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Ampersand Malus Rye Whiskey & Calvados Blend Review

Can rye whiskey and Calvados truly harmonize? Ampersand Malus answers with honeysuckle, candied green apples, subtle spice, and a long, dry finish.

OVERALL RATING

9
$59
  • Charles Steele is an attorney and whiskey enthusiast with a penchant for the peculiar.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Foley Family Wines & Spirits (FFWS) has unveiled Ampersand, a collection of three small-batch spirits created by master distiller Chip Tate. The line represents Tate’s first release since joining FFWS as Master Distiller for Innovation in January 2024.

The portfolio includes Ampersand Malus ($59), blending 51% American rye whiskey with 49% Calvados; Ampersand Vinea ($59), combining 75% American rye whiskey with 25% grain spirit aged in XO Cognac casks; and Ampersand Opimus ($150), featuring 15-year-old Kentucky bourbon finished in Tokaji barrels.

Malus, bottled at 92 proof and non-chill filtered, combines eight-year-old American rye whiskey with eight-year-old Calvados from Normandy. The expression produced 6,000 bottles. The collection has earned multiple awards, including Double Gold Medals for Malus at the 2025 TAG Global Spirits Awards and 2025 Concours d’Spirits.

Tate founded Texas-based Balcones Distilling and was twice named Whisky Icon. He revealed plans for future projects, stating: “We’re just getting started, as I am also spending time in Mexico working on developing new distillation techniques for my agave projects.”
Appearance:
Gold and clear with thin and fast legs which don’t really hold to the glass. This was tasted neat in a Glencairn after 5 minutes of resting.
Nose:
Honeysuckle right out the gate, followed in short order by crisp apples, fruit, green grapes (tart/sour) and confectioners sugar. There is a nice ripe honeydew melon cloaked in light oak cask. Very little to almost no identifiable rye. The Calvados is very present as this opens.
Palate:
The palate was sweet, smooth, with a medium body.

Candied green apples, finally a little rye spice, brandy sugars, and subtle fresh spring fruits. There are touches of rye and oak throughout but they are well balanced and tempered by the calvados and apples.
Finish:
Dry mouthfeel with a nice long finish. bring it home with spring crisp apples and hay. Excellent finish.
Comments:
If you LIKE Calvados (apples) you’ll like this. If you don’t, I’d steer clear. It is a lot of fun, bright sweet spots of fruit and sugars, with a running undercurrent of rye grass and dark oak. Overall great dram!

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Charles Steele

Charles Steele, a Portland-based attorney, is a native of the Pacific Northwest. His legal background provides him with an analytical approach to understanding whiskey and other aged spirits. Primarily a legal writer, freelancing for The Whiskey Wash offers Charles a unique opportunity to showcase his versatility as a writer. Although his preference lies with whiskey and whiskey-based cocktails, he has a profound appreciation for all unique and unconventional liquors, from Malört to Ojen - if it's peculiar, he's intrigued.

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