Whiskey Spotlight: Old Dominick Distillery ft. Alex Castle

0:00 Some whiskey Nation. Do you ever think about Awards course he do you drink whiskey and watch movies which means that, you know, that nothing is validated until a group of random people say hey we love what you're doing. The awesome thing about doc Swensons, whiskey is that it isn't just some group of schlubs that are given them Awards. They have been winning attention from some of the most important whiskey experts that you can imagine. They've been voted best distillery in Washington state by the New York International Spirits competition. They've been voted the best independent Pendant bottler by the Ascot Awards as well as the best finished bourbon from the Ascot awards for their La. Mente exploratory Cask their exploratory Cask series is where they release some of the most fascinating and adventurous experiments.

0:43 If you're ever checking out, docks line up and see a white label is a really good chance that that's the only time you'll see that bottle. So, make sure you snatch it up. Doc Swensons has been offering just phenomenal finished and Blended whiskies for quite some time. Now, you can find them online at Doc's, whisky.com. That's the OCS whisky.com. Hey, everybody. Welcome into the film. And whiskey podcast. I'm Bob book and I am flying solo today on another special bonus episode that Brad is not here for unfortunately, that the time of night that we're recording this. We couldn't get Brad to sit down with us, but it's his loss because I'm sitting down with somebody tonight that I have been wanting to get on this show for a couple years now, way back in like season one or season. Into of the podcast, we receive some samples in the mail. From this up, cut up and coming.

1:35 Distillery in Tennessee. Called Old Dominic, we tried their huling station Bourbon and we tried their Memphis toddy cordial and they were both so freaking good that I immediately reached back out and said, do you have anything else you can send us and, you know, we got a wheat whiskey after that. And so we've been following old Dominic really closely for a while now and they have some big announcements and some big things That are coming down the pike now. And so, we are lucky enough to be sitting down with Master distiller, Alex, Castle. Alex, thank you so much for joining us tonight. Thank you so much for having me. I don't think I realized that. You guys have been following us and tasting our stuff for so long.

2:16 That is absolutely fantastic. It's one of those things, you know, I don't know if you have this with like celebrities or like people who you look up to in your own circles. But we have a few people on Instagram that I've been following like since the beginning of the podcast. East and whether they know it or not, they were like in my first, you know, hundred follows on Instagram and I think you were one of those. And so I'm just like every time I get on Instagram like your pictures pop up early in the feed it. So I'm just like I know what's going on with Alex one of these days. We're gonna we're gonna sit down and talk because that's my people right there. Love it, love it. Alright, let's go ahead and just jump right in here. You're sitting down with us tonight because the Distillery has a pretty big announcement and that is that you are finally releasing your on distillate and it's called a straight Tennessee. Whiskey.

3:03 I cannot wait to talk more about this, but can you give us some background? And I guess I've kind of stolen your thunder with this announcement a little bit. But I'll let y'all let you wheel it out from here on out. Yeah. So The whole concept of all Dominic started back in 2013-2014, but we didn't get to start our actual whiskey production until December 2016, filled our first Barrels in February February 2017. So we've been we've been waiting very patiently for our whiskey to come of age, so to speak, and I made my owners very aware. That I wasn't going to dump any barrels until they were at least four years old. So they've been sitting on their hands for that amount of time. Easier said than done and then the pandemic and other things, kind of stretched it out.

3:57 So we ended up and wait until you're five basically, or I has five and a half. And those first barrels were our Tennessee, whiskey. This is the first whiskey to be start to finish. So grain to bottle, produced distilled age. And in Memphis since at least prohibition. So it's a huge milestone not just for all Dominic but also for Memphis and we're so excited to be able to add to the growing Tennessee, whiskey category, because it's not a very big one at all.

4:37 And ours is a mash both 75% corn. 13% ride, 12%. Malted barley. So So you're going to get some really great sweet Notes From The Corn but there's just enough Rye to kind of offset it a little bit and you do get some rice spice. So if you are a right Drinker you should like this. But also for I scares you a little bit, this should still be approachable. Shouldn't be too in-your-face where I and we actually did two releases. We have our as you called it. The straight Tennessee. Whiskey that is. Our kind of our everyday Drinker, you're going to be able to find it all the time and it's 85 proof.

