Taste the Tradition

From the first sip, you can taste the tradition embedded in every Old Dominick bottle. A state-of-the-art distillery built on a turn-of-the-century legacy perfectly blends the science and art required to craft exceptional spirits. 

Aged Whiskey to Perfection

You can’t rush good whiskey – or the history behind it. 

Although Old Dominick Distillery opened its doors to the public in 2017, the story begins more than 150 years earlier when 16-year-old Domenico Canale set sail from Italy on a voyage to Memphis.  

Starting out as a fruit vendor, Canale established food wholesaler D. Canale & Co. less than a decade after arriving in Tennessee. Among his early offerings was a whiskey he named Old Dominick followed by development of the Dominick Toddy – a bourbon-based cordial with fruity overtones.

Domenico died just three days prior to Prohibition. With spirits off the table, the family’s focus turned to building up the food distribution company. By the time the 18th Amendment was repealed, D. Canale & Co. had the largest refrigerated warehouses in Memphis, catching the attention of Anheuser-Busch. Just like that, the family was back in the beverage business. 

Chris Canale, Jr., part of the fifth generation and co-owner of Old Dominick Distillery, grew up on the beer side of the family business. “When we sold it in 2010, we were looking at another way to be a tangible part of the community because that was what we had always been,” he explains.

During a meeting in the conference room filled with family mementos, an investment banker spied an old bottle of Dominick Toddy and became intrigued, putting together a proposal to buy the brand and relaunch the original beverage line.

“We thought about it, and then we thought: ‘Why don’t we do it?’” recalls Canale. “We have 150 years of distribution experience. We know every bartender in town. Why wouldn’t we just do this ourselves?” 

And so, they did.
 

Finding the Right Blend

Worth the Wait
On February 2, 2017, the team filled their first barrel. And in October of 2022, the blending and bottling process began.

When the distillery opened to the public in May 2017, they launched with two vodkas and the Old Dominick Toddy. Since then, they have rolled out a gin, two Tennessee whiskeys, a small-batch bourbon series and the Trolley Stop Series with a straight bourbon whiskey and a wheat whiskey that pay homage to iconic streets of pre-Prohibition Memphis.

Though their current offerings are fan favorites, there’s certainly more new releases to come. 

Worth the Wait

“We filled our first barrel on February 2, 2017. We finally started dumping barrels and blending and bottling in October 2022,” says Castle. “To finally hit that milestone was incredibly exciting.”

When the distillery opened to the public in May 2017, they launched with two vodkas and the Old Dominick Toddy. Since then, they have rolled out a gin, two Tennessee whiskeys, a small-batch bourbon series and the Trolley Stop Series with a straight bourbon whiskey and a wheat whiskey that pay homage to iconic streets of pre-Prohibition Memphis.

“The feedback has been phenomenal,” Castle says of response to their first releases. And with more variations aging into maturity, she notes, “There are still a lot of new whiskey releases in our future.”

Tap into the Experience

The team’s excitement and passion for the process and product come through in onsite touring and tasting experiences. 

From grain to barrel, guests will see how it all comes together. And at the end of the tour, you can get a taste of what you’ve seen (literally) with samplings of their most popular offerings. Plus, you’ll learn more about the history behind the family and company. 

Tour options include Making the Memphis Spirit, a one-hour guided tour with a curated tasting and the 90-minute Beyond the Barrel experience featuring an enhanced whiskey flight tasting. Additionally, special programming and experiences are featured throughout the year. 

Share a Sip of Pure Memphis

In addition to tours, Canale invites guests to enjoy Old Dominick’s full-service bar while visiting. Laughingly admitting his personal bias, he says, “I think you can put our bar program up against anyone else in the country.”

Partiality aside, he’s not wrong. In a city known for its hospitality and bar scene, Old Dominick has been nominated three years in a row for “Best Craft Cocktail Bar in Memphis.”

Whether your tastes run to a straight shot or a creatively blended cocktail, every visit to Old Dominick is a sip of pure Memphis. Go to OldDominick.com to plan your visit today.