PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Ampersand is the American whiskey line that Chip Tate, founder of Balcones Distilling in Texas, has been developing since he joined Foley Family Wines & Spirits as master distiller for innovation in January 2024. The brand’s pitch is “bold American heritage, European elegance”: American whiskey finished in European wine casks. The first three releases arrived in November 2025, and Aureus is the fourth, and the first to have made a splash with critics.
Aureus is a Colorado straight bourbon, “the oldest and last release from the now-silent Peach Street Distilling” in Palisade, Colorado, made from a mash bill of 60% corn, 20% rye, and 20% malted barley. It is finished for 18 months in Vino de Naranja casks, “hand-selected in Spain.” Vino de Naranja is a traditional fortified Andalusian wine made by macerating orange peel in wine, and the finish adds a vibrant citrus note, a structure of tannins, and layered depth. It’s bottled at cask strength, 60.9% ABV (121.8 proof). Press reports describe the whiskey as about five years old and bottled at Minden Mill in Nevada, which Foley acquired in 2023, though Ampersand hasn’t published an age statement.
The distiller’s notes read: “The nose is full of dark wildflower honey, dried cherries, wood musk, and salted brown butter. The palate is a mix of blood orange marmalade, graham cracker, and dark chocolate. Lingering finish of wine poached fruit, brown bread and Madagascar vanilla.” The brand summarizes it as “a cask-strength expression of vibrant citrus, structured tannins, and layered depth.”
The awards are unusual for a brand this new. At the Spirits Business American Whiskey Masters 2026, a blind tasting, Aureus won a Master medal and was named Taste Master, the single top-scoring whiskey in the competition. Judge Siobhan Feeley, head distiller at 58 and Co, described it as “big and waxy with heavy spice and eye-watering pepper. Chocolate, cacao, and heavy hitting. Super-drinkable and welcoming, when diluted it opens up to a softness and lovely richness with some minerality on the finish.” At the North American Bourbon & Whiskey Competition 2026, it earned a Double Gold with 95 points and third place in Best of Show.
It’s a bold, high-proof bourbon with a distinctive orange-and-chocolate profile, a good fit for customers who like cask-strength bourbon and want something different from the usual wine-cask finishes, and one of the most talked-about new American whiskeys of the year. A few drops of water, as the judges noted, open up its softer side. Production is limited, with a small bottling planned for November.
Ampersand Aureus is released by Ampersand (Foley Family Wines & Spirits), with Chip Tate as master distiller for innovation. It is a Colorado straight bourbon (60% corn, 20% rye, 20% malted barley) from the former Peach Street Distilling, finished for 18 months in Vino de Naranja casks hand-selected in Spain, and bottled at Minden Mill in Nevada. Cask strength: 60.9% ABV / 121.8 proof, 750ml. Limited release.
The Spirits Business, American Whiskey Masters 2026 — Master & Taste Master:
Judge Siobhan Feeley: “Big and waxy with heavy spice and eye-watering pepper. Chocolate, cacao, and heavy hitting. Super-drinkable and welcoming, when diluted it opens up to a softness and lovely richness with some minerality on the finish.”
North American Bourbon & Whiskey Competition 2026 — Double Gold, 95 Points; Best of Show, 3rd Place
Ampersand (distiller’s notes):
“The nose is full of dark wildflower honey, dried cherries, wood musk, and salted brown butter. The palate is a mix of blood orange marmalade, graham cracker, and dark chocolate. Lingering finish of wine poached fruit, brown bread and Madagascar vanilla.”
Nose
Dark wildflower honey, dried cherries, wood musk, and salted brown butter.
Palate
Blood orange marmalade, graham cracker, and dark chocolate, with heavy spice, cacao, and pepper.
Finish
Long and lingering, with wine-poached fruit, brown bread, and Madagascar vanilla.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Colorado Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Cask Strength, Wine Cask Finished |
| ABV / Proof | 60.9% ABV / 121.8 Proof |
| Mash Bill | 60% corn / 20% rye / 20% malted barley |
| Source | Peach Street Distilling (Palisade, Colorado) — its oldest and last release |
| Age | About 5 years per press reports (no age statement published); finished 18 months |
| Finish | Vino de Naranja (Spanish orange wine) casks |
| Bottled | Minden Mill, Nevada |
| Brand | Ampersand (Foley Family Wines & Spirits) — Chip Tate |
| Awards | American Whiskey Masters 2026: Master & Taste Master · NABC 2026: Double Gold, 95 pts |
| Style / Identity | A bold, citrusy, chocolatey cask-strength bourbon with orange wine character |
| Aromas & Flavors | Wildflower honey, dried cherry, blood orange marmalade, graham cracker, dark chocolate |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Neat, then with a few drops of water — as the judges suggest, to open up the softness and richness.
Old Fashioned — a bold, citrus-forward base.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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