Blood Oath Pact 9 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Review

 

A handful of annual-release whiskeys out there have me longing to see what the next brings. I don’t mean the standard-bearers out there that’s pretty much the same whiskey year after year, just offered at varying proofs. Instead, I’m talking about the ones you never know what to expect because something different is done each time.

 

One such whiskey is Blood Oath Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Lux Row Distillers produces this whiskey under the creative mind of Master Distiller and Master Blender John Rempe. Each release is called a Pact. The 2023 version is Pact 9 and was finished in Oloroso Sherry casks. I’ve reviewed most Pacts, and no two are even close to alike.

 

You may wonder what Oloroso Sherry is. Like every other Sherry, it is a Spanish-fortified wine aged via a Solera system. Oloroso is made from palomino grapes and is typically bold and dry. Oloroso is the most commonly used for the maturation or finishing of all the Sherry casks. Oloroso tends to impart nutty and fruity qualities to the whisky.

 

“Blood Oath Pact 9 contains three great Bourbons, and the Oloroso Sherry cask finish has resulted in deep, dark amber liquid with long legs. The Oloroso Sherry casks also bring out tasting notes of sweet Sherry with hints of ripe fruit on the nose, as well as flavor notes highlighted by ripe fruits, including figs, plums, and raisins, with notes of molasses, chocolate, and tobacco. This Bourbon also provides a long-lasting finish characterized by fruit notes and complemented by hints of spicy oak. I’m proud to share Blood Oath Pact 9 with Bourbon lovers.” – John Rempe 

 

While this whiskey carries no age statement, Rempe does disclose its components are 16-year, 12-year, and 7-year ryed Bourbons. The latter is the one exposed to the Sherry casks. After blending, the concoction is bottled at 98.6°. Every Pact is packaged at that particular proof – that’s the temperature of human blood!

 

There are a total of 51,000 bottles available. Lux Row plans to release a Trilogy Pack release (Pacts 7, 8, and 9) sometime in 2024 and will hold back about 1400 bottles. You can expect to pay about $129.99 for a 750ml package, representing an 8% price increase over Pact 8 (thank you, inflation).

 

Before I do the #DrinkCurious thing, I must thank Lux Row Distillers for providing me with a sample of Pact 9 in exchange for a no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

Appearance: I sipped this whiskey neat from my Glencairn glass. It presented as a deep orange amber that formed a thin rim and syrupy tears.

 

Nose: I smelled plum, fig, cherry, and spiced nuts from the Sherry influence, with vanilla and oak from the Bourbon. Inhaling the aroma through my lips offered tastes of date and oak.

 

Palate: The mouthfeel was silky and carried a medium weight. I encountered plum, cherry, and date on the front of my palate. I found brown sugar, dark chocolate, and roasted almond at mid-palate. The back featured rye spice, pipe tobacco, and charred oak.

 

Finish: Fruity flavors of cherry, plum, and date melded with spicy oak notes, clove, and cinnamon. The sweetness fell off while the spice notes stuck around. Everything was mellowed by a wave of chocolate. The finish was warm and lingering long after all the flavors vanished.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: My experience is that, mostly, the Blood Oath Pacts get better each year. There have been exceptions. Pact 9 offers plenty of fruit and a plethora of spice. It is well-balanced as the Sherry characteristics complement the Bourbon base. Is it worth an extra $10.00 over Pact 8?

 

One of the things I have to sit down and mull over is that everything has been more expensive since the end of COVID. So, while I’d say this is a $120 whiskey, the 8% bump really isn’t a big deal. I loved this Bourbon. You will, too. Buy a Bottle; you won’t be disappointed. And, yes, I'm looking forward to whatever Pact 10 has to offer. 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 do so responsibly.

 

Blood Oath Pact 8 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes

A handful of annual-release whiskeys out there have me longing to see what the next one brings. I don’t mean the standard-bearers out there that’s pretty much the same whiskey year after year, just offered at varying proofs. Instead, I’m talking about the ones you never know what to expect because something different is done each time.

