herbal quality
- D: long finish, clean
- S: I like it
Clyde May's Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Tasting Notes
- Nose: soft nose, corn predominant, musty
- Taste: oily, creamy, chewy, vanilla fudge, pepper at the end
- Finish: wood and rye lingers
- Comments: an approachable whiskey; water softens it further and corn peeks out, goes down like satin
Clyde May's Special Reserve Whiskey
Tasting Notes
- Nose: green apples!
- Taste: apple juice, then caramel and cinnamon, amaretto, not peppery
- Finish: sweet Jolly Ranchers, green apple sugariness
- Comments: almost too sweet, the proof belies the softness of the sip; with water, the rye shows up but still green apple lingers
Clyde May's 9yr Cask Strength Whiskey
Tasting Notes
- Nose: more traditional bourbon nose - vanilla, oak, corn
- Taste: has a hit, corn and rye, then white chocolate & cinnamon
- Finish: cinnamon
- Comments: strong but not distinctive; with water, smooths it out, rye shows up, sweeter, warm spices on the tongue
Berkshire Bourbon Smoke & Peat tasting
At home, May 1, 2018
Berkshire Bourbon Smoke & Peat was the other dram my family and I sampled when I was preparing to make the dark chocolate bourbon brownies. It's a product of my adopted home state of Massachusetts.
Berkshire Bourbon Smoke & Peat
Tasting Notes
- Nose: citrus, lemon, sweet
- Taste: peat surprises! Corn first, smoke sneaks in, cream shows up
- Finish: vanilla softens the finish
- Comments: the more you drink it, the more the bourbon characteristics show up (corn, rye), the smoke and peat add a real nice twist to traditional bourbon
Comments
- Nose
- TL: light nose, vanilla, white chocolate fudge
- Taste
- TL: some smoke, slightly caramel
- D: smooth
- S: sweet caramel
- Finish
- TL: smoke at end, fades to ash, menthol at the very end
- D: medium finish
- S: ash at end
- Comments
- TL: I like the smokiness, peat hides the typical bourbon flavors
- S: doesn’t like it
Final thoughts
Clyde May’s “Alabama-style” approach may eliminate it from using the term bourbon, but the taste is absolutely worth it. Berkshire Bourbon’s unique aging process lets that expression stand out from the crowd.
My advice? Sip them, bake with them, and enjoy them.
I hope you like this review! If you've tried any of the expressions and have your own tasting notes, please leave a comment. Thanks!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
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