Blood Oath Bourbon Pact No. 5

Nose: orange peel, vanilla, pepper Taste: extremely mellow with citrus and vanilla throut, not as much pepper as the nose gives off Finish: mellow spiced finish with a bit of chocolate

OK - bought this a while ago and I've been letting it open up after a disappointing first few tastes. Poured about 1/3 of an oz about 15 minutes ago, so lets see. Nose - I'm getting a pretty standard "middle age" so under 12 if not under 10, but over 6 years old nose. I know this is a blend of aged bourbons ,but I can't recall so if I'm off I'm off. Vanilla, caramel, touch of dry lightly toasted oak, and perhaps some light fruity esters. I'm assuming those esters are partially influenced by the rum, but I could see getting these notes on a standard wheated bourbon as well. I'm not getting much in the realm of darker notes, even the oak is light and toasty. Taste - sweat, creamy corn, vanilla, wood spice, pie crust, and some notes of fruits. I think there's a bit of a jam, but I can't place it. It's sweat, younger wood character, spicy wood, and a bit hot. Finish - spicy, a touch hot, lightly toasted oak, and that's about it. Cuts off outside of just a lingering heat. Oh, I spoke to soon, I'm getting a touch of nutty notes now at the finish. This is a nice bourbon and it gives me a bit different and out of my normal bourbon notes, just due to more spice, lighter notes, and a lack of deeper darker notes I'd expect on a whisky with some age. The rum casks didn't really stand out, I think they are playing a role in this, but I'm not getting any notes I can clearly state are the result of the secondary finishing. I'm looking forward to how this develops in another 6 months of being open. With the above said, this is a nice 40-50 dollar bourbon, the 100+ price tag in most markets really drives the enjoyment and it is going to get reflected in the score a hair. I was a 2.25 without price and I tend to not overly let myself shift scores due to price. The idea is always 3 is worth getting if you're into the style and the price is your comfort zone and it adjusts from up or down accordingly. I however do also feel there are certain notes and flavors that should or can come with these higher prices and this bourbon drinks like a younger and yes less expensive bottle and so I'm dropping it to a 2. Wow that nutty note at the end really came out of nowhere. Without that I might have dropped into the 1's but it really made this an enjoyable pour.

Not bad, but not great. This one had so much promise, but I found it failed to deliver. The nose has scents of blood orange and brown sugar. The taste is reminds me of aromatic spices, cardamom and some sort of potpourri. Simple notes, not a lot of excitement.

A sample from dthom as part of the "Whiskey transfer program". Nose: Vanilla and heavy blackstrap rum and dark caramelized sugar notes right up front. Grassy notes, presumably from the wheated bourbon, baking spices though I'm not sure if this is from the rum finish or the high rye bourbon. Some yeasty bread notes in the background and a hint of black pepper. A very complex nose. Flavor: Very sweet right up front with less of the rum notes than I'd expect. More grassy sweet notes like a wheated bourbon with vanilla, poached pear, and caramelized sugars. Finish: Medium length and spicy but with some of the background rum notes and then transitioning to an oaky dryness that surprised me given how sweet the flavor was. Interesting whiskey. Sweet and spicy with some of the wheated bourbon notes that I often enjoy but each was separate and distinct. Well balanced. Overall I enjoyed this but wouldn't pay $100 or more for a bottle. If this were $50-$60 I'd be more inclined.

Nose: heavy caramel almost like molasses. Super thin though Palate: a lot like pact 4 with a bit more bite. But you can taste the sticky sweetness from the rum finish which is different than pact 4. Finish: the bite sticks around so the finish is still hot.