Blood Oath is a recurring special release that has managed to garner a steady following in a short period of time. Luxco, which recently opened its own distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, is the producer of the sourced Blood Oath whiskeys and they are the creation of master distiller and blender John Rempe. Luxco, a St. Louis, Missouri based company, began rapidly expanding its whiskey portfolio back in 2013 when it acquired several Beam brands, followed by purchasing a 50% stake in Limestone Branch Distillery in 2014.
Rempe, with Blood Oath, seems to have taken a philosophy of wanting to have maximum freedom in putting together the blend for each whiskey in this popular series. This opens the door down the road for Luxco to include their own juice in the blends, but for now we know it is fully sourced from at least one distillery, perhaps more. Lux Row Distillers, the name of the new Kentucky facility, is still too young to have any juice made there included in the Blood Oath blend, but my guess is Rempe is excited to consider this down the road.
While it is a very real problem (and part of whiskey’s nature) that it will still be years before he can add his own juice into the blends, Rempe is clearly thinking decades ahead when he chose to include “make the best he knows” in his oath that’s part of Blood Oath’s branding. It is a clever bit of marketing to allow for a singular product to hold its mystique as it transitions from sourced to house-made.
All of this being said, let us now get on to reviewing Blood Oath Pact No. 4, the whiskey at hand for this write up. It is a blend of three bourbons – 12-year, 10-year and 9-year, the latter of which was finished in toasted bourbon barrels.
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Tasting Notes: Blood Oath Pact No. 4
Vital Stats: A sourced blend of 12-year-old, 10-year-old, and 9-year-old bourbons. The youngest bourbon has a toasted oak finish. 36,000 bottle limited release available for $99.99 in 750ml bottles. Comes in at 98.6 proof, the temperature of blood. Mashbills and proportions of the different bourbons are undisclosed.
Appearance: Like slightly aged copper that’s been sitting in the sun.
Nose: Bourbon through and through – the classic flavors of caramel and vanilla dominate upfront with a mild alcoholic singe detected through a strong oak and fruited candies.
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Palate: Blood Oath Pact No.4 is thin, yet its flavors linger. Underneath the obvious oak is a tropical mocha of the sweetest variety. Buttery quality to the finish that staves off the unpleasantness a lot of thin, oaky bourbons are ruined by.
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