 

One such whiskey is Blood Oath Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Lux Row Distillers produces the whiskey under the creative mind of master distiller John Rempe. Each release is called a Pact. The 2022 incarnation is Pact 8. I’ve reviewed most of the Pacts, and no two are even close to alike.

 

“I’ve once again sourced three great Bourbons for Blood Oath Pact 8, and I’m particularly excited to include a Bourbon finished in Calvados casks. The Calvados cask will bring additional tasting notes characterized by slight apple on the nose, with hints of vanilla and cinnamon, as well as flavor notes of ripe apples, juicy pears, butterscotch, and even subtle hints of chocolate. Blood Oath Pact 8 is a Bourbon I’m proud to share with Bourbon lovers, but the recipe is a secret I’ll be keeping to myself.” – John Rempe

 

If you’re unfamiliar with Calvados, that’s a brandy made from apples or pears from France’s Normandy region. The fruits are made into a cider, then distilled and aged for at least two years in oak.

 

While it carries no age statement, Rempe does disclose its components are 14-year, 11-year, and 8-year rye Bourbons. The latter is the one finished in Calvados casks. After blending, the concoction is bottled at 98.6°. Every Pact is packaged at that particular proof – that’s the temperature of human blood!

 

There are a total of 51,000 bottles available. In the seven-year history of Blood Oath, each 750ml package was $99.99. Like everything else in 2022, inflation reared its ugly head, and Pact 8 will set you back $119.99.  That’s a 20% increase; however, Pacts 5, 6, and 7 could easily have been valued above their stated MSRPs, and no one would complain.

 

We’re left with two questions:  Is Pact 8 any good?; and, Is Pact 8 worth the premium? The only way to answer either is to #DrinkCurious. But, before I do, I must thank Lux Row Distillers for providing me a sample in exchange for a no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

Appearance:  Poured neat in my Glencairn glass, this Bourbon was a brilliant copper. A thinner rim offered wide tears that crawled back to the pool.

 

Nose: Apple and pear presented as promised. Milk chocolate, like a Hershey bar, came next. Nutmeg, vanilla, and toasted oak followed. As I drew the air into my mouth, cinnamon apple rolled across my tongue.

 

Palate:  Blood Oath greeted me with a cool, buttery texture. I’ve had Calvados before, and everything I’ve ever tasted was in the mix. The front featured dry pear, bittersweet apple, and green apple. Vanilla and a massive punch of very dark chocolate formed the middle. The back was a spice bomb with dry oak, clove, and cinnamon Red Hots.  

 

Finish:  Dry, French oak, cinnamon apple, and likely the most prominent clove note I’ve had made for a long-lasting, warm finish. Blood Oath Pact 8 doesn’t drink hotter than its stated proof, but the spice could trick you into believing otherwise. When I thought all was said and done, the bittersweet apple came for an encore.  

 

With Water:  Pact 8 made me curious about what two drops of distilled water would do. The apple and pear on the nose became sweeter. Cinnamon remained, but the chocolate notes vanished. The apple went from bittersweet to bitter on the palate, with oak and clove spice. The Red Hots were gone, as was the dark chocolate. The French oak became more prominent on the finish, but the apple and pear sweetened. I wouldn't recommend dropping the proof. Things were not complex; they were confusing.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust:  If you’re into sweeter Bourbons, then Blood Oath Pact 8 is one you should frankly avoid because you’re not going to find anything here that caters to your palate. However, if you appreciate spicy, high-rye Bourbons, Pact 8 may be your Holy Grail. Thankfully, I am happy with either direction. A bonus is that you’ll nurse this year’s release, making that $119.99 investment last longer than usual. In the 2022 Bourbon world, I am not turned off by the higher price. At $99.99, it would have been an absolute steal. At MSRP, I believe you’ll walk away happy, and for that, Pact 8 snags my Bottle rating. 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 do so responsibly.

