Conviction Double Oak 1929 Bourbon
The Stats
- Distillery: Southern Grace Distilleries
- Location: Mount Pleasant, NC
- Type: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Age: NAS
- Proof: 105.6 (52.8% ALC/VOL)
- Mash Bill: 88% Corn / 12% Malted Barley
- Finish: Second New Charred American Oak Barrel
- Filtration: Unfiltered
- Release: Ongoing
- Price: $75
We opened Conviction Double Oak 1929 during our Uncut Unfiltered livestream, and it turned out to be one of the night's more surprising pours.
The story is immediately interesting. Southern Grace Distilleries makes and ages Conviction at a former North Carolina state prison built in 1929. But the bottle is more than a good backstory.
What stood out to us was how different it drinks from a lot of double-oaked bourbon. It took a couple of sips to really figure it out, but once we did, there was a lot to like.
If you want to watch the review as it happened, check out the timestamped livestream.
The Whiskey Behind the Bottle
Southern Grace Distilleries started in 2014 and moved to Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, in 2016. Their home is a former state prison built in 1929, now known as the Whiskey Prison.
And this isn't just a good branding story. Southern Grace makes the whiskey grain-to-glass, distilling and aging it on the property, including in barrels stored inside the original prison dormitory.
The mash bill is also unusual: corn and malted barley only, with no rye or wheat. For Double Oak 1929, the bourbon is moved into a second new charred oak barrel for additional maturation.
Southern Grace also seems to be aging these releases longer. Earlier versions were reported to be younger, while current North Carolina listings identify Double Oak 1929 as a five-year bourbon.
That combination of an unusual mash bill, extra time in oak, and true grain-to-glass production is ultimately more interesting to us than the prison story alone.
Tasting Notes
Aroma
The nose opens fruity, with raisin, apricot, peach, and baked-fruit sweetness. A bready, slightly malty note sits underneath, along with cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking spice. It is sweet and approachable, but not overly rich.
Taste
The palate changes direction pretty quickly. Vanilla and fruit show up first, followed by cocoa, tobacco, leather, clove, oak spice, and baking spice.
The surprising part is how spicy it drinks without rye in the mash bill. The spice feels more oak-driven, with the second barrel doing a lot of the work. It also has a bready, almost spiced-cookie character that gives the whiskey more personality than we expected.
Finish
The finish leans darker and earthier. Tobacco, cigar box, cocoa, clove, oak, and baking spice linger after the sweeter notes fade. At 105.6 proof, it has enough warmth and weight without drinking overly hot.
Artfully Bourbon Rating
7.5 / 10 - Very Good
We split on this one, with scores of 7 and 8, for a combined 7.5. The difference mostly comes down to palate preference. If you lean toward caramel, vanilla, and sweeter bourbon profiles, the earthy side of this might hold it back a little.
If you like tobacco, cocoa, oak spice, leather, and cigar box, there is a lot here to enjoy. We both agreed that Conviction is interesting. It doesn't taste like every other double-oaked bourbon, and that alone makes it worth paying attention to.
Buy or Skip:
Buy
At around $75, we think Conviction Double Oak 1929 is worth buying, especially if you want something outside the usual double oak formula.
Don't go into this expecting a maple syrup dessert bomb. There is sweetness here, but the bottle gets more interesting when the tobacco, cocoa, clove, oak, and spice start showing up. We said during the livestream that we would buy another bottle. That still feels like the right call.
Where Does It Rank?
Every whiskey we review is scored using the same 10-point scale, making it easy to compare bottles across styles, distilleries, and price points. Explore our complete whiskey rankings to see how every bottle stacks up.
Disclosure: Southern Grace Distilleries provided this bottle for review. They did not pay for this review, and all opinions and scores are our own.Related Reviews We Think You’ll Enjoy
Shop the Artfully Bourbon Mercantile
A staple for cooler days, late nights, and the occasional bottle hunt.
The AB Logo Hoodie keeps things simple with our signature mark on a soft, heavyweight organic cotton blend. It has a clean unisex fit, double-layer hood, and side-seam pockets that disappear into the silhouette.
Easy to layer. Easy to live in.
Details
-
80% organic ring-spun combed cotton
-
20% recycled polyester
-
Regular unisex fit
-
Double-layer hood
-
Matching drawcords
-
Side-seam pockets
-
Ribbed cuffs and hem
-
OCS and GOTS-certified fabric
Care
Machine wash cold. Tumble dry low. Iron on low. Do not dry clean.
GEAR GUIDE
Looking for the glasses, tools, books, studio gear, and other things we use? We’ve collected our favorites in one place.
As an Amazon Associate, Artfully Bourbon earns from qualifying purchases.