Distillery: Lux Row Distilleries
Region: Bardstown, Kentucky
Aging: A blend of 16-year-old bourbon, 12-year-old bourbon, and 7-year-old bourbon finished in Oloroso Sherry Casks
ABV: 49.3% ABV
Proof: 98.6 Proof
Mash Bill: Undisclosed mash bills – they don’t even say which bourbons they use other than their age statements
Non-Chill Filtered: Yes
MSRP Price: $120
Secondary Price: $400+
Appearance: Dark Amber
Blood Oath – Pact No. 9 Tasting Notes
Nose: Toasted oak, oak tannin, dark fruits, black cherry, plum, baking spice, anise seed, vanilla, cherry tobacco, apricot, apple
Palate: Sweet rich caramel and dark fruits, heavy oak, cherry and dark fruit, rye spice, black pepper, earthy, leather, tobacco, grassy notes, baking spice
Finish: Long finish with a bit of heat – coats your mouth with an oily mouthfeel that lasts quite a while. Leaves you with heavy oak, dark fruits, and rye spice with lingering black pepper
Is Blood Oath – Pact 9 an Approachable Whiskey?
Blood Oath Pact 9 is a whiskey that needs a little time to appreciate.
Not only is it pricey at MSRP prices, but it goes for a whole ton of money on the secondary market so it is not easy to find.
With that being said, this is a whiskey reserved for special occasions or for whiskeys fans who will appreciate the pour.
Is Blood Oath – Pact 9 Complex?
Blood Oath Pact 9 has a lot of layers of complexity.
It starts out with a lovely nose full of oak, dark fruits, anise seed, vanilla, and baking spice.
When it hits your palate, the rich dark fruits from the 7-year-old barrel finished in Oloroso Sherry Casks shine through but are equally met with heavy oak from the 16-year-old bourbon and the 12-year-old bourbon used in this blend.
Staying in accordance with the 98.6 Proof Blood Temperature theme, it offers a bit of heat to the pour without going overboard and being too spicy.
The pour rounds off with a long finish with a nice oily mouthfeel that accentuates the rye spice and black pepper.
What are Blood Oath – Pact 9’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Blood Oath Pact 9’s strongest attribute is its marketing and its packaging.
The bottle looks amazing and they’ve done an excellent job of building up the hype around this bottle that consistently sells out within minutes of its release.
In terms of flavors, the strongest attribute of Blood Oath Pact 9 is the insane amount of oak blended with heavy dark fruits.
Is Blood Oath – Pact 9 a go-to whiskey?
Blood Oath Pact 9 is a very rare whiskey to find and it sells out fast.
Even if this bottle were available on a more regular basis, it still probably wouldn’t be a go-to whiskey for me.
It’s really a whiskey that values the quality of a 16-year-old bourbon that is full of rich, tannic oak, a 12-year-old bourbon that values rye spice and pepper, finished out by an Oloroso Sherry Cask finished bourbon to add the bold and rich dark fruit notes.
It’s definitely a unique flavor profile that fans of oaky bourbons will enjoy.
Is Blood Oath – Pact 9 priced accurately to its quality?
Blood Oath Pact 9 offers a very rich flavor profile full of heavy oak, rye spice, dark fruits, earthy leather, tobacco, and black pepper.
If you’re looking to purchase this bottle at MSRP prices, it delivers on its price tag based on the packaging, rarity, and full robust flavor profile.
If you’re considering purchasing this bottle on the secondary market for $400+ I would probably spend your money on similar whiskeys in the same price range like an Old Elk Cigar Cut, New Riff Single Barrel Rye (half the cost), or Willett Family Estate Small Batch Rye.
Conclusion for Blood Oath – Pact No. 9 – Finished in Oloroso Sherry Casks
I’m quite impressed with the number of bold flavors this edition of Blood Oath offers.
I’m a fan of big and bold oaky bourbons so I really enjoy the in-your-face tannic flavors of this whiskey.
It also has a nice balance of sweet dark fruits from the oloroso sherry finish blended with earthy rye spice and pepper notes.
If you can find this bottle at MSRP prices, I’d recommend picking up a bottle.
If you’re looking on the secondary market, I wouldn’t pay more than $180-200 to still feel like you got your money’s worth.
Side Note: After sitting with this bottle for a while, I find myself reaching for more pours and really enjoying how the flavors open up over time. There’s an earthy spice flavor I’m really appreciating the more I sip on this one and it really contributes to a nice finish and mouthfeel.
Let Us Know What You Think
I hope you enjoyed this tasting experience with me.
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Thanks for reading and cheers!
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