Blood Oath Pact IV Review & Tasting Notes

 

This review was originally published on April 12, 2018, at Bourbon & Banter. 

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Lux Row Distillers produced but sourced from another distillery. (Rumored to be Heaven Hill.)
• MASH BILL: Blend of 3 Kentucky straight bourbons - mash bills are undisclosed
• AGE: A blend of 12-year, 10-year, and 9-year bourbons
• YEAR: 2018
• PROOF: 98.6° (49.3% ABV)
• MSRP: $99.99

 

NOSE:  Sweet Caramel | Apple | Milk Chocolate | Toasted Oak

 

TASTE:  Caramel | Light Honey | Oak | Chocolate

 

FINISH:  White Pepper | Dry Oak | Caramel

 

SHARE WITH: Absolutely with people who are into the Blood Oath Pact collection and those who enjoy exploring limited edition whiskeys.

 

WORTH THE PRICE: A lot of Bourbon and Rye is coming in at a $99.99 price point. In the last year, I’ve been more open-minded about what belongs in this category. I’d like to see this about $20 - $30 cheaper, but I can also appreciate its MSRP, which is probably fair.

 

BOTTLE, BAR, OR BUST: There are 36,000 bottles released, and for $99.99, I recommend trying this at a Bar. I found it quite enjoyable, but this is a higher price than many can afford.

 

OVERALL: I’ve come into this review completely blind. I’ve had no previous Pacts, so I had no preconceived notions.

 

The appearance in the glass is a deep, rich amber. Swirling it around creates a skinny rim, leading to medium legs that drop quickly into the pool.

 

Holding the Glencairn at chin level, aromas of sweet caramel and apple waft to the nostrils. Raising it to my lips adds milk chocolate, and letting it hover under the nose adds a light, toasted oak. Inhaling through my lips makes the oak more prevalent.

 

I sipped this neat. The mouthfeel is thin but very smooth. It parks on the tongue before rolling to the back of the throat. Caramel and vanilla are at the front of the palate, followed by light honey and a prominent oak. Chocolate then hits the back of the palate.

 

Then, the long finish starts with white pepper, yielding to dry oak and, finally, the familiar caramel. The more I sipped this Bourbon, the more appreciative I became. I expect a lot from an “ultra-premium” whiskey, and I believe Lux Row Distillers delivered.

 

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.