Blood Oath Bourbon Pact No. 6

Nose - At first I really can't get past the dusty oaky and nutty notes. Instantly has me thinking Jim Beam though Heaven Hill isn't impossible either. However if you dig down you get into a really rich leathery sweetness. There's some classic bourbon but it's being shifted and sweetened by the XO casks. They really do come off rather nicely here. Taste - Up front it's smooth and light, almost instantly the XO sweetness picks as it moves back. I've let this open a bit and the oak and dusty/nutty notes that make me think Beam are already fading, still there and there's still peanuts and corn nuts. But the real showcase is the bourbon vanilla notes and the xo sweetness. The finish I feel is fairly decent despite some other reviews. The dry nutty oak comes and goes a few times while the sweetness admittedly drops off but finds a way to come back as well. A surprisingly rich mouth feel on what is a somewhat thin bourbon...I know that sounds odd but it's one of those bourbons where you can tell you're drinking a thin bourbon BUT it's oily and viscous which gives it a really creamy mouth feel too. There's a part of me that was hoping for a bit more given the use of 14 year old bourbon and my just general love of XO finished bourbon. There was also a part of me praying it wasn't another batch 5, it's not. Anyway I'm going with a firm 2.75 with this one. Very nicely done, clearly a step above average bourbon, but I'm reaching for any deeper notes or complexity that isn't more or less beam with xo casks at an OK but not great proof. 108 bucks and for that, it's not a must buy but if you're into these kinds of finished bourbons I don't think it'll upset you either. It's funny how I'm becoming more and more forgiving of over priced bourbon while getting ever more frustrated with younger scotch prices.

Aroma is light and spice-driven with some herbal and rye bread-like notes showing as it opens, which works well with the sweetness – it’s my favorite part of this whiskey; Palate is good but feels like a muted version of the aroma and doesn’t come through as richly; Finish ends up turning to an almost cloying sweetness. Not bad, but I like Pact 5 more.

N: Sweet buttered corn and caramel P: Semi-viscous mouth. Big punch of butter and sweet brown sugar, meanders between a bitter wine and sweetness mid-palate F: Short pop of brown sugar and it's gone