Matt was unable to be with me for this tasting, so Rosemary stepped in to taste with me. It is always a pleasure when she tastes whiskey with me! Today we are tasting the Old Dominick Tennessee Whiskey. It is made in Memphis, Tennessee. It is an old label and distillery being revived by the family. They hired Alex Castle as their master distiller and now she is their Master Distiller and Vice President. She previously worked as a production supervisor at Wild Turkey and learned her craft under the watchful eyes of Jimmy Russell and was heavily influenced by his tutelage. She makes a very thick mash of 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley. Her barrel entry proof is 110 with a number four char in the barrel. It is bottled without chill filtering. All of this information is on the label. It is a very good Tennessee whiskey and Rosemary and I sat down to taste it. Here are our tasting notes.
Old Dominick Tennessee Whiskey
Proof: 85
Age: Four Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, marshmallow, pears, a hint of pepper spice, smoke and oak wood.
- Rosemary: Vanilla custard with a hint of tobacco smokiness and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, marshmallows, pears, cardamom and white pepper spice, oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry it brings out some maple syrup and more of the smoke. Tasted with a pecan and the vanilla becomes a rich caramel and the citrus of the cardamom is enhanced.
- Rosemary: Caramel and vanilla with black pepper and oak wood. The dried cranberry enhanced the pepper flavor and the vanilla. The pecan enhanced the caramel and the oak wood.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak, spice and lingering vanilla. The dried cranberry made the finish shorter and sweeter with vanilla and maple syrup with just a hint of oak wood. The pecan made the finish longer with oak and caramel with a hint of tobacco smoke.
- Rosemary: Medium long with a peppery and slightly oaky finish. The dried cranberry enhanced the pepper and oak in the finish. The pecan made the finish long and dry with lots of oak.
I would pair this fine Tennessee Whiskey with a Fuente Between The Lines cigar. The rich tobacco and cedar spice in the smoke would pair well with the vanilla and spice in the whiskey.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller