Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Castle.
Hi Alex, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I spent my childhood knowing I wanted to be a marine biologist… and then I took biology in high school and realized how much I hated it! Fortunately, I quickly found chemistry, physics, and calculus and absolutely fell in love! Through a conversation with my mom, I learned about chemical engineering, and when I asked my mom what you could do with that degree, she said “You can make beer and be a brewmaster, or you can make bourbon and be a master distiller”.
And somehow, I knew that was the direction I needed to go! Fast forward to college and I landed a co-op with a company called Alltech, which owned a small brewery, and while I was there, they actually brought over two pot stills from Scotland to add to the brewery. My boss knew how much I wanted to explore distilling, so he let that be one of my “projects”.
After that first distillation, I knew that whiskey was my future. I had the privilege of filling the first 100 barrels of what would become Pearse Lyons Reserve (now Town Branch). A year after earning my degree in Chemical Engineering, I was offered a job at Wild Turkey, where I worked as a Production Supervisor for 4 years. Those years were invaluable in teaching me how to manage a production facility.
Then one day, I received a message on LinkedIn that would throw a rather large curveball my way. A consultant asked if I “knew anyone who would be interested in moving to Memphis to help start up a new distillery”. I moved to Memphis 6 months later! About 20 months after that, I saw the doors of Old Dominick finally open to the public!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have definitely been some bumps in the road while on this journey. I graduated college not long after the 2008 economic crisis and businesses were still recovering, which meant no one was hiring, including distilleries. So, I had to take whatever job was offered to me, which happened to be with a detergent company.
And while that job provided a good experience, it also exposed me to gender biases in the workplace that I had never experienced before. And that would become a trend with my future jobs. I learned that I had chosen a career path that was male-dominated and I was not always prepared for what that meant; I did not know that I should expect sexist behavior/thoughts from colleagues, business partners, and even customers.
Years later I now know what to expect and how to handle these biases, but it has definitely been a challenge. And then, of course, starting up a distillery is never “smooth”! Equipment breakdowns that lead to 16-hour days, supply chain issues that delay a product release by several months, and legal restrictions that make doing business near impossible. It’s all part of the game!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As the Master Distiller at Old Dominick, I have had the amazing opportunity to develop several products, most of which were brand new to me, since I had only ever made whiskey. And I would say that is my specialty – developing new spirits. In the last 6 years, I have had to learn how to make vodka, gin, absinthe, fernet, amaro, orange curacao, and aquavit.
I had never even heard of aquavit before being asked to make one! I’ve also embraced experimenting with barrel finishes on whiskey, partnering with local breweries to come up with fun and unique flavors that might play well with bourbon. And I think we’ve managed to create some really amazing bourbons as a result! At this point in time, I would say I am most proud of our Gin.
It took about a year to develop the liquid itself (and lots of trial-and-error!), and then took another 2 years to develop the packaging, which I was very much involved in. It was absolutely a labor of love, but well worth it. Everything on that bottle and in that bottle is exactly what I had envisioned and really encompasses who I am as a distiller.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I typically read fiction on a regular basis, but I have been introduced to a few non-fiction books that have stuck with me. First, “You Are A Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life” by Jen Sincero. It is so easy to doubt yourself and your abilities, and we all fall prey to that.
This book helps you realize that it’s okay to admit that you are in fact a “badass” and you don’t have to hide it! The second book I actually discovered while watching a TED Talk – “The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k” by Sarah Knight. I have always been bad about caring about everything and worrying about what others thought of me and what I did. And it was so stressful!!
This book really helps you learn how to start letting those things go and how to focus on what makes you happy – put your energy into what is actually important to you! Beyond that, I find exercise (rowing and yoga are my go-to’s) and meditation to be the most beneficial things for me to focus on in order to feel my best, both mentally and physically.
Contact Info:
- Website: olddominick.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/memphisdistiller/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OldDominick
