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Ampersand Opimus 15 Year Old Bourbon Review

What happens when you finish a 15-year bourbon in rare Hungarian dessert wine casks? Is Chip Tate's Ampersand Opimus a bold triumph or a waste of aged whiskey?

OVERALL RATING

9
$134.99
  • 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.

Opimus features 15-year-old Kentucky bourbon finished in Hungarian Tokaji casks at 117-proof cask strength. Production totaled 11,500 bottles. Tokaji is a historic sweet wine from the Tokaj region of Hungary, famous for its rich, amber-hued, and complex flavors of apricot, honey, and orange peel, balanced by high acidity. Made from grapes affected by “noble rot,” it’s known for its intense sweetness, especially in styles like Tokaji Aszú, and can range from sweet to dry, with the most rare form, Eszencia, being incredibly concentrated and served by the spoonful.

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:
Clear and old oak in color. Thick slow legs which just hugged the glass. This was tasted neat in a Glencairn after 5 minutes of resting.
Nose:
This opens with caramel ice wine, cognac, deep blended malts. Just decedent to be honest. There are moments of green grapes dripping with sugar. Some earth tones here and there and dark ripe plums.
Palate:
The palate is dry, with a medium smoothness but a full-bodied profile. We open the taste with dried oak, warn leather, sweet wines and dark sugars. Just a romantic dance of tastes in the glass. We find stewed dark fruits aged wines, and delicate dessert wines. It has a full body with earth tones and tea. Successive sips finds cherry syrup and cola, corn and custard.
Finish:
Oily mouthfeel with a long finish. Sweet and oaky that holds with a wine profile against the tongue.
Comments:
What a fun dram! I liked this a lot, but there were just a few moments that kept me from that elusive 10 points. However, do not let that distract you from an otherwise terrific bottle of whiskey. I think there are notes throughout this that will impress anyone. While I can see the Tokaji influence to put some people off, I think if you keep yourself open to the unique profile of a dessert wine combining with a well aged whiskey, you’re in for a treat. Now, I hear you, I also don’t know why you’d take a 15 year bourbon and blend it, but the times are interesting.

I don’t think you will be disappointed and certainly I don’t feel the 15 year bourbon was wasted.

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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