Domenico Canale

In 1869, Domenico Canale married Katherine Solari who happened to be born in the same Italian town that he was. (She was the sister of a noted Memphis Italian-American painter, Mary Solari.)  Domenico and Katherine had eight children, five sons and three daughters. From 1871 to 1875 the Memphis Directories list the family business as "Canale and Solari" - the "Solari" was Katherine's brother. 

Within seven years, Canale had grown from his simple produce cart to having his own warehouse on Madison Street, near Front Street. In 1876 the business is renamed "D. Canale & Co." and it sold wholesale vegetables and fruit and distributed several beer brands including Pabst Blue Ribbon and Champagne Velvet. In those days it wasn’t unusual for a produce warehouse to distribute beer since beer at the time was not pasteurized and produce houses could provide refrigeration.

Old Dominick and the Dominck Toddy

While still in business with his brother Peter, Domenico decided to start selling his own brand of whiskey. He started working closely with Richwood Distillery in Milton, Kentucky to develop a bourbon whiskey to his liking. In 1866, Canale & Bro. rolled out its own brand of bourbon whiskey - Old Dominick. Domenico had his proud namesake the Dominique chicken or Dominicker put on the label and called the brand Old Dominick. It was a robust yet smooth bourbon whiskey of good quality which was sold in stoneware jugs and in glass bottles. The line eventually would include bourbons aged five, seven, 12, and 15 “summers.”  Besides its signature line of bourbons, they also sold a rye whiskey and some Bonded products with the Old Dominick logo.

Domenico’s vision and hard work paid off. In a very short amount of time, Old Dominick quickly became the drink of choice of the city of Memphis and soon was a regional favorite. Old Dominick was sold from grocery carts and in stores. Canale advertised Old Dominick in newspapers and prominently on the sides of downtown office buildings with large, eye-catching signs. Another advertising practice Dominico utilized was giving away paperweights and shot glasses to local saloons with the Old Dominic logo.

In 1880, Domenico Canale developed the Dominick Toddy. It was a bourbon-based cordial with fruity overtones and spices. Those flavors are not surprising since he was a former fruit stand operator. It was described in their sales slogans as: “one of which we are the proudest” and “recommended by doctors” and “used by the best families all over the United States.”  Its label also featured the now iconic Dominicker Rooster.

Domenico Canale’s passing

The 1905 book "Notable Men of Tennessee" wrote of Domenic Canale, "(He) ...stands today at the head of the fruit business of Memphis and perhaps of the South.  Mr. Canale is what is rightly termed a self-made man and has won his position in the social and commercial life of Memphis by his industry, his native ability, and the exercise of correct business principles. The company's slogan is ‘Making Friends is Our Business’, and they now have a prominent building at S.  Main Street at Union. They also expanded and opened a branch in Helena, Arkansas.” 

He was so well respected that in 1917, the city leaders and prominent businessmen of Memphis, including Piggly Wiggly founder Clarence Saunders, gathered to celebrate Domenico’s 74th birthday.

Domenico Canale died January 12, 1919, at 75 years old in his Midtown mansion. This was just before the onset of Prohibition, so he did not have to witness the closure of the distillery and the stoppage of the distribution of his Old Dominick. Domenico Canale is interred in Calvary Cemetery, a Catholic burying ground in Memphis.

D. Canale & Co. post-Prohibition

In 1920, Prohibition forced the distillery to close, but the Canale family persevered. In 1921, Domenico’s oldest son, John Dominick Canale, worked to make the company the region’s largest grocery distributor, covering areas from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico and from Atlanta extending westward to the American Indian Reservation Territories. Its base of operations at Memphis, the crossroads of American shipping, made D. Canale Co. one of the largest food and liquor suppliers in the country. By the time Prohibition ended in 1933, D. Canale and Co. had established the largest refrigerated warehouses in Memphis, attracting Anheuser-Busch’s attention. In 1940 D. Canale Co. was able to secure exclusive regional distribution rights for Anheuser-Busch’s beers.

The company continued with Old Dominick whiskey for a time, but eventually shifted its interest to the distribution of only beer and produce and became the largest produce distributor in the South. In 1956 they sold the produce division and entered the institutional food business. In 1982, the food and beer business split to form D. Canale Food Services and D. Canale Beverages. In 1999, D. Canale Food Services was sold to the Sara Lee Co. and the Canale name was dropped. Then in September 2010, D. Canale Beverages was sold to the Hand Family Beverage Company and again, the Canale name was dropped. This effectively ended the family-owned business started by Domenico Canale which had been a staple of the Mid-South economy for 144 years and was one of the oldest businesses in Memphis. Today the Canale family does continue to own other enterprises in Memphis.

The return of Old Dominick

In 2013, Domenico’s great-great-grandsons, Alex and Chris Canale Jr., discovered an unopened bottle of Old Dominick Toddy from the late 1800s. Alex and Chris Canale then decided it was time to revive the family whiskey business. In 2016, 150 years after the original company was founded, the revived Old Dominick Distillery opened, bringing the family history full circle with a revival of a family legacy in Memphis.

In 2017, Old Dominick produced their first batch of Tennessee Whiskey. This was the first time since Prohibition that whiskey was legally distilled in Memphis. In a 1920's-era building on S. Front Street in the heart of downtown Memphis, TN, you will find the Old Dominick Distillery producing and bottling ultra-premium spirits like bourbon, vodka, and gin. Their signature product, Memphis Toddy, is a nod to Domenico Canale’s original recipe, blending whiskey, citrus, and spices for a truly unique taste experience.

Old Dominick stays true to their mission of honoring the Canale family’s past while embracing their future. Old Dominick is having an impact on the spirits industry and the city of Memphis and undoubtedly will for many years to come. In a time where family history and traditions can easily get lost, Old Dominick Distillery stands out as a place where the Domenico Canale family heritage and product innovation came together and not only revived a legacy but created something uniquely special.

Contributed by: Kevin Hazard, Columbia, Tennessee

with support from M. J. (Michael) Jacobs, Tennessee Whiskey Section Editor, Smyrna, Tennessee