This $75 Bourbon Beat Some of America’s Most Coveted Whiskeys in a Blind Tasting
A bourbon from a brand that launched less than a year ago just claimed the top prize at the American Whiskey Masters.
At the 2026 American Whiskey Masters earlier this month, a new bourbon took home the top prize.
Ampersand’s Aureus was crowned the competition’s highest-rated bourbon by earning the coveted Taste Master award. The brand is less than a year old.
Aureus won both a Master medal
Aureus won both a Master medal and the Taste Master medal in the ultra-premium bourbon category. It beat Sazerac Company’s WL Weller and George T Stagg, both of which won Master medals last year.
The American Whiskey Masters is one category in the Global Spirits Masters Competition, launched and organized by The Spirits Business, which wrote: “Ampersand is a new entrant to the American whiskey category, proving that fresh brands are making their mark on the sector.”
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Ampersand Whiskeys is a line of small-batch spirits created by master distiller Chip Tate under the Foley Family Wines & Spirits portfolio. Its formation was announced last November. Since then, it has since taken the whiskey world by storm.
The spirit, which is the Latin name
The spirit, which is the Latin name for golden, has been previewed and entered into competitions, but it has not yet received a formal public retail release or appeared on the brand’s official website.
According to The Whisk(e)y Wash, the Aureus is a five-year-old whiskey finished in Naranjo Spanish orange wine casks. It is bottled at 60.9 percent ABV and is priced at $75. The bottle marks Ampersand’s fourth release, following Malus, Vinea, and Opimus, all of which came out last November.
Source: www.inc.com
