Domenico Canale’s family emigrated from Italy to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1844. They opened a successful wholesale grocery firm that, among other things, sold liquor and wine. Domenico followed his family to America in 1859, joining his uncle Abraham Vaccaro, who operated a street fruit cart. Seven years later, Domenico established his food wholesale business, called D. Canale & Co. Like his family, he also offered liquor, selling ceramic bottles of his brand of whiskey, which he called Old Dominick.
Domenico
died just a few days before the 18th Amendment was passed, bringing
in that awful period we know as Prohibition. His son, John, took over the family business and was
one of the most prolific grocery distributors in the Midwest. In 1933, when
Prohibition was repealed, D. Calale & Co. caught the attention of Anheuser-Busch,
and soon after, was granted exclusive rights to distribute its beer throughout
the region.
In
1999, D. Canale Food Services, under the leadership of John Canale Jr., was sold, marking the end of a 125-year run.
However, its sister company, D. Canale
Beverages, stayed with the family another 11
years before it was acquired in 2010.
Three
years later, Chris and Alex
Canale discovered a late 1800s unopened bottle
of Old Dominick Toddy and are determined to resurrect the brand. The duo
began constructing a distillery in downtown Memphis, and four years later, the Old Dominick Distillery was ready to start operation. Alex Castle
was named master distiller and produced Old Dominick Tennessee Whiskey,
the first legal post-Prohibition whiskey made in Memphis.
Last
year, Alex moved on to different projects, while David Valentine is
now leading the Dominick’s distilling team.
New
to the market is Old
Dominick Reserve Bourbon, which was released
on August 1st. It marks a return to simplicity and represents a
deviation from the distillery's Tennessee Whiskeys and standard High Rye
Bourbons, for which it is known.
Old Dominick was kind enough to provide me with a sample of Reserve Bourbon in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. If you’re interested, I put together an unboxing video that you can view here:
Now, let’s #DrinkCurious and discover what this new direction is all about!
- Whiskey Type: Straight Bourbon
- Distiller: Old Dominick
- Age: 8 years
- Mashbill: 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley
- Cooperage: 53-gallon, new, #4-charred West Tennessee white oak barrels
- Alcohol Content: 50% ABV (100°)
- Price per 750mL: $69.99
- Non-Chill Filtered
Appearance: I used
a Glencairn glass to explore this whiskey and sipped it neat. The color was
gorgeous, rich mahogany. It created a medium rim with a variety of thick,
medium, and thin legs that crashed back to the pool.
Nose: Mrs.
Whiskeyfellow took the video and grabbed the glass immediately afterward. She
loved how it smelled. I let the Bourbon rest for several minutes before I
started sniffing. The aroma included cherries, plums, charred oak, nutmeg,
toffee, and milk chocolate. Drawing that air into my mouth revealed chocolate-covered
cherries.
Palate: The
first sip was silky and oak forward. The second allowed me to get past any
palate shock, and on the front, I tasted vanilla, dried cherries, and cola. My
mid-palate encountered nutmeg, roasted coffee, and dark chocolate, while the
back featured bold, charred oak, dry leather, and clove.
Finish: After I
swallowed, flavors of charred oak, clove, leather, dark chocolate, and cola remained
in my mouth and throat. It was on the arid side, and made the roof of my mouth
tingly. It was initially soft but gradually intensified, forcing me to focus on
the clove component. Just before everything faded, the dried cherries appeared
from nowhere and gave a very brief kiss. I pulled out my stopwatch; the experience
lasted 1:41, making it a medium-long duration.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I
listed $69.99 as the price but was told it was between $59.99 and $69.99. Frankly,
it doesn’t matter which it is because Old Dominick Reserve Bourbon is something
special. It is well-balanced, full of flavor, properly proofed, and delicious. I’m
not sure how easy it will be to acquire, but if you see a Bottle, grab
it; it is one of the more impressive Bourbons I’ve had in 2025. Cheers!
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit,
but begs you to do so responsibly.
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