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Memphis’ Old Dominick Distillery Adds New Wheat, Blended Whiskeys

The Old Dominick Distillery, located in Memphis, Tennessee, has an interesting history to it has far as old time brands go. One Domenico Canale, in 1866, started D. Canale & Co and later Old Dominick Whiskey.  A few steps away and five generations later, it is said, descendants Chris and Alex Canale opened the current distillery in the heart of downtown in May, 2017. They are known for crafting “a line of whiskeys and vodkas, as well as a revival of Domenico’s pre-prohibition southern infused whiskey.”

The line of whiskeys referenced above refers to the Huling Station expressions, the name of which is tied to the D. Canale & Co. warehouse at Huling Station, where, at one time, “rail cars bearing oak-aged whiskeys rolled in and out” of there. So far there’s been a straight bourbon released under the label, and now it is being joined by a straight wheat whiskey and a blend of straight whiskeys.

Huling Station whiskeys
The Huling Station whiskeys of Old Dominick Distillery (image via Old Dominick Distillery)

The first, Huling Station Straight Wheat Whiskey is, according to those behind it, bottled at 90 proof and distilled from a mash bill of 83% wheat, 12% corn and 5% malted barley. The project for this expression began in 2014 when the Old Dominick team, led by now senior vice president of distillery operations Alex Castle, worked with MGP in developing the final mash bill and the barrel entry proof.

“The first few years of aging were a bit nerve-wracking for me because wheat whiskey seems to age slower and it wasn’t progressing at the same rate as our bourbon; however, after the winter of 2018, the wheat turned a big corner and suddenly we had a very pleasant, flavorful whiskey,” said  Castle in a prepared statement. “For me, this product is a great introductory whiskey, it has a much lighter flavor and is bottled at a lower proof than the Huling Station Straight Bourbon, so it is more approachable.”

The Huling Station Blend of Straight Whiskeys, meanwhile, is 50% the wheat whiskey and 50% the bourbon. It is bottled at 100 proof.

“Old Dominick continues to innovate and evolve,” noted Chris Canale, President of Old Dominick Distillery, “and I am very humbled to be part of a family business with such a rich history. The Huling Station warehouse was our company’s home for more than a century and today stands as a reminder that there is no substitute for quality.”

Plans call for both whiskeys to be available starting this month for between $45 and $50 per 750 ml bottle. States they should be available in include Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Illinois. They can also be found for sale online.

Official tasting notes for each are as follows.

Huling Station Straight Wheat opens with a light, sweet honey, and delicate grassy indication on the nose. The palate carries a hay-forward lightness with hints of the same pale honey featured in the nose, bookended by a surprising flash of smoked oak before settling into a medium, lightly sweet finish.

Huling Station Straight Blend of Whiskeys features a slight wisp of warm baking spices on the nose, complemented by a hint of smoky oak. The palate offers up a creamy, warmed honey sweetness with short bursts of a pleasant grassy note that tapers into a rye warmth to go with its slightly higher proof. The finish is lingering and peppery with another appearance by the smoked oak to close it out.

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