The Tennessee Distillers Guild elected Alex Castle, master distiller and senior vice president at Old Dominick Distillery, as its new president. In her role, Castle will lead the charge in continuing to move the Guild and its initiatives forward.
“Alex and Old Dominick Distillery epitomize the Tennessee distilling industry, representing a heritage brand that has been revived for today,” says Tennessee Distillers Guild executive director, Sara Beth 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 have since been an integral part of its success and evolution.
“Watching this group grow and evolve has been unbelievable,” says Castle. “My predecessor, Kris Tatum, did 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 says. “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 resides in Memphis with her husband and their dog, Whiskey.
TenessOther Tennessee Distillers Guild board appointments include Rod Benkovich of George Dickel Distillery as vice president; Tyler Crowell of Corsair Distillery as secretary; and Kent Merritt of Old Tennessee Distilling Co. as treasurer. Other board members include 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.