Surprisingly, I wasn't too impressed with Pact 5. Not that it was bad, but it definitely didn't live up to the hype I expected from my first Blood Oath release. Fortunately, I read some very positive reviews for this one around here, so I'm going into this without any reservations. Nose: Vanilla and caramel. Cinnamon, apple (think Applejack cereal), honey, and toffee. Delicate plum and leather. Cotton candy and jelly sweetness. Milk chocolate and walnut. Some dill and rye spice. A bit on the light side but very pleasant and unique. Palate: While the nose was a soft, and somewhat ambiguous type of whiskey, the palate tells you that this a bourbon right off the bat--and in a powerful way. Dusty corn, caramel, and vanilla hit hard. Apple, plum, raisin, and leather. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Salted almond. Menthol. Orange rind, barrel char, and oak. Awesome palate. Finish: Applejack cereal. Milk chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, and raisin. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, dill, and oak spice. Long finish. The aforementioned spice notes ride out for quite a while. Very nice. It's a well-balanced whiskey. Delicate but layered nose. Powerful palate and finish that epitomize high-proof bourbon. The Cognac barrels played a big role on the nose, and while the palate/finish were bourbon forward, the Cognac barrels still left a noticeable impact there as well. 4.25. Solid improvement over its predecessor. The Cognac barrels play well with the grain Lux Row is putting out. In fact, this one makes me feel as though I need to revisit what I have left of the Rum cask Ed. 5. Either way, this one days a damn good job. I'm late to the party with this one, but on the off chance you enjoy the Blood Oath line, grab this if you see it. And if you like wine barrel-aged Bourbon, try this--though it's not wine barrel-aged, it's much more well-integrated than and delivers a similar. Damn good stuff here.