SANTA ROSA, CA (March 30, 2026) – Today, Foley Family Wines & Spirits (FFWS) announced the launch of Gambit No. 6, a 6-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon featuring six distinct barrel finishes, including Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Apple Brandy, Muscatel, Oloroso Sherry, and Tokaji. Gambit No. 6 is the second spirits release from Chip Tate since he joined FFWS as Master Distiller for Innovation in January 2024.
Best known as the founder of Balcones and for pushing boundaries, Tate crafted Gambit (a strategic move in chess) to reflect his calculated risk in expanding the frontiers of barrel finishing. Originally envisioning a double wine barrel-finished bourbon, he found that employing four additional, carefully selected barrel finishes offered unique structure, palate, and finish – with the Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon giving the whiskey a rich, fine wine vinous character; the Oloroso and Muscatel contributing ripe fruit notes with hints of raisin; and the Apple Brandy delivering fruity aromas that tie the grape varietals together.
“The nuance of barrel finishing has piqued my interest since I started in the whiskey business more than 20 years ago, and access to these barrels opens a world of possibilities,” said Tate. “Gambit No. 6 is a testament to the depths of innovation, flavor, and craftsmanship we can achieve in whiskey making at Foley, building on more than 30 years of heritage as a family-owned, fine wine and luxury estates company.”
Gambit No. 6 starts with a classic 6-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon featuring a mashbill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. To create the blend, roughly 15 percent of the whiskey was finished for 19 months in Cabernet Sauvignon American Oak barrels sourced from Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery’s PreVail Wines. A secondary portion of the whiskey – approximately 85 percent – was finished for three months in Chardonnay French Oak casks also sourced from Ferrari-Carano. Then, the bourbon finished in Chardonnay casks was divided between the Oloroso Sherry, Muscatel, Apple Brandy, and Tokaji barrels, and aged for an additional 12 to 16 months.
The barrels were housed at the Minden Mill Distillery near Lake Tahoe, NV, where Tate checked on their progress throughout the finishing process. Once each of the barrels reached its maximum potential, Tate blended them together to create Gambit No. 6. The result is a 92-proof, rich and dry, non-chill-filtered whiskey that reveals itself in layers of baking spice on the nose and a balanced palate with hints of cacao, sweet tobacco, and ripe fruit notes. Recommended served neat or on the rocks, Gambit No. 6 also makes a flavorful Old Fashioned cocktail.
Gambit No. 6 Old Fashioned
• 2 oz. Gambit No. 6
• ¼ oz. Amaretto
• ¼ oz. Simple Syrup
• 4 Dashes of Angostura Bitters
• 3 Drops of Saline (a mixture of 80% water & 20% salt)
Instructions: Add ingredients to a mixing glass with ice, stir, and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist and a cherry.
In November 2025, Tate and FFWS released their first collaboration called Ampersand, a collection of groundbreaking small batch spirits, including Ampersand Malus (51% American Rye Whiskey & 49% Calvados); Ampersand Vinea (75% American Rye Whiskey & 25% grain spirit aged in XO Cognac casks); and Ampersand Opimus (15-Year-Old Kentucky Bourbon aged in Tokaji casks).
The introduction of both Gambit No. 6 and Ampersand highlights FFWS’s unique position as a producer of artisanal spirits of exceptional craftsmanship, complementing its portfolio of ultra-premium and luxury wines. Confirming his commitment to lean into his blending, barrel selecting, and technical distillation strengths in 2026, Tate teased, “We’re just getting started, as I am also spending time in Mexico working on developing new distillation techniques for our agave projects.”
With an SRP of $69.99, Gambit No. 6 is available at retail locations in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Texas, Washington, and online at www.gambit6.com where legally permitted to ship. For more information, visit www.gambit6.com and follow the brand on Instagram.
Media images may be found HERE.
About Foley Family Wines & Spirits
Established by Bill Foley in 1996, Foley Family Wines & Spirits (FFWS) is a portfolio of highly acclaimed wines and spirits from some of the world’s greatest estates. The company owns more than 24 wineries and a distillery, each with its own distinct style, legacy, and hospitality approach. FFWS has expanded its portfolio significantly since its founding, now including such storied brands as Chalk Hill Estate Winery, Sebastiani, Roth, Banshee, Ferrari-Carano, Chateau St. Jean, Lancaster, and Sonoma Coast Vineyards in Sonoma; Merus, Silverado, Foley Johnson and Swanson in Napa Valley; Lincourt, Firestone, and Foley Estates in Southern California; Chalone Vineyard and Cosentino in central California; and Four Graces and Acrobat in Oregon. FFWS’s imported wines include Lucien Albrecht in France, Nieto Senetiner in Argentina, and 14 wine brands spanning three of New Zealand’s most acclaimed winegrowing regions: Marlborough, Central Otago, and Martinborough. The growing global spirits portfolio includes domestic brands Minden Mill Whiskeys, High Ground Estate Vodka, Charles Goodnight Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Evil Bean Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur, and Ampersand. International spirits include New Zealand’s Lighthouse Gin, El Mexicano Tequila, the Loch Lomond Group portfolio of Scotch and spirits, Two Stacks Irish Whiskey, and Killowen Distillery. FFWS also imports SABÉ canned cocktails and Tequio Tequila cocktails. To learn more about Foley Family Wines & Spirits, visit ffws.com.
