State whiskey adopted

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabamans have something to toast: The state has an official whiskey.

The Alabama Senate voted 19-8 on Tuesday to override Gov. Bob Riley’s veto of a resolution making Conecuh Ridge Fine Alabama Whiskey the “official state spirit.”

The Senate vote came after a similar override on March 18 by the House. The two rare votes to reject the governor’s veto make the designation of Conecuh Ridge official.

“It’s going to be very good for us. It will give us publicity and bragging rights,” said Kenny May, a Troy businessman who founded Conecuh Ridge, the “Alabama-style” whiskey made with water from the state’s Conecuh Ridge region.

The Republican governor said he vetoed the idea because Alabama always has reserved official designations for natural, historic or native items and never has given the designation to a commercial product.

Riley spokesman Jeff Emerson said taking time to override the governor made no sense considering the financial problems facing the state and the public distrust of state government.

“The Legislature should have more important things to do,” Mr. Emerson said.

But state Sen. Pat Lindsey urged the Senate to override the governor’s veto, saying, “I thought the resolution was harmless and humorous.”

The vote means that the whiskey joins other official state symbols, including the yellowhammer state bird, the largemouth bass as official freshwater fish and the pecan as the nut.

Mr. May said the recipe for his product comes from his family tree. His father, Clyde May, made moonshine in the woods southeast of Montgomery. Kenny May knows exactly how it was done.

“I used to help him make it,” Mr. May said. “Everybody said he made the best whiskey around.”