The nation’s first distillery in a former prison, under an hour from Charlotte, will open by October
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Southern Grace Distilleries, the company behind Concord’s first legally produced moonshine, is relocating from the old Warren C. Coleman manufacturing plant to the Cabarrus Correctional Facility.
The prison, which started operations in 1929, closed its doors in 2011 and was sold for $350,000 to Mt. Pleasant Properties, who will lease the 20,000 of the 30,000-square-feet to Southern Grace.
The company, known for award-wining corn whiskey Sun Dog 130, is headed North Carolina-based Thomas Thacker, Head Distiller and CEO, Sebastian Correa, Assistant Distiller and Leanne Powell, President. Products are currently sold at North Carolina and Washington, D.C. ABC stores, but they are looking to expand to South Carolina, Louisiana and Denmark.
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The relocation will allow the distillery to expand its operations and store its close to 500 barrels of whiskey in both 10 to 15-gallon barrels and 53-gallon barrels, along with a space for aging bourbon.
The new location is expected to be a popular tourist spot for both prison enthusiasts and whiskey lovers.
Southern Grace has said that they’ve found memorabilia scattered through the prison, including razor blades, shivs and shells from soldiers’ training, and that they plan to proudly display these items in the visitors area.
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The prison as a whole will remain largely untouched, with the company going so far as to use the original plexiglass windows used by guards to keep an eye on the prison for overlooking the manufacturing plant.
Yes, that means tours will be a large part of the new space’s operations.
Tours will cost $14 each and include a detailed account of the prison’s history, moonshine tasting and a souvenir glass, and can already be scheduled here.
Mount Pleasant officials and Southern Grace owners alike hope that this will not only drive some much-needed tourism to the area, but also create jobs.
Southern Grace is hoping to be in the building by Labor Day and open its doors to the public by October 1, officially cementing its place as the nation’s first and only fully-operating prison distillery.
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