There’s an old prison tucked away in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, where the cell blocks are still standing, the original paint is still on the walls, and barrels of bourbon are now doing hard time behind bars.
Yes, you read that correctly.
An old North Carolina prison has been turned into a working whiskey distillery...and it’s the perfect day date for couples!
Southern Grace Distilleries at Whiskey Prison in Mount Pleasant, NC might be one of the most unique things you can do in Cabarrus County and honestly, it’s one of those experiences where you know you’re in for something memorable before you even get out of the car.
The former prison opened in 1929 and operated until 2011. Southern Grace Distilleries later moved its whiskey-making operation onto the property, preserving much of the original prison while transforming portions of the campus into production and barrel-aging spaces. Southern Grace describes Whiskey Prison as the first distillery in the world located in a former prison.
And they didn’t simply gut the buildings and turn them into a polished new distillery.
It still feels like a prison.
That is exactly what makes this place so fascinating.
You Know This Isn’t Going to Be a Normal Distillery Tour
From the moment you pull onto the property, Whiskey Prison feels different. The fencing, old brick prison buildings, guard tower, faded signs and sprawling former correctional campus immediately set the scene. They still have the old dilapidated basketball courts!
And then you hear the music.
Before we had even started our tour, loud speakeasy music was blasting from one of the main prison buildings. It adds to the almost surreal atmosphere… you’re standing outside a former prison in rural Cabarrus County listening to 1920s music pour out from behind the barred windows. But the music isn’t there just to create ambiance. It actually plays a part in how Southern Grace ages its bourbon.
Why Is Music Blasting Inside Whiskey Prison?
Southern Grace uses a technique known as sonic aging. Their bourbon barrels are exposed to loud music, creating vibrations that encourage the whiskey inside the barrel to move and interact with the wood. The idea is that increasing that contact between the spirit and the barrel can influence the maturation process.
So that music you hear blasting through the old jailhouse? It’s part of making the whiskey. How cool is that?
Come Early and Grab a Drink Before Your Tour
Your experience begins at the Whiskey Prison gift shop, and I highly recommend arriving a little early instead of pulling into the parking lot five minutes before your tour. Inside you’ll find more than souvenirs and bottles of Southern Grace whiskey.
There’s also a bar where you can grab a drink before heading out to explore the prison. We loved that they incorporated other local Cabarrus County beverages alongside cocktails made with spirits produced right there at Whiskey Prison. I tried the Bitchin’ Blackberry Wine from Douglas Vineyards located up the road in Kannapolis, NC and was immediately telling my husband, “That’s where we’re going on our next date day!”. My husband started off with a beer from Cabarrus Brewing but wound up finishing the day with an Old Fashioned made from the Southern Grace whiskey that was distilled on site.
Grab yourself a cocktail and take it along as you begin your tour. It’s a pretty unusual feeling walking through the grounds of a former prison with a drink in your hand! And you’ll definitely want it for the photo opps… the only thing missing would be a nice refill stop during the tour. 🙂
Walking Through a Real Former North Carolina Prison
This isn’t a re-creation. You are actually walking through buildings that were once part of a functioning North Carolina prison. The Cabarrus Correctional Center opened in 1929 and continued housing inmates until it closed in 2011.
Southern Grace has retained so much of the property’s original character that there are moments during the tour when it feels as though everyone simply walked out and left the place behind.
You’ll see original cell blocks.
Prison cells.
Old signage.
Faded paint.
Outdoor areas that inmates once used.
And yes, even solitary confinement.
Instead of turning the prison into a themed attraction, Southern Grace has incorporated its whiskey operation into the existing space. You’re simultaneously touring a historic prison and a working distillery. That combination is what makes the Whiskey Prison tour so much more interesting than I expected. I’m not a huge whiskey fan, that would be my husband, but even though I don’t know much about whiskey….the tour was fascinating because of the history of the prison and the fun stories about the inmates (and ghosts) who have resided there.
The History Is Just as Interesting as the Whiskey
Even if you’re not a huge whiskey drinker, I would still recommend this tour. A large part of the experience is the storytelling. As we moved throughout the property, our guide blended together several different pieces of North Carolina history. We learned about the prison itself and heard stories about what life was like when the property was still operating as a correctional facility.
There were stories about former inmates. Stories about different areas of the prison. And then those stories seamlessly transitioned into the history of moonshine, bootlegging and whiskey production.
It felt less like someone standing in front of you reciting facts and more like listening to a really good storyteller who just happens to be walking you through an old prison while explaining how bourbon gets made. Southern Grace’s production areas are actually located within portions of the former prison, so as you move from building to building, you also learn how their whiskey goes from fermentation and distillation to barreling, aging and eventually bottling.
