Blood Oath Pact 4 Review

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Lux Row Distillers produced but sourced from another distillery. (Rumored to be Heaven Hill.)
• MASH BILL: Blend of 3 Kentucky straight bourbons - mash bills are undisclosed
• AGE: A blend of 12-year, 10-year and 9-year bourbons
• YEAR: 2018
• PROOF: 98.6° (49.3% ABV)
• MSRP: $99.99

JEFF'S NOTES

NOSE:  Sweet Caramel | Apple | Milk Chocolate | Toasted Oak

TASTE:  Caramel | Light Honey | Oak | Chocolate

FINISH:  White Pepper | Dry Oak | Caramel

SHARE WITH: Absolutely with people who are into the Blood Oath Pact collection and those who enjoy exploring limited edition whiskeys.

WORTH THE PRICE: There’s a lot of Bourbon and Rye coming in at a $99.99 price point. In the last year, I’ve been more open-minded as to what belongs in this category. Personally, I’d like to see this about $20 - $30 cheaper, but can also appreciate its MSRP and it is probably fair.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: There are 36,000 bottles released, and for $99.99, my recommendation is going to be to try this at a Bar. I found it quite enjoyable but this is a higher price point than many can afford.

OVERALL: I’ve come into this review completely blind. I’ve not had any of the previous Pacts, so I had no preconceived notions. The appearance in the glass is a deep, rich amber. Swirling it around creates a very thin rim, leading to medium legs that drop quickly into the pool. Holding the Glencairn at chin level, aromas of sweet caramel and apple waft to the nostrils. Raising it to my lips adds milk chocolate, and letting it hover under the nose adds a light, toasted oak. Inhaling through my lips makes the oak more prevalent. I sipped this neat. The mouthfeel is thin but very smooth. It parks on the tongue before rolling to the back of the throat. Caramel and vanilla are at the front of the palate, followed by light honey and an obvious oak. Chocolate then hits the back of the palate. Then, the long finish starts with white pepper, yielding to dry oak and, finally, the familiar caramel. The more I sipped this Bourbon, the more I appreciative I became. I expect a lot from an “ultra-premium” whiskey and I believe Lux Row Distillers delivered.

BRAND NOTES

THIS RARE WHISKEY SHALL NEVER AGAIN BE MADE.

Every batch of Blood Oath is the undertaking of one man - John Rempe - a student of both Bourbon and Science. This Bourbon connoisseur has one goal in mind – to seek out Bourbons rare and wonderful, famous and forgotten, then bottle them in combinations previously unimagined for a lucky few.

LOOSE LIPS NEVER TASTED SOMETHING SO SPECIAL.

A masterful union of three well-bred bourbons, each bringing it’s own voice to the rich harmony found inside each bottle. The first, an extra-aged 12-year-old bourbon, provides a mellow, smooth finish with deep oak undertones. The second, a rich 10-year-old bourbon, provides warm caramel and honey flavors. The third, a 9-year-old bourbon finished in toasted bourbon barrels, adds deep chocolate, vanilla with extra spice.

• APPEARANCE: Deep dark amber with long legs.
• AROMA: Caramel and strong oak, backed up with rich vanilla and chocolate.
• PALATE: Rich caramel, honey and spicy oak, followed with smooth vanilla and warm chocolate undertones from the toasted barrels.
• FINISH: Robust spice followed by ultra-smooth finish, with lasting caramel, vanilla and oak.
• BARREL DETAILS: Blood Oath Pact 4 adds more flavor complexity by combining toasted barrels with charred barrels.

BLOOD OATH COLLECTION

Learn more about the origin of the Blood Oath bourbon line and read our reviews of Pacts 1, 2 and 3.

BLOOD OATH PACT 4 BOURBON BACKGROUND INFO

Blood Oath Series Continues With Release of Pact No. 4
Fourth expression in ultra-premium series debuts with commemorative packaging

(St. Louis) March 12, 2018 – The fourth installment of the acclaimed Blood Oath ultra-premium bourbon series – Pact No. 4 – has launched this month. Blood Oath combines rare, top-notch bourbons, blended and bottled by hand for a distinctively exclusive and unimagined Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey.

Pact No. 4 continues the tradition with a masterful union of three well-bred Kentucky straight bourbons that come together for a unique and complex flavor profile. The first is an extra-aged 12-year bourbon that provides a mellow finish with deep oak undertones, and the second is a rich 10-year bourbon that adds caramel and honey flavors. The third, a nine-year bourbon, rounds out the flavors as it is finished in toasted bourbon barrels – adding deep chocolate, vanilla and spice flavors.

“We finished the nine-year bourbon in a toasted barrel to add an extra layer of flavor. The gentle heating adds more caramel and chocolate accents, as well as a spicier flavor. The toasted barrels, combined with the aging in traditional charred barrels, create a uniquely complex bourbon like no other,” says John Rempe, creator of Blood Oath and head distiller and master blender at Lux Row Distillers. “This bourbon starts off with a strong oak nose and finishes with a robust spice, followed by an ultra-smooth lasting caramel, vanilla and oak.”

This year’s release will also be sold in a commemorative stained wooden box, reminiscent of the toasted barrels used during the finishing process. Like its predecessors, the bottle is topped with a custom, eco-friendly natural cork, sealed and labeled with certificate-style paper stock signed by John Rempe and bottled at 98.6 proof. Pact No. 4 is available nationally in 750ml bottles, with a suggested retail price of $99.99.

Pact No. 4 is limited release, with only 12,000 cases (3-packs) created; this bourbon will never be made again. The Blood Oath series launched in 2015 with Pact No. 1, and will highlight a different variant, or Pact, each year.

Blood Oath Pact No. 4 launches just as Lux Row Distillers – the future home of the Blood Oath series among other bourbon brands – begins production and prepares to open its doors for visitors this spring as a new distillery experience coming to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Disclaimer: Luxco provided Bourbon & Banter with a sample of their product for this review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.