Old Dominick distillery open for business in

troops in Memphis during the Civil War.

The family business sold products including a private-label liquor brand, Old Dominick, before Prohibition. D. Canale later ran an Anheuser-Busch distributorship and food division for decades before selling to larger companies.

First cousins Chris Canale and Alex Canale describe themselves as fifth-generation owners of the distillery.

Old Dominick filled its first barrel of whiskey for aging in February and had produced 136 barrels as of Friday, head distiller Alex Castle said.

She was among employees greeting visitors at a South Main trolley night event Friday. “We’ve been working on this project for so long, to now be able to show it off, it’s phenomenal,” Castle said.

The renovated industrial building includes a restaurant space, but that’s still a work in progress, said Alex Canale, a former Chattanooga restaurateur.

The restaurant is expected to be opened by a partner in October, he said.ill move it once

The distillery is currently limited to tours and tastings. A recent change in state law will allow sales of liquor-by-the-drink, limited to alcoholic beverages made on premises, Canale said. That change should take effect next week.

Old Dominick’s products are scheduled to show up at bars, restaurants and liquor retailers on May 8, Canale said.

Until then, bottles of Memphis Vodka, Honeybell Vodka and Memphis Toddy will be sold in the gift shop. The toddy is based on a flavored whiskey recipe dating to the 1880s, marketing director Helene Champ said.

To have product available at opening, while Memphis-made whiskey is aging, Old Dominick contracted with private-label distiller MGP of Indiana. Barrels of whiskey were shipped to Memphis, where Memphis Toddy was finished and bottled.

With Old Dominick, Tennessee has more than 30 distilleries.

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