2017 Southern Living Food Awards: Best Southern Made Products

Auburndale, FL
mayswhiskey.com

This craft whiskey is layered with the legend of Clyde May, a moonshiner in the Conecuh Ridge of Alabama who was imprisoned in the 1970s for his illegal recipe that contained dried apples, local grains, and spring water. Sip it straight, or mix it in a cocktail.

Durham, NC
bigspoonroasters.com

Inspired by his experience with spicy peanut butter in Haiti, Mark Overbay adds ancho, guajillo, and habanero chiles to his jar. Smear with strawberry jam on crusty bread for a grown-up PB&J, or warm it up and drizzle over a noodle bowl.

New Orleans, LA
bigeasybucha.com

Brewed with the exotic flavors of New Orleans—satsuma, cayenne pepper, mayhaw—Big Easy Bucha is a delicious introduction to this style of fermented tea.

Scottdale, GA
radioroasters.com

Launched by former NPR producer and current CNN editor Chip Grabow, Radio Roasters roasts, packs, and ships seasonally selected beans to order.

Charleston, SC
oliverpluff.com

When our editors want to whip up a pitcher that pleases, we brew this bold, bergamot-tinged blend slowly in front of a sun-filled window.

Louisville, KY
louisvillecream.com

With flavors like Cayenne Honey Butter; Bourbon Smoked Pecan; and our favorite, The Red Queen (goat cheese, cherry, and pistachio), it's a wonder anyone makes a decision at the counter of Louisville Cream's new shop.

Louisville, KY
pappyco.com

Drizzle this family farm-produced maple syrup (aged in Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrels for six months) over homemade pancakes.

Wilsonville, AL
mcewenandsons.com

We take the title "best grits in the South" seriously, and our Test Kitchen unanimously named these family-made white grits just that.

Austin, TX
poguemahonepickles.com

Pickle juice has been the umami mysterious ingredient in many Southern recipes, from barbecue sauce to a famous fried chicken sandwich. This new creation from three-time Food Awards winner Pogue Mahone Pickles takes the concept to a whole new level.

Austin, TX
martinehoneysuckle.com

Gary Kelleher bottled up the universal Southern childhood memory of tasting sweet honeysuckle blossoms. Add an ounce of nostalgia to a gin and tonic, or use it as a substitute for sugar in an old-fashioned.

Asheville, NC
rootshummus.com

It's not uncommon to see a tub or two of this hummus in our office refrigerator—or spooned into a bowl when we're entertaining at home. We're partial to the herbaceous Lima Bean variation complemented by parsley and thyme, but the Roasted Garlic follows closely behind.

Atlanta, GA
atlantafresh.com

Most grocery store buttermilk is pretty disappointing. This one is thick and rich, and there is nothing that it can't make better—from homemade cornbread to pancakes to chess pie to a chicken marinade. It's the Meryl Streep of ingredients.

Birmingham, AL
holmstedfines.com

Last-minute party planners know that chutney is the real game changer on the cheese board. Rebecca Williamson's Green Tomato Chutney combines her European culinary training with her Alabama roots.

Mentone, AL
harvestrootsferments.com

A crowd-pleasing kimchi? It's possible. Crisp and perfectly piquant, this made believers out of fermented-food novices and superfans alike.

Nashville, TN
modsquadmartha.com

Emmylou Harris' go-to catering chef Melissa Ann Barton has started bottling the dressings and marinades that made her a hit with her list of musician clients. Our favorite is this fruit-forward vinaigrette.