Blood Oath Bourbon Pact No. 9
Bourbon
Blood Oath // Kentucky, USA
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dhsilv2
Reviewed December 24, 2023 (edited February 7, 2024)This is my 4th blood oath, never been impressed, but always found them interesting and even the rum finished didn't leave me feeling it down on these (maybe over priced). I'd decided I was done however....and then they did Oloroso Sherry AND used 16 year old bourbon? Well ok...lets give this a shot. 150 seems to be the standard price, not sure why distiller thinks MSRP is 130. Costco Price? To do this I like I tend to do....poured all my blood oaths to make sure I could provide a more nuanced difference. I have 19, 20, 21 and 23 here. Nose - Light on fruits with a big milk chocolate coco powder over rich leathery oak. Honestly, really exactly what I'd wanted here. I've always found the blood oaths are over the top on oak, especially given they use sub 10 year bourbons in the blends. But Oloroso and oak are a really nice combo so I knew this had potential. Light raspberry vanilla undertones as well. Vs the rest - this is by FAR the driest and most oak forward. The others all seem to have their own style of sweet. This one leans to that coco powder for sweetness while letting the back end carry a nice bourbon sugar note. This one just comes off more sophisticated. Taste - Flat on arrival yet silky smooth. Quickly however is erupts in flavors. But there's a clean sweetness up front. Followed by this kinda soapy note I get on nearly all of these blood oaths (especially the cognac....of course the other "normal" cask finishing). Oaks and leathers then rise up, 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 3rd if not 4th 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 comp? Well the Cognac which I really have liked today is coming off really soapy bitter, i mean it's still sweet as heck xo cognac here too but theres 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 vs the others. Rum - again I can't believe I didn't mix these up but I'm digging it. OK maybe a hint of a flintstone vitamin giving me some sour fruits. But it's pretty good. So overall and vs 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 vs 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 go back to 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.150.0 USD per Bottle -
Jeffrey-Dooley
Reviewed December 6, 2023The missing note that i tasted just before the finish was cocoa/milk chocolateHwy 41 Liquors & Wines -
Whiskeyfart
Reviewed November 24, 2023 (edited November 25, 2023)The Blood Oath line has always garnered some serious hype. The one and only pact that I've tasted until today was Pact 7 and although that selection was a fine bourbon in and of itself, it left me feeling underwhelmed. I felt that it was just a bit overhyped and overpriced for what it offered. As I'm perusing one of my favorite local spots for their Black Friday specials, I came across Pact 9 at $149.99. Which is seemingly a pretty solid price. At approximately half the price that many other retailers in my area are asking, I thought it would be worth a taste. The nose mingles rye with sherry quite well. Initially, some dark cherries and vanilla swirl on top of leather and baking spice. It is just balanced enough to not lean too heavily one way or another. The taste opens creamy and sweet. Throughout the taste, the mouth feel of this bourbon is exceptional. Thick and oily - it really coats the tongue. Vanilla and caramel make a brief appearance to open the taste but quickly blossom into tongue tingling cinnamon candy. As that spice sits on your tongue, some leather and tannic oak slide in from the higher rye content. The finish remains dry and as is the case with drier, slightly higher proof whiskies; the mouth feel goes a bit powdery. Along with that, a faint hint of dark cherries creeps in, settling nicely with the leather and oak from the back of the taste. What a well rounded bourbon this turned out to be! But alas - now I'm going to seek out some of the previous Pacts that sound like they'd be right up my alley which can be an expensive proposition. RIP to my bank account. -
THEE_Bald_Moose
Reviewed November 11, 2023Beautiful! Loved this tasting, solid winner and suggested purchase150.0 USD per BottleTotal Wine & More
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