Whiskey Aging Behind Bars
The barrel-aging areas were one of my favorite parts. There’s something wonderfully appropriate about a bourbon called Conviction spending years aging inside an old prison. Southern Grace produces its Conviction Bourbon on the property and ages bourbon inside former prison buildings. Their current Conviction releases are aged at least four years, with barrels literally maturing behind bars.
Between the bourbon barrels, prison bars, old brick walls and music blasting through the building as part of that sonic-aging process, there really isn’t another distillery tour that feels quite like this one.
Yes, Whiskey Prison Is Supposedly Haunted
Of course, you can’t have a nearly century-old former prison without a few ghost stories. There are plenty of rumors surrounding paranormal activity at Whiskey Prison, and standing inside some of those old buildings definitely gives you that if these walls could talk feeling.
Solitary confinement in particular has earned quite the reputation.
Southern Grace leans into the prison’s paranormal side, too. The distillery offers paranormal investigations that allow visitors to return after dark and explore the property alongside an experienced paranormal investigator. Reservations are required, and their current information lists a minimum age of 16 for paranormal investigations.
The property has even attracted professional paranormal investigators and was featured in an episode of Ghost Hunters centered around the prison-turned-distillery. If touring the prison during daylight isn’t creepy enough for you, keep an eye on their event calendar for nighttime experiences.
Finish With a Southern Grace Whiskey Tasting
After exploring the prison and learning how Southern Grace makes its whiskey, there’s only one appropriate way to end the experience:
Taste it.
Our tour finished back at the gift shop with a guided tasting of Southern Grace spirits.
After spending the previous hour learning how the whiskey is made, seeing where it’s produced and walking through the buildings where the bourbon ages, tasting the finished product brings the entire experience full circle. And if you discover a favorite, you don’t have to go searching for it later. You can pick up a bottle before you leave.
Is the Whiskey Prison Tour Worth It?
Absolutely. We had so much fun on this tour. I expected the prison itself to be interesting, and I expected to learn about whiskey. What I wasn’t expecting was how entertaining the entire experience would be.
The storytelling was phenomenal.
The history was fascinating.
The distilling process was interesting even for someone who isn’t a whiskey expert.
And walking through an almost century-old prison while bourbon ages in the cell blocks is simply an experience you don’t get every weekend.
At just $14 per person when we visited, I also thought it was an incredible value for such a unique guided experience.
What to Know Before Visiting Southern Grace Distilleries at Whiskey Prison
Location: Southern Grace Distilleries at Whiskey Prison
Address: 130 Dutch Road, Mount Pleasant, NC 28124
Tour: Behind Bars Whiskey Prison Tour
Price: We paid $14 per person. Because tour prices and schedules can change, I recommend checking Southern Grace’s website when making your reservation.
Age: Guests must currently be at least 16 to attend the regular Whiskey Prison tour, and guests ages 16–20 must be accompanied by an adult. Whiskey tastings are reserved for guests who are 21 or older.
Reservations: Reservations are required for tours.
What to Wear: Dress for the weather. Much of the experience involves walking between buildings around the prison campus, and Southern Grace specifically recommends dressing appropriately for the conditions.
Local Tip: Visit During the Cooler Months
Personally, I think fall, winter and early spring are the perfect seasons for visiting Whiskey Prison. A good portion of the experience takes place outdoors as you walk across the former prison grounds and through old buildings that don’t feel anything like a climate-controlled museum.
If you visit during colder weather, wear layers and comfortable shoes. I’d much rather throw on a jacket and explore an old prison on a crisp fall afternoon than walk those grounds during the middle of a North Carolina summer!
Who Would Love the Whiskey Prison Tour?
This is such a fun Cabarrus County experience for:
- Couples looking for an unusual date idea
- Whiskey and bourbon lovers
- History buffs
- Anyone fascinated by old or abandoned places
- Visitors interested in North Carolina moonshine and bootlegging history
- Paranormal enthusiasts
- Locals who think they’ve already done everything there is to do around Concord and Cabarrus County
And that’s one of the reasons I loved this experience so much.
It isn’t just a distillery tour.
It isn’t just a historic site.
And it isn’t just a quirky roadside attraction.
It’s all three rolled into one.
The Takeaway
There are certain places you visit because they’re fun. And then there are places you can’t stop telling people about afterward because the entire concept sounds almost unbelievable. Southern Grace Distilleries at Whiskey Prison falls firmly into the second category.
There’s a former prison in Mount Pleasant, North Carolina where bourbon is aging behind bars, music blasts through the old cell blocks, cocktails are served in the gift shop and you can spend an afternoon walking through nearly a century of North Carolina history.
Only in North Carolina.
Whether you love bourbon, local history, abandoned buildings, unusual attractions or simply discovering places that make you say, “Wait…this is in Cabarrus County?!”, put Whiskey Prison on your list.
This is one North Carolina experience you won’t forget anytime soon.
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