5:23 So I know that sounds kind of like a low proof. Especially right now. Everyone wants Cask strength, sure but we found through months of taste tests. That 85 proof is where this whiskey. Just it's sang and I think why it's sings at that proof is because we go into the barrel of 110 proof. So kind of low No proof. But our wonderful, Memphis humidity that most of us complain about all year, actually is amazing for whiskey. And so our barrels are coming out between 115 and 120 proof. So we're gaining in those four to five years. We're getting a lot of alcohol content, so it's giving some amazing body and depth to these barrels. So that even when you proof all the way down to 85, I've it still has so much character and so much flavor, but at that, lower proof.

6:24 It's still very, very approachable and easy to sit. That's so exciting. I'm sorry to interrupt you, please keep going. No, no, I'm just I'm just over here like giddy about trying this, so the other product we release. It's also Tennessee whiskey and it's kind of It's a very exciting one for us. Not a lot of distilleries. Get to release bottled in bond products. There's a whole list of suggested, check off, to be able to put that on your bottle and the fact that were able to put that on the bottle. With our first release is incredibly exciting. So Bond bond is a federally regulated, designation for whiskey, and it was created to help the consumer know.

7:11 Oh, that you were getting good whiskey way. Back in the day, people are putting a bunch of junk in their whiskey through enough, I guess, extend their volume. If it said Balan Bond, you knew you were getting quality product and that meant you were getting whiskey from a single, distillery in a single production season. And we Define that January to June July to December, and it was produced by one distiller. Aged for at least four years in bottle of 100 Proof. So you have to check all those boxes to be able to put this on your bottle, and we can do that. And so we released two batches of ball and bond from two different production Seasons, there about a year apart, so radically different ages and radically different profiles, both phenomenal. But so much fun to put out there. So, I want to talk a little bit about the differences between these new products, and your healing station line. Because, I mean, that's, that's what made me fall in love with The Distillery.

8:16 And, you know, and you guys are very transparent about the fact that, that was a sourced product. And I guess what I'm wondering at this point is, you know, when you get brought on as Master distiller and the product that you're selling, at that point is sourced product. But you guys are making a name for yourselves as a producer. And as a Distillery that is like, starting to Still, does it increase your anxiety, level? Any that what you're starting to become known for is something that somebody else made and there's like, I don't know what's it like to walk that line between. I want to be consistent to what people have come to know us for. But I also got hired because they trust my palate and I might want to go in a different direction with this. There's definitely some anxiety and nerves associated with it. First, I'm incredibly proud of the fueling station line, it wasn't just contract or Source.

9:12 Whiskey was contract is still so that is actually still our proprietary match bills. Our yeast are barrels, so it's still very much what we wanted and I NG P does amazing job on that. You're never going to complain about anything that comes out of that Distillery, right? And so, I love that product. I've been able to few in my own way, make it my own. But I was super excited to be able to come to Tennessee and start making my own whiskey and knowing the reputation that healing has now releasing our whiskey are Tennessee on. November first was terrifying because it's so much younger. It's radically different.

9:55 The mass bills couldn't be farther apart from each other. I absolutely was worried that people would just We want to compare it to huling. Sure. And that they wouldn't necessarily hold up because of how different they are. Fortunately, that hasn't been the situation so far course those. He's only been out for, I don't know about two, two and a half weeks. We'll see what happens in six months, but it is it's a balancing act and it's definitely a nerve-wrecking game of going from a source product or contract is still product to tutor very young.

10:36 Yeah. But at the same time, I really respect the decision on the part of old Dominic to not release this new product, as healing station like to respect what healing station is and was and like you said different, Mash bill. So it would be wildly different to pick up a bottle of huling now. But I just, I really like that. It's almost like, I don't want to call it closing a chapter but you know this is what you guys were known for and now this this new thing is going to be what you're known for, and it may be a different Mash bill, but it's still very much has the character and the Spirit of what old Dominic has come to represent. Let's get to here. Yeah, we wanted them to really have their own basically brand identities.

