Ampersand Vinea Rye & Cognac Cask-Aged Grain Spirit

Ampersand Vinea Rye & Cognac Cask-Aged Grain Spirit is Master Distiller Chip Tate’s meeting of American rye and French cask influence. The blend combines 75% Kentucky straight rye whiskey with 25% grain spirit aged in specially sourced Cognac casks, and the producer states that both components are aged for more than eight years. Bottled at 46% ABV (92 proof) in a 750 mL format, Vinea brings together rye’s spicy backbone, Cognac-cask depth, and the contrasting sweetness of American oak.

The producer describes Vinea as a complex “grape meets grain” fruit profile. On the nose, fruit and French-oak character frame the rye spice; across the palate, the grain spirit’s Cognac-cask richness meets the rye’s firmer structure and American-oak sweetness. The texture balances ripe fruit, warming spice, and layered oak without losing the whiskey’s grain-led core. Those elements carry into a composed finish where Cognac-cask depth and rye spice remain in counterpoint. Enjoy it neat or over ice, or use its fruit-and-spice balance in an Old Fashioned or Vieux Carré.