The ASCoT Awards were created by bourbon author and renowned taster, Fred Minnick. YOU MAY's Platinum Award solidifies the brand's position as one of the nation's outstanding bourbon values in its price range.
80% corn / 10% malted barley / 10% rye.
From Scott and his sommelier friends...
On the nose: Sweet and smokey with prominent vanilla, black tea, and light oak notes.
On the palate: Smooth and complex with notes of caramel, vanilla custard, oak, and a hint of orange spice finish.
From the ASCoT Awards...
A lovely, balanced interaction between creme brûlée, pears, and light ginger. Quite sippable! An excellent product that meets very high standards.
From the Barleycorn Awards
A crafty nose rocks cereal grain and banana notes, leading to a nice palate with buttery sweet corn pudding, vanilla wafer vibes, and a proper touch of oak.
Scott Calame, founder of Leanderthal Distilling has gained a reputation for transparency and honesty in labeling in an industry where that's often in short supply. There are so-called "distillery owners" who wouldn't know how to turn on a still. There are wholesalers masquerading as distilleries who don't even own a still. Scott founded Leanderthal with a product of his own creation so let's have him explain the "You May" make in his own words...
"I make things a lot of different creative ways at Leanderthal. I started the company with TexAgave Blue Agave Silver and we do all of the fermentation and distillation of that in-house.
I could do bourbon distillate here but I don't want to. I particularly do not want to age bourbon in south-central Texas. I think there are some people doing interesting things with bourbon in Texas but for the most part, my opinion is that Texas is not a good barrel aging state. Particularly in south-central Texas, where summer can last from May to November, it's too hot. There's a lot of evaporative loss, often called "the angel's share" and you don't get the same expansion and contraction of the barrels that you get in a climate with all four seasons in full force. Terroir matters.
So I set out to work with an industrial distiller in a region where terroir was unquestionably solid. I eventually selected a contract distiller in Tennessee whose existing work I knew to be stellar. I specified the mash bill I want and we lease space to age the barrels in Tennessee.
One of the interesting things about this bourbon is that it could legally be labeled Tennessee Whiskey because it's been through what's known as the Lincoln County Process. The distillate was dripped through sugar maple charcoal BEFORE it went into new char American oak barrels. It adds to the complexity and smoothness. And as long as the whiskey meets all the other legal qualifications of bourbon, it can be labeled that.
After at least two years and usually closer to three, we bring the barrels here, refine and filter it through Texas oak and pecan charcoal, proof, and bottle it."
Scott's commitment to creation transparency is seen on the labels of all his products. "You May" is named for the most famous quote from Tennessee's most famous export to Texas -- Davy Crockett. You can get the whole story on the back of the bottle.
Ask your liquor store for it, buy it at the distillery, or ORDER ONLINE from a retail partner now.
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