CEO appointed for Clyde May's Whiskey

Clyde May's Whiskey, owned by Conecuh Ridge Distillery, has announced the appointment of Roy S Danis as the company's new chief executive officer. Clyde May’s was first distilled in small batches in the 1940s by famed moonshiner Clyde May. Clyde’s recipe was revived in the early 2000s and the brand has since surged in popularity. It is now the 'Official State Spirit' of Alabama.

Roy Danis has enjoyed an extensive, thriving career in the wine and spirits industry, having most recently served as the managing director of Campari America. Among his highlights at Campari, Danis completed a restructuring of Campari’s sales and marketing teams, engineered a long-term marketing agreement with Bulldog Gin, and procured a celebrity endorsement deal for Wild Turkey.

“With Roy Danis, we have the right leader at the right time to propel Clyde May’s forward,” said James J Ammeen, chairman, Conecuh Ridge Distillery. “His industry expertise is unmatched. Clyde May’s is poised to explode – its sales and distribution are both expanding rapidly. And Roy has spent an impressive career elevating and differentiating brands in a very competitive space. Our best is yet to come.”

Prior to Campari, Danis served as managing director, North America, of Jose Cuervo, where he piloted the industry’s most successful new tequila launch in Cuervo Silver.

In 2001, Danis navigated the most successful new-product launch in the history of the wine industry. As executive vice president of sales and marketing for W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Danis introduced Yellow Tail, which became an industry phenomenon, reaching eight million cases a year by 2007.

Earlier in his career, Danis oversaw the marketing of Crown Royal at Seagram’s and introduced Crown Royal Special Reserve, a premium line extension that continues to contribute significantly to the overall brand franchise today.

Danis earned an MBA in marketing from Boston College and a BS in agricultural economics from Cornell.

15 November 2015 - Rebecca Sterritt Paragraph Publishing, content manager