Balcones Founder Chip Tate Returns to the Spirits World With a New Brand: Amperasand

(Photos: Foley Family Wines & Spirits)

Balcones founder Chip Tate has released his first new spirits since joining Foley Family Wines & Spirits as master distiller for innovation. Foley announced Tuesday that Tate developed a new three-bottle line called Ampersand, built around blends that cross categories and lean on Tate’s barrel work.

Tate left Balcones in 2014 after a dispute with investors. He was bound by a noncompete agreement that kept him out of whiskey production for 15 months. Since then, he has worked on independent projects before joining Foley in 2024.

Ampersand marks his highest-profile release since his Balcones departure. The line includes Malus, Vinea and Opimus. Each expression mixes American whiskey with a different base spirit or cask influence.

“Chip is a visionary talent, and his reputation for flavor and whiskey innovation manifests in Ampersand Spirits,” Foley Family Wines & Spirits CMO Jason Daniel said in a news release. “The spirits in these three blends were chosen with spirits enthusiasts in mind who are looking for something new and unconventional to push them out of their comfort zones.”

Malus is a 92-proof, non-chill-filtered blend of 51% eight-year-old American rye whiskey and 49% eight-year-old Calvados. FFWS produced 6,000 bottles. The company positions the blend as a nod to early American spirits making, when rye whiskey and apple brandy were common.

Vinea blends 75% eight-year-old rye whiskey with 25% grain spirit aged more than nine years in XO Cognac casks. It is also 92 proof and non-chill filtered. FFWS bottled 8,500 units. The company notes that the XO Cognac casks add structure while the rye brings spice.

Opimus is a 15-year-old Kentucky bourbon finished in Tokaji casks and bottled at 117 proof. FFWS produced 11,500 bottles. The company describes Opimus as a cask-strength whiskey with fruit, honey and oak notes tied to the Tokaji finish.

Chip Tate is pictured with a glass of Ampersand.

“The Ampersand collection includes unexpected combinations that create something far more intriguing than their individual parts. The result for each distinct expression is a complex yet harmonious flavor,” Tate said.

The three expressions have already received awards across several 2025 spirits competitions, according to FFWS.

Tate signaled he is also working on new agave projects” “We’re just getting started, as I am also spending time in Mexico working on developing new distillation techniques for my agave project.”

A Closer Look: Examining the Ampersand Portfolio

Ampersand Malus

Malus nods to early American distilling, when rye whiskey and apple brandy were among the first spirits produced. Tate sampled hundreds of barrels to balance the blend, aiming for an interplay of rye spice and orchard fruit

Blend: 51% American rye whiskey (95% rye, 5% malted barley mashbill) and 49% eight-year-old Calvados, both aged at least eight years
Proof: 92
Price: $59.99
Bottles: 6,000
Tasting Notes: Fruit-forward apple and pear from the Calvados meets rye spice, leading to dark toffee, baked-apple notes and a long, dry finish.
Awards: Double Gold (TAG Global Spirits Awards), Double Gold (Concours d’Spirits), Gold/93 Points (North American Bourbon & Whiskey Competition).

Ampersand Vinea

Vinea stems from a 2015 trip to Cognac, where Tate purchased 55 XO cognac casks, which he filled with 100%-corn grain spirit. Stored for nine years in Texas heat, the grain spirit concentrated heavily before being blended with rye for balance and structure

Blend: 75% 8-year-old rye whiskey (95% rye, 5% malted barley mashbill) and 25% 9-year-old grain spirit (100% corn) aged in XO Cognac casks
Proof: 92
Price: $59.99
Bottles: 8,520
Tasting Notes: Peppery rye spice alongside French-oak depth and Cognac-driven sweetness.
Awards: Platinum (TAG Global Spirits Awards); Gold/91 Points (Global Whisky Challenge).

Ampersand Opimus

Opimus is a 15-year-old Kentucky bourbon finished for nine months in Hungarian Tokaji wine casks. Tokaji’s botrytized wines impart honeyed sweetness that tempers the intensity of older bourbon.

Proof: 116.7 (cask strength)
Price: $149.99
Bottles: 11,500
Mashbill: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley
Tasting Notes: Dark caramel, toasted oak and dried fig, shifting to orchard fruit, honey and bright acidity from the Tokaji finish. Long, warm and oak-driven with lingering dried apricot and orange zest.
Awards: Best of Show/97 Points (Global Whisky Challenge); Platinum (TAG); Double Gold/97 Points (North American Bourbon & Whiskey Competition); multiple Gold medals.