Blood Oath Pact 6 Bourbon
Blood Oath Pact 6 is the most recent release (2020), though I hear Pact 7 is coming in April 2021. Like most of the Pacts, this blend has one component with an additional finishing (Pact 3 being the notable exception where the entire blend was finished rather than just one component). This blend also has the oldest age-stated bourbon yet, at 14 years. The other two parts are an 8-year-old bourbon and a 7-year-old bourbon, the latter finished in Cognac casks.
If you’re a regular Whiskey in my Wedding Ring reader, you know my sensitivity to oak - and when I see the 14-year age statement, my oak sensors start warming up. Plus, this is yet another Pact that doesn’t have a wheated bourbon as part of its blend. I’m not saying it has to have a wheated bourbon, but I do like those more than the ones without.
Blood Oath Pact 6 Bourbon: Specs
Classification: Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskies
Origin: Lux Row Distillers, Unknown Source
Proof: 98.6 (49.3% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: N/A
Blood Oath Pact 6 Bourbon Price: $100
Blood Oath Pact 6 Bourbon Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Orange honey. Thin rims and thin legs.
Nose: Cognac-forward, but not overly sweet. Toasted notes emerge alongside wood sugars caramelizing. Caramel and vanilla open up with a little air, as does vanilla-scented brown sugar.
Palate: Ok - there’s the oak. Surprisingly oaky, in fact - astringent and woody. vanilla baked goods roll in after the initial drying, but there’s not much more there. Mouthfeel is tip-of-the-tongue spicy, mildly coating, and mouthwatering (for dryness, not for flavor). Some creamy oak develops in contrast to the drying oak, but it’s too little too late.
Finish: Creamy, warm and tingly in the back of my throat while leaving the rest of my palate sorely wanting.
Overall: The Cognac is mostly absent apart from the initial nose, overtaken by the oak on both palate and finish. Just not a good batch when compared to previous ones, though oak lovers will probably find this better than I do.
Final Rating: 5.6
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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