 

 

Blood Oath Pact 7 Review & Tasting Notes

 

I don't know if kids do this anymore, but back in the day (wow does that make me sound old!), if you made a solemn promise, you committed a blood oath. You even called yourselves blood brothers. A blood oath is a pact committed by each person involved by cutting themselves, then shaking hands, and "blending" the blood between the two (or more).

Truth be told, I'm pretty squeamish and never participated in a blood oath. I'm fairly confident there's not enough whiskey that would convince me a blood oath was a good idea. Well, not a traditional blood oath.

What is a good idea, or at least has been in the past (I've reviewed Pacts 3, 4, 5, and 6), is Lux Row's annual Blood Oath release. For 2021, this would be Pact 7. Blood Oath is an experimental line from the brain of Master Distiller John Rempe. He takes Bourbons and does interesting things with them to create something special. In this case (as with the six previous incarnations), Rempe is the Master Blender, because the Bourbon used in Pact 7 is sourced, most likely from Heaven Hill, but that's unconfirmed. 

"Creating an extraordinary and unique blend of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskeys is at the heart of the Blood Oath series. Pact 7 continues this tradition, and the result is a secret I can't wait to share with bourbon lovers." - John Rempe

Pact 7 is blended from three different Bourbons:  A 14-year high-rye Bourbon, an 8-year high-rye Bourbon, and another 8-year high-rye Bourbon, but the latter was finished in Sauternes (pronounced saw-turns) casks. If you're unfamiliar with the term, that's a sweet white wine from France's Bordeaux region. Once blended, it is proofed down to 98.6° which is very purposeful. Why? Well, because that's the average temperature of human blood! 

You can expect to pay $99.99 for one of the 51,000 bottles available. One interesting aspect is that Lux Row has not raised the price of Blood Oath in its seven-year history. 

Is Pact 7 any good? Is it worth a c-note? The only way to tell for sure is to #DrinkCurious. Before I do, I'd like to thank Lux Row for providing a sample in exchange for a no-strings-attached, honest review.

Appearance: In my Glencairn glass, Pact 7 presented as chestnut in color, and, strangely enough, an oily, iridescent sheen. I can't say that I've ever come across that before in a whiskey. It created a medium-thick rim and husky legs that slowly fell back to the pool of liquid sunshine.

Nose:  A sweet, fruity aroma consisted of apricot, brown sugar, toasted coconut, oak, and nutmeg. When I drew the vapor into my mouth, blueberry rolled across my palate.

Palate:  Thick and oily in texture, the front tasted of vanilla, toasted coconut, apricot, and nuts. On the middle, flavors of stewed peaches and maple syrup took over, and the back offered oak, cinnamon, rye, cereal, and cocoa powder.

Finish:  Cinnamon and cocoa powder continued, and the oak suddenly became bone-dry and gave a pucker power sensation. After a few sips, that went away, and was replaced by creamy vanilla and nuts. My hard palate numbed quickly and the finish was long-lasting.

Bottle, Bar, or Bust:  All the Blood Oath Pacts are unique from one another and of the (now) four I've reviewed, I've yet to find a cadaver. While Rempe won't ever pony up his recipes, he knows what he's doing. The more I sip this one, the more I enjoy it. I give props to Lux Row for keeping the price the same over the years, and am happy to have this one in my library. Pick up a Bottle, you won't be disappointed. Cheers!

My Simple, Easy to Understand Rating System:

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

Blood Oath Pact IV Review & Tasting Notes

 

I’ve come into this review completely blind. I’ve not had any of the previous Pacts, so I had no preconceived notions. The appearance in the glass is a deep, rich amber. Swirling it around creates a very thin rim, leading to medium legs that drop quickly into the pool...

You can read the review in its entirety at Bourbon & Banter. Cheers!