Alex Castle, master distiller and senior vice president of Old Dominick Distillery, has been named president of the Tennessee Distillers Guild
NASHVILLE, Tenn., (Aug. 13, 2020) – The Tennessee Distillers Guild has elected Alex Castle, master distiller and senior vice president at Old Dominick Distillery, as its new president. In her new role, Castle will lead the charge in continuing to move the Guild and its initiatives forward alongside fellow Tennessee Distillers Guild board members and executive director, Sara Beth Urban.
“Alex and Old Dominick Distillery epitomize the Tennessee distilling industry, representing a heritage brand that has been revived for today,” said Urban. “Alex’s energy and leadership will be a great asset for our Guild and I’m excited to work with her to increase interest in Tennessee spirits.”
Castle and Old Dominick Distillery joined the Guild in late 2015 and has since been an integral part of its success and evolution.
“Watching this group grow and evolve has been unbelievable,” said Castle. “My predecessor, Kris Tatum, did such a phenomenal job leading the Guild and fighting to improve our industry in Tennessee. I’m excited for this opportunity and hope during my time as President, I can help maintain the momentum and continue to grow the Guild and the Trail, both in numbers and awareness.”
Castle has already made her mark for women in the Tennessee whiskey industry as the state’s first female head distiller in 2015. Now, she is making history again as the first female president to lead the Tennessee Distillers Guild since its founding in 2014.
“I can’t imagine being in any other industry,” she said. “I hope that my roles within Old Dominick and the Guild can serve as inspiration to other women; just because an industry was male-dominated for years doesn’t mean it can’t be welcoming to women, and even promote those women to leadership roles.”
Castle is a Burlington, Kentucky native with a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Kentucky. She has extensive experience on both the production and leadership sides of the beverage distilling industry, ranging from her role early on as production supervisor at Wild Turkey to her current position as master distiller and senior vice president at Old Dominick Distillery in Memphis. Alex resides in Memphis with her husband and their dog, Whiskey.
“This is certainly still an unprecedented time, and I hope to bring encouragement and leadership to distillers as we continue to navigate our current health situation. Once it is safe to do so, we will continue to grow awareness and develop the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, encouraging fans and neighbors to visit,” said Castle of her vision for the future of the Tennessee Distillers Guild and its flagship Tennessee Whiskey Trail. “I’m also excited to bring my passion for our industry to the table and fight for legislation that will support the Guild and further support our distilleries. After all, adventures run on Tennessee whiskey!”
Other Tennessee Distillers Guild board appointments include Rod Benkovich, Site Director of George Dickel Distillery, as Vice President; Tyler Crowell, Chief Operating Officer of Corsair Distillery, as Secretary; Kent Merritt, President of Old Tennessee Distilling Co., as Treasurer. The Tennessee Distillers Guild’s Board of Directors also includes Heath Clark of H. Clark Distillery, Matt Cunningham of Old Glory Distilling Co., Bruce Boeko of Nashville Craft Distillery, Jeff Arnett of Jack Daniel Distillery, and Greg Eidam of Sugarlands Distilling Co.
For more information about the Tennessee Distillers Guild, visit tndistillersguild.org.
About the Tennessee Distillers Guild:
The Tennessee Distillers Guild is a nonprofit membership organization that consists of 32 Tennessee distilleries and associate members from across the state. The Guild was founded in 2014 with a mission to responsibly promote and advocate for the distilling industry in Tennessee through the collective voice of its members. For more information about the Tennessee Distillers Guild, visit www.tndistillersguild.org.
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