11:16 So when huling first came out there actually was all Dominic on the label. If you look at a bottle now, oh, Dominic is no longer on the front label and we did that in preparation for this whiskey release. We wanted consumers to be able to kind of separate them, you know. Hopefully, so maybe connect the dots a little bit know that we're putting out both But to also signify don't don't compare them. Don't assume one is like the other. We want them to be their own completely, Unique Products. All right. I'm going to, I'm going to put us on a timer here because I've got a ton of stuff to get through on the movies front. But before we segue into that, I want you really quickly to tell a story that I was reading in my research for you about the time where you were working at alltech or Down branches. It's come to be known Now, The Distillery portion of Altec, when you were either in college or just after college, I believe, and you got put in charge of distilling with about five minute.

12:17 Crash course to prepare you for it. So, could you share a little bit about that experience? Yeah, absolutely said. I took a co-op basically paid internship at alltech in Lexington, Kentucky in College because they had a small Brewery, it's called Kentucky jail. Not knowing they were actually adding a Distillery to it at the time and so about three months into it, they added the pot Stills, my boss knew my interest in it and so couple weeks in after they've commissioned The Stills, he asked me if I want to observe a distillation. I said absolutely, get out of the office. Let's do this. So I made him at the brewery Distillery and get there. And the first thing he says to me is I am so sorry. I forgot to take the boys to the dentist. So I have to go.

13:10 So I immediately deflate thinking, oh, crap. Now to go back to the office. Wonderful. And instead, and this is so typical of my bosses, attends how he worked. Instead of just sitting back to the office, he ran through the entire process and about five minutes said, you're good to go. If there's a problem, by all means, Turn them off. But here you go and then you left. And so I on that day when I'm supposed to be observing, actually ran my first whiskey distillation. I don't think I stopped smiling one time that entire day as terrified as I was, I was thrilled. And from that day forward, I ended up filling the first Hundred or so barrels of what would become pure science, Reserve, Whiskey and set up their Sops and everything that they used for four years.

14:14 Wow. So yeah that's where I learned. I didn't want to make beer. I wanted to make whiskey. Yeah. Well first of all I you know I lived just outside of Lexington for a few years and they were really the only player around in Lexington at the time. They're absolutely. And people always ask me like where Should I start? I'm gonna go to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Where should I start? And people are always surprised when I tell them that, like, one of the first ones I'd recommend if you're just starting out on the trail, is the alltech tour because it's such a great kind of entry point into, you know, they have a variety of different kinds of Whiskey's. There's a bourbon awry and Irish whiskey, but the way the tour works is they give you these tokens and you can cache the tokens in for whatever you want and that includes all of their beer.

14:56 So if you want to do a mix of beer and whiskey, it's such a great little tour and I was I was just so excited. I needed to see that you got your start with with alltech because it has a special place in my heart. Yeah. Absolutely. I agree that tour is wonderful because you can you can get beer and whiskey and I love it because that Distillery did not look anything like that when I work there, but it's absolutely beautiful. In those pot Stills they do the traditional pot, stills from 4sight, they're gorgeous. Yeah, absolutely. Gorgeous. Now I say all those nice things so that I can now say this, I've been thinking about this story for the last couple hours and trying to find like, how do I want to spin this?

15:40 Because it sounds like a really heartwarming story and a great leadership example, right? Like, hey, give the little guy a chance because you never know who might go on to become, you know, Master distiller, I told Dominic, right? So give her a chance but then I think like that was wildly irresponsible. It's just since just put the coop person, In charge of a whole day's worth of distillation. Like now that you're in that position, would you have done that? If someone came to you and said like, hey, I want to learn and you were like, all right, here's 5-minute crash course, and you're good to go. Like it blows my mind. I'm so glad for his sake or her sake. Whoever your boss was that that you turned out to be a natural at it because that could have gone horribly wrong.

16:27 So my boss is Mark Kaufman, who is now the master distiller Town Branch Okay, and he always from day, one was a throw you in the deep end, see if you can sink or swim kind of person which most people were terrified. I've I kind of loved it but I think by that point he had learned that I'm very by-the-book, very OCD. If you tell me to do something I'm going to do it to a tee. So he knew I was going to follow his instructions but I should also say that shortly thereafter, they brought a distiller over from Scotland. And I spent two weeks with him absorbing as much of his knowledge as I possibly could. So I wasn't doing it for too long before, getting much more formal training.

17:17 Well, that's good to know. I actually probably would be even more impressed though if you came into this interview and said like know that five minutes was the only training I've ever had. Look at where I am now, you know, you never know. That's true. Right before we let you go. Today, we have developed and I say developed, we have shamelessly stolen, a set of questions that we've started asking our interview guests here and it's based on the TV show Inside the Actor's Studio. Oh man. And so we're calling it inside the whiskey Studio. We've pared it down a little bit. I won't ask you what your favorite curse word is because you're here as a representative of a company. But maybe if you want to tell me about anyone, I work with would tell you what my favorite grocery, they know exactly what It is, yes.

18:03 All right. So we're going to just do this as rapid fire as possible. Starting with this one. What is your favorite word? Favorite were, might be the same as my favorite cuss word. Now it's on top of your mind. Exactly. I'm definitely a fan of the F-bomb. That is it gets used way too much in my day-to-day. What's your least favorite word? Oh man. No other. I like to say it so that's probably not fair. What sound or noise? Do you love The ocean, what sound or noise? Do you hate the whole solar job board? What's a profession?

18:49 Other than your own that you would like to attempt? I always loved the idea of directing oh nice. Well you came to the right place. Who are your favorite fictional Heroes? Oh man, fictional Heroes. Let's say probably Aragorn further me and Harry Potter, who your favorite characters in history? Oh man. Absolutely love Leonardo da Vinci and King Henry the eighth.

19:33 Wow. Okay. Who is your favorite musician? I probably have to go with either a Dell or Ben Folds. What's a natural gifting that you would most like to possess? Oh, shoot. Most natural gifting the ability to not swear. Is that no, that's too much. Yeah you don't want that. Swearing is way too much fun. I mean, I would love to be able to play a musical instrument. I have no rhythm whatsoever. If you had a say in how you died, how would you prefer to go out? Peacefully in my sleep.

20:22 I don't even know it's happening. All right? And finally, this is one that we've added. If you had to pair, your new old Dominic products with a fast food item. What would it be? I feel like some fried chicken. Well, there you go. We work really well. All right now you got it you got to pick a restaurant, though. Can't just be generic about it. Well is it also qualifies as fast food but guess is Fried Chicken here in Memphis cool okay best fried chicken. All right. Well, Shameless plug for Gus's Fried Chicken? Yes, I love it. All right, now I said all that we did. We did the list first because I think we're going to tease your favorite movie and then I'm going to guilt trip you into coming back on the show in the future. Talk about your favorite movies and the reason is because right before we press record, Alex told me what her two favorite movies were and I knew that Brad my co-host would quit the show and never come back again if I talk to you about these without him here.

21:26 So can you You can you tease for the audience? What are the movies that we would be talking about? Yeah, I'm split between the original Star Wars Trilogy and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I just I just want to take a moment. Anyone who listens to this show knows like Brad has an like an obscene amount of love for the original Star Wars Trilogy and we're both huge fans of Lord of the Rings. So like I would not be doing just Stu are dynamic as a podcasting 20. If I talk to you about these right now. So Alex, we would love to have you back on the show soon. I'd love to honestly, we'd love to do a tasting of these new products. Maybe get you on and we'll try a couple of these and dive into Lord of the Rings and your love for Aragorn. What do you say?

22:15 Let's do it. All right everybody, this has been Alex Castle Master distiller, at one of our favorite distilleries old Dominic in Memphis, Tennessee. Alex, thank you so much for your time today. Thank you so much for having me. All right, everybody, we will be back on Monday with another regularly scheduled episode. But until then, I'm Bob book and we'll see you next time.