Old Dominick 8-Year Reserve Bourbon Review (2026)

 

Domenico Canale’s family emigrated from Italy to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1844. They opened a successful wholesale grocery firm that sold liquor and wine, among other things. 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 In 1933, when Prohibition was repealed, D. Canale & Co. caught the attention of Anheuser-Busch and, soon after, was granted exclusive rights to distribute its beer throughout the region.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 were 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.

 

Two years ago, Alex Castle moved on to different projects, while David Valentine is now leading the Dominick’s distilling team.

 

That’s a lot of background information to talk about the 2026 release of Old Dominick 8-Year Reserve Bourbon. I reviewed the 2025 expression and found it delightful, calling it one of the better Bourbons I tasted that year.

 

“Our eight-year-old Reserve Bourbon boasts exceptional notes of sweetness and fruitiness, setting it apart from both our standard High-Rye Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey. Each year, we select and reserve the finest barrels to create a truly outstanding spirit, guaranteeing that each limited release offers a unique sipping experience and outstanding quality.” – Old Dominick Distillery

 

The Bourbon is distilled from a mash of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley, and is a blend of at least six barrels selected after 8 years of aging. It is non-chill filtered, packaged at 50% ABV (100°), and has a suggested price of $69.99.

 

Will the 2026 release impress as much as the 2025? The only way to answer that is to #DrinkCurious. Thankfully, Old Dominick Distillery was kind enough to provide me with a sample in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s do that now. 

 

 

• Whiskey Type: Straight Bourbon
• Distiller: Old Dominick Distillery
• Age: 8 years
• Mashbill: 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley
• Cooperage: At least six 53-gallon, new, #4-charred West Tennessee white oak barrels
• Alcohol Content: 50% ABV (100°)
• Price per 750mL: $65.99
• Non-chill filtered

 

Appearance: I used a Glencairn glass to sip this Bourbon neat. Good Lord – the color was a deep, dark mahogany. I held my fingers behind the glass and couldn’t even see them! A medium-thin rim left slow, tightly-packed, thin tears. After they fell, fat droplets were left behind, which also crawled back into the pool.  

 

Nose: I allowed the Bourbon to breathe for about 15 minutes before exploring the aroma. Once that time elapsed, I brought the glass beneath my nostrils and began sniffing. I found notes of cherries, blueberries, chocolate, charred oak, tobacco leaf, and mild vanilla. I took the vapor into my mouth and tasted tobacco.

 

Palate: As the Bourbon crossed my lips and hit my tongue, I detected a dense, somewhat syrupy texture, along with plenty of barrel char. On my second sip, I discerned black cherries, toffee, and cocoa on the front of my palate. Flowing across my mid-palate brought flavors of ancient leather, tobacco leaf, and lightly roasted coffee. The back featured charred oak, rye spice, and clove. The char was thick, giving it a smoky quality.

 

Finish: Char, clove, leather, tobacco, coffee, rye spice, and cocoa remained. There was hardly any “burn” in my mouth and throat, and the finish was soft, smoky, drying, and l-o-n-g. It finally let go at 2:05.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: One of my favorite aspects of this whiskey was how heavy that barrel char’s influence was. It sucked moisture from my mouth while leaving behind smoky goodness. Then there was the color, which was mesmerizing. While there are plenty of dark-colored whiskeys on the market, Old Dominick’s was like looking inside a cave at night.

 

There were fruity notes, but the stars of the show were the earthy components of leather, coffee, tobacco leaf, and charcoal. In some ways, the 2026 expression of Old Dominick 8-Year Reserve Bourbon was perfectly proofed. Yet, I am damned curious what it would taste like with 20 more points on top of it.

 

An 8-year-old, 100° Bourbon at $65.00 isn’t outlandish. A great one is a bargain. I re-read my review of the 2025 release, and as much as I enjoyed it, this year’s eclipsed it. If you buy a Bottle, consider two, because I see this one going down fast. 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.