Blood Oath Bourbon Pact No. 9

This is my fourth Blood Oath, I've never been impressed but always found them interesting, and even the rum finished one didn't leave me feeling it was a letdown (maybe overpriced). I had decided I was done however...and then they did Oloroso Sherry AND used 16-year-old bourbon? Well, okay...let's give this a shot. 150 seems to be the standard price; I'm not sure why the distillery thinks MSRP is 130. Costco Price? To do this properly, I poured all my Blood Oaths to ensure I could provide a more nuanced comparison. I have 19, 20, 21, and 23 here. Nose: Light on fruit with a big milk chocolate cocoa powder over rich leathery oak. Honestly, this is exactly what I wanted. I've always found the Blood Oaths to be over the top with oak, especially given they use sub-10-year-old bourbons in the blends. But Oloroso and oak are a really nice combination, so I knew this had potential. Light raspberry and vanilla undertones as well. Compared to the others: this is by far the driest and most oak-forward. The others all seem to have their own style of sweetness. This one leans towards that cocoa powder for sweetness while letting the back end carry a nice bourbon sugar note. This one just comes across as more sophisticated. Taste: Flat on arrival yet silky smooth. Quickly, however, it erupts in flavors. But there's a clean sweetness upfront, followed by this sort of soapy note I get on nearly all of these Blood Oaths (especially the cognac...of course, the other "normal" cask finishing). Oak and leather then rise up, with a lot of tannins. Then on the back end, red fruits, raisins, prunes, figs, all come forward. Really setting this apart from most bourbons is a clear third, if not fourth, wave of flavors on almost what I'd call the after-finish. This is an exceptional sign of quality. I'll get back to final thoughts, however. The comparison? Well, the Cognac, which I really liked today, is coming off really soapy and bitter. I mean, it's still sweet as heck, XO cognac here too, but there's this note I can't get past. Good mouthfeel, more oily than dry. Good. The Sauternes is drinking so weird; I think I mixed up the rum and Sauternes. But yeah, it's not coming off like there's much of a finish. Drying, over-oaked, poorly blended bourbon compared to the others. Rum - again, I can't believe I didn't mix these up, but I'm digging it. Okay, maybe a hint of a Flintstone vitamin giving me some sour fruits. But it's pretty good. So, overall and compared to the others. I like this one a lot. 150 bucks, good? Yeah, I think in 2023, with today's prices, this is about right. It isn't a wow bottle and it isn't a must-get. It's a reasonable value that gives you a really nice complex experience, but I'm not sure it all comes together to be the sum of all those fun parts. Where the comparison comes in is that compared to this, all the others had seemingly overt flaws that can be off-putting. This one...it's just good. I'll have to revisit the Sauternes when it's not next to some of these more active casks; I recall that one being much better. Anyway, if you're into big oak and sherry bourbon, you really should get one of these if it's in the budget. For everyone else, get a bar pour and call it a day unless 150 isn't an expensive bottle to you. I'll go 2.75. Average is 2.0. 3.0 is exceptional. 4.0 is perfect. And 5.0 is life-changing.

I've sampled Batches 5 through 8, with each improving on the last, peaking with the outstanding Batch 7. Batch 8 was good but underwhelming, not even close to its predecessor. So, I'm hopeful Batch 9 will steer things back in the right direction. Nose: Gala apple, cranberry, golden raisin, and dried apricot. Toffee, caramel, vanilla, and brown sugar. Mint chocolate. Toasted almond and pistachio. Cocoa, pipe smoke, black tea, and orange citrus. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, rye, and oak. Palate: Gala apple, cranberry, golden raisin, and dried apricot. Brown sugar, vanilla, milk chocolate, and toffee. Mint/raspberry chocolate. Saltwater taffy. Orange peel. Pipe smoke. Ginger. Rye spice. Irish soda bread and rye bread. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Abundant rye spice. Cocoa, pipe smoke, and black tea. Peppercorn. Ginger. Orange peel. Lemongrass and dill. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, black pepper, and oak. Moderately long. This is indeed a fine whiskey. A high-rye bourbon whiskey aged in Olorosso sherry casks. I'm not even certain it's high-rye, but the profile suggests it. It offers a wide array of spice, sweet, and bready notes. It's layered and intricately crafted. Blood Oath has returned. It's also more expensive. This cost me $225 (I believe some store credit reduced the final price, but I'm assessing based on the original cost), which is more than double my purchase price for Batches 5-6. It is clearly superior to those and rivals the highly regarded Batch 7. I'm inclined to give this a perfect score of 5/5. It's simply outstanding, aside from my concerns about the price. Well done to Lux Row.

The Blood Oath line consistently generates significant anticipation. The only previous pact I sampled was Pact 7, and while it was a decent bourbon, it left me feeling unfulfilled. I found it to be somewhat overhyped and overpriced for what it delivered. While browsing at one of my preferred local establishments during their Black Friday sales, I discovered Pact 9 for $149.99, which appears to be a rather reasonable price. At roughly half the cost many other vendors in my area are charging, I decided it was worth trying. The nose effectively combines rye with sherry. Initially, dark cherries and vanilla are present alongside leather and baking spice. It's balanced just enough to avoid favoring one element too strongly. The taste begins creamy and sweet. Throughout the tasting, the mouthfeel of this bourbon is outstanding. Thick and oily, it coats the tongue exceptionally well. Vanilla and caramel make a brief appearance at the start of the taste but quickly develop into tongue-tingling cinnamon candy. As that spice rests on your tongue, notes of leather and tannic oak emerge due to the higher rye content. The finish remains dry, and as is typical with drier, slightly higher-proof spirits, the mouthfeel becomes somewhat powdery. Additionally, a subtle hint of dark cherries appears, blending nicely with the leather and oak from the latter part of the taste. This turned out to be a remarkably well-rounded bourbon! However, now I'm inclined to seek out previous Pacts that sound appealing, which could prove costly. Rest in peace to my bank account.

I never thought I'd encounter one of these again. It's been years since I last had it. So, when I spotted a couple at my local store, I grabbed one right away. The price wasn't too bad, maybe $40 over MSRP, but in my honest opinion, it was well worth it. The sherry was the first thing I noticed when smelling it in my Glencairn glass, followed closely by the cowhide aroma. This alone piqued my interest. As I started to sip, a variety of flavors emerged. Caramel arrived first, blending into the aforementioned leather and dark fruit. The semi-long finish offered a hint of earth/corn with a whisper of cocoa as it faded. Very smooth with hardly any ethanol burn, at least for me. This was a real treat, and I'm quite pleased to see this back in distribution.

This is the last of this year's birthday pours, not tasted immediately upon opening. The primary aromas are orange and a peculiar oak note. The oak scent is almost burnt, perhaps it's peat? The taste mirrors the aroma, with smoky peat and oak flavors leading into an orange with spice, similar to spiced orange cider. The orange brings a sweetness that softens the other components. With subsequent sips, the flavor shifts slightly, focusing more on the spice. The finish is mild, with the orange notes persisting. Overall, there's an enjoyable complexity, but it doesn't resonate with my palate. I don't care for peat.

Broke the seal to try it with a friend in Rockport. Sampled neat. On the nose, it's sweet with hints of vanilla, clove, spice, and cinnamon. On the palate, it's sweet and spicy with notes of pepper, vanilla, caramel, and cocoa. Delicious.