Master Distiller Alex Castle to leave Old Dominick Distillery. Here's what we know.

Master Distiller Alex Castle has been instrumental in the revitalization of the Memphis-based Old Dominick whiskey brand.

She joined Old Dominick in 2015 when Chris and Alex Canale decided to relaunch the whiskey brand founded by their great-great-grandfather Domenico Canale in 1866.

At the time she also made history. Castle became the first female head distiller in Tennessee since Prohibition.

On Friday, April 19, Castle and Old Dominick announced that her chapter at this Memphis distillery will soon come to a close. Castle will be leaving the company after nine years of service with plans to return to her home state of Kentucky to pursue new opportunities in the industry.

"We are enormously grateful for Alex’s contributions in her nine years and the foundation she helped build at Old Dominick. We’re confident we have assembled an outstanding team over these years and are excited for the opportunities to showcase their talent as we continue to make carefully crafted spirits that we're proud to offer as Memphis’ only local distiller," said Chris Canale Jr., owner of Old Dominick Distillery. "We wish Alex all the best as she embarks on her new journey and appreciate everything she has done for the company.”

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“Helping start up and launch Old Dominick has been one of the most exciting, enjoyable and rewarding opportunities of not only my career but also of my life," Castle said. "It’s incredible to look back over the last nine years and see just how much this team has accomplished. We’ve come a long way in that time, and I know the team will continue to take Old Dominick to new heights.”

Castle said she is not ready yet to announce her new job in Kentucky. “But I can say that I’m going back to my roots and will be making Kentucky Bourbon once again,” she said.

During her tenure at Old Dominick, Castle has overseen the production of such popular products as Huling Station Small Batch High-Rye Bourbon, Memphis Toddy (a pre-prohibition recipe original to the founder Domenico Canale), Formula No. 10 Gin and Honeybell Citrus Vodka.

When asked about the highlight from her time at Old Dominick, she said it was the release of the Tennessee Whiskey in 2022. “It was the first whiskey to be distilled, aged and bottled in Memphis since Prohibition,” she explained.

Castle’s last day at Old Dominick will be May 24.

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Old Dominick Master Distiller Alex Castle to get back to Kentucky roots