Blood Oath Pact No. 6

A little background

Blood Oath Pact No. 6 is an ultra-premium bourbon released by Lux Row Distillers in Bardstown, Kentucky. The Blood Oath series is a creation by Low Row’s Head Distiller and Master Blender John Rempe. Pact No. 6 combines three selected bourbons that have been masterfully blended. The three bourbons that went into this special release includes a 14-year ryed bourbon, an 8-year old toasty ryed bourbon, and a 7-year ryed bourbon. This blend was then finished in Cognac Barrels. Blood Oath Pact No. 6 is a limited edition, never to be made again release of only 17,000 bottles. It’s bottled at 98.6 proof/49.3% ABV and has a suggested retail price of $99.99.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Rust

Nose

The nose is fresh, with notes of freshly mowed hay and lemon. Imagine springtime in a glass! Additional notes of caramel and oak are present as well. There is very little alcohol present on the nose.

Palate

The palate is immediately inundated with delicious flavors of lemon runts, orange/citrus, raisins, nutmeg, and caramel. Unfortunately, these flavors fade quickly leaving behind a strong simple syrup/confectionery sugar taste. The mouthfeel is pleasant, with a decent viscosity and oiliness.

Finish

As previously mentioned, the flavors on this whiskey were quick to dissipate and left a lot to be desired. Faint hints of citrus, caramel, and nutmeg stick around a bit, along with the sample sugar/confectionery sugar notes.

In closing

The initial flavors that hit the palate were very enjoyable, along with a delicious nose that was begging us to go in for a sip. Unfortunately, the tasting experience past that was somewhat disappointing. The complexity was almost non-existent and the flavor profile was single dimensional. There was an overpowering sweetness that made it seem almost as if the bourbon had been artificially sweetened. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very enjoyable bourbon that I could easily sip all day, there just seemed to be something missing, especially for a limited edition bottling. For the age of the bourbon and effort that went into making Blood Oath Pact No. 6, I do feel the $100 price tag is justified, however, there are certainly many other great bottles at that price point