Conviction Small Batch Bourbon

Conviction: Barrel Proof 97.16 (Not single barrel, but every batch is made from about 4-5 uncut barrels, so your mileage may vary.) I'm going to review first, and then put some of my thoughts on this product at the end so as not to bore anyone not interested. Pours into the Glencairn a pale orange with fast moving skinny legs. NOSE: Dry Dusty Corn. My grandparents had a farm and kept dried corn to feed the livestock in an old wooden shed. This note took me back 40 years to being a child and playing in and around the "Corn Crib" . There is also Light Floral and Citrus notes with a hint of Unripened Berries. After a few moments a Sour Note (Think vinegary BBQ sauce) emerges. A little surprising, but not off-putting. NEAT: YOUNG! The first note is Varnished Oak. Dried Corn. Light Vanilla. No burn, but a nice delayed light Kentucky Hug. I'm surprised by how much wood you get, but it's like freshly cut lumber. Almost "Piney". You get smoke, but again it's like the smoke you get when burning green wood. An almost grassy flavor mixes with sweet oak to coat and linger. SPLASH: A few drops of water helps to bring out a Malty Chocolate note with some Honey. A nose of the empty glass gives off notes of a seasoned smoked pork shoulder. Weird...but again, I like it! What is more North Carolina than smoked pork with a vinegar based BBQ sauce? VERDICT: Unique. An experience. Not a typical bourbon drinking experience, but an experience nonetheless. I really liked it. Now...on to my thoughts on this product. I like the packaging/labeling. Everything that a whiskey geek needs to know is right there on the bottle. Heavy, textured Industrial style label on square glass. My bottle (#21) came from a mix of barrels #221-#225. It was bottled on 09-25-18 after aging for 11.4 months. The barrels were aged in "Solitary". That's right, Solitary. This distillery is located in a facility that belonged to the NC Dept of Corrections and housed inmates as recently as 2011. I like what this distillery is doing. Aging their own distillate in Full Size 53 gallon barrels, being transparent with age, and trying something different with a mash bill that really has no secondary grain (88% Corn and 12% Barley). I had hesitated to pull the trigger at $44/bottle, even after seeing and reading many positive reviews (including one from a guy with a huge gold medallion and his whiskey mooching friend). My last trip to the ABC I discovered the new 375 sizes so I decided to finally give it a go. Glad I did. I look forward to trying their straight bourbon when it is released in a couple years.

I like supporting a local distillery. And I like that they’re trying something different by sonic aging their barrels inside a former prison. And, I like the occasional juicy red apple flavor I get. But, after two bottles - one aged one year and the second two years - my overall experience is disappointing. I’ll give it a pass for awhile.

Varies based on barrel, but generally get a sweet Candy corn flavor. You can easily tell it’s a high corn content whiskey and fairly young, but that’s not a bad thing. Could benefit added wood flavor with some aging, but it’s a new distillery. Super delicious sweet caramel and candy corn with some alcohol burn.

Great owner and distillery just east of Charlotte. The bourbon ages with the assistance of pounding music, similar to what several other distilleries are doing. My bottle was aged one year and bottled at 100.6 proof. This is a beloved micro distillery in N.C. but, I’m just not enjoying my bottle.

Nose: sweetness, hints of candy corn and hay bales. Taste: decent amount of burn, strong candy corn notes, very one-dimensional. Overall: Not bad, but not going to give you the richness or fullness of other bourbons at this price point. It is interesting and definitely worth trying.

this bourbon is on the sweet side of the spectrum with little spice. Taste of vanilla and carmel are most predominant. Was suprised for being a young bourbon with a high corn mash bill the taste is not very grain forward.