Review of Gambit No. 6 Bourbon

 

Foley Wine & Spirits has been making quite the impact in the Wonderful World of Whiskey. Founded by Bill Foley in 1996, it currently owns 24 wineries and a distillery (Minden Mill Distillery of Nevada) as well as an impressive portfolio of wines and spirits from its partners. If you’re wondering why Bill’s name seems familiar, that’s because he’s the same Bill Foley who owns the Las Vegas Golden Knights, a professional NHL hockey team.

 

That brings us to Chip Tate. He founded Balcones Distilling in 2008 in Waco, Texas, and was one of the early distillers of American Single Malt Whiskey. He left Balcones in 2014 after a disagreement with its investors, and then founded Chip Tate & Co. Distillery in 2017, located near Balcones. In 2024, he left that operation to join Foley Family Wines as its Master Distiller.

 

Together, they bring us Gambit No. 6, a 6-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon finished in six different cask types. Gambit No. 6 was, pardon the pun, quite the gambit. As you can see, its finishing and blending process was a complicated endeavor:

 

“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.” – Foley Wine & Spirits

 

Allow me to give you a brief overview of these casks:

• Chardonnay is a white wine known for flavors of apples, citrus, tropical fruits, and oak.
• Cabernet Sauvignon is a red wine recognized for its high tannins and acidity, which can lead to jammy or herbal flavors.  
• Apple Brandy is made from, well, apples.
• Muscatel is a fortified wine with notes of raisins, honey, and plums.
• Oloroso Sherry is a fortified wine known for its nutty notes, along with dried fruit and wood.
• Tokaji is a Hungarian dessert wine that highlights apricots, honey, and citrus.

 

Packaged at 46% ABV (92°), a 750mL Gambit No. 6 has a suggested retail price of $69.99 and is available at retail locations in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Texas, Washington, and online at https://www.gambit6.com.

 

Are there rewards to be reaped here? The only way to know for sure is to #DrinkCurious. However, I must first thank Foley Wine & Spirits for providing me with a sample of Gambit No. 6 in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

• Whiskey Type: Bourbon
• Distiller: Undisclosed Kentucky distillery
• Age: 6 years
• Mashbill: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley
• Cooperage: New, 53-gallon charred oak barrels, then finished in Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Apple Brandy, Muscatel, Oloroso Sherry, and Tokaji casks
• Alcohol Content: 46% ABV (92°)
• Price per 750mL: $69.99
• Non-chill filtered

 

Appearance: I chose a neat pour in my Glencairn glass to explore this Bourbon. The various casks easily influenced the appearance; the best I could describe it is burnt umber with an extra helping of red. A medium-thick rim produced randomly spaced, thick, sticky tears. Both the rim and tears seemed everlasting.   

 

Nose: After patiently waiting for about 15 minutes, I was ready to nose this whiskey. It was fruity, with toasted coconut, blueberries, and apricots, offset by vanilla, toffee, nutmeg, and leather. When I took the vapor into my mouth, I encountered a blend of figs, dates, and peaches.

 

Palate: Gambit No. 6 had a dense, rich texture, though it was a tad dry, and lacked any real palate shock. On the front, I tasted Asian pears, dried figs, and dates. Flavors of fresh apricots, milk chocolate, and pipe tobacco hit my mid-palate, while dry leather, cocoa nibs, and ginger spice trailed to the back.

 

Finish: The flavors of ancient leather, cocoa nibs, ginger spice, and toasted coconut were slowly overwhelmed by blueberries, apricots, and figs. Those were pushed aside by clove and French oak. It was level, lasting 1:57, making it fairly long.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: The aroma was so complex that I found myself confused (in a good way) trying to identify its various aspects. What happened inside my mouth was as well. Yes, it was Bourbon, and I could still discern it. The various finishes fought for (and won) my attention.

 

Gambit No. 6 offers a decent balance between sweet and spice. It drinks right at its stated proof; there’s a gentle warmth that still reminds you this is an adult beverage. I had no issues picking out the impacts from each cask.

 

If all you want is a classic Bourbon, you’ll probably find Gambit No. 6 disappointing. Yet, if you want something different that’s going to challenge your olfactory sense and taste buds, it is well worth experiencing. I found Gambit No. 6 enchanting, and it falls into that dangerous category of whiskeys that go down way too easily, and you don’t feel its effects until after you stand up.

 

Chip Tate did a great job here. I’m thrilled to have this in my whiskey library, although I can’t promise it will be around for long. Definitely pick up a Bottle if you see one, and if you don’t, well, there’s that online store. Cheers!   

 

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit, but begs you to do so responsibly.