Clyde's Story
From the Alabama Pines to the Top Shelf
After a long day of honest, backbreaking work, folks around Union Springs knew where to find Clyde May, deep in the Alabama pines, huddled around a copper still, where the air was thick with smoke, sugar, and something with a little more kick. What started in 1946 as a way to make ends meet quickly turned into a lifelong calling and a legacy that still runs strong.
Clyde wasn’t the only moonshiner in Bullock County, but he was the one folks talked about. Maybe it was the pure spring water he used, maybe it was that custom still he built by hand (the now-legendary Clyde 240), or maybe it was just that he gave a damn. Every drop had to be right—because in Clyde’s eyes, selling anything less than the best was like telling a lie.
His “White Lightning” was the stuff of local legend, but Clyde didn’t stop there. Always tinkering, always chasing better, he started aging his shine in charred oak barrels and tossing in oven-dried apple slices to smooth things out. Locals called it “Clyde’s Christmas Whiskey.” Around here, we call it the start of something great.
Nearly 75 years later, Clyde May’s Whiskey is still made the right way—bold, smooth, and full of character. No shortcuts. No nonsense. Just good whiskey, born in the backwoods and built to last.
Raise a glass to doing things the Clyde way.
1922 - Family life on Rabbit Road.
Clyde May defines ‘True Grit.’ Born to a single mother shortly before the Great Depression, Clyde was raised in a time and place that required a dose of resilience and character — traits that would become a hallmark of the man and his whiskey.
1942 - Clyde answers the call
Clyde May proudly served in the Army’s 77th Infantry Division during World War II. He earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart while commanding a 12-man rifle squad. Clyde's misfortune of being wounded in battle turned into a pretty good thing for whiskey-loving Conecuh Ridge locals.
1946 - Clyde begins his legacy
Clyde knew a thing or two about crafting the finest spirits around, even if his methods were slightly outside the laws of the land. His high standards and commitment to quality cemented his reputation as the "most-wanted" moonshiner in Alabama, if not the country.
1973 - Clyde heads to the federal penitentiary
Clyde knew how to make great moonshine. And because of his handiwork, he spent eight months in the federal penitentiary at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, before he was paroled. Soon after his release — in true Clyde May form — he started setting up his next still.
2001 - Clyde May’s becomes legit
Distilled since 1946. Legal since 2001. Over 70 years of authenticity, dedication, integrity and perseverance — that’s what it takes to become the first official state spirit in the country, the Official State Spirit of Alabama™.
