NC Whiskey Distillery Credits Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act for Recent Expansion

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Apr 26, 2018, 10:07 ET

MT. PLEASANT, N.C., April 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Grace Distilleries, Inc. has expanded whiskey production, hired new staff and increased the size of their visitors center to allow for more tours and tastings. They credit a provision in the 2018 tax bill, the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, which included a reduction in the federal excise tax, for their recent growth.

Southern Grace Distilleries, known as Whiskey Prison, is located in a former state prison in NC near Charlotte.

Southern Grace Distilleries is located in a former NC state prison and has been a popular tourist destination, known as Whiskey Prison, but was very limited in the number of visitors it could accommodate for their Friday and Saturday tours. Since adding an additional 2000 square feet for their visitors center, their first quarter 2018 tour and gift shop sales were up 341% from first quarter 2017.

"The reduction in the federal excise tax has allowed us to hire additional staff, increase our whiskey production, expand our visitor center and invest in marketing which is critical to the growth of our Conviction Small Batch Bourbon brand," said Southern Grace Distilleries CEO Leanne Powell. "At the end of last year our bourbon was available in NC, SC and Washington, DC. Today you can also find Conviction Small Batch Bourbon in Louisiana, Illinois, Oklahoma and Connecticut. We couldn't be happier."

"Reducing the federal excise tax on spirits, beer and wine is more than a tax cut," said Distilled Spirits Council Senior Vice President of Government Relations Mark Gorman. "It's about enabling our members to invest back in their businesses and communities across the United States, generating jobs and supporting agriculture and tourism."

Southern Grace Distilleries is adding a second shift in July and upfitting another old prison building to serve as a barrel house for their forthcoming bottled in bond bourbon. The reinvestment in the local community has already been a help to Mt. Pleasant, NC a town of 1700 people that had been hard hit by the decline of the textile industry.

"The growth and success of Whiskey Prison has been very good for our small town. Our group is proud to have partnered with another small business to renovate the old prison and make it the home to Southern Grace Distillery. We never imagined that they would be so successful that they would need to expand within the first two years," said Dr. Allen Dobson, partner of Mt Pleasant Properties, LLC, the owner of the former prison.

Southern Grace Distilleries was founded in 2014 and is located about 25 minutes northeast of Charlotte. Southern Grace Distilleries is the first distillery in the US located in a former prison. For more information about Conviction Small Batch Bourbon or Whiskey Prison, please visit www.whiskeyprison.com or call Leanne Powell at 704-622-6413.

SOURCE Southern Grace Distilleries