Blood Oath Bourbon Pact No. 10

Coming off the heels of Pact 9, which I consider a top shelf whiskey and tied Pact 7 for my favorite in the line, we’ve officially cross into the double digits with the Blood Oath series. I don’t think I need to explain the premise here. Instead, I’ll just point out that this is first whiskey I’ve had that explicitly indicates that it was aged in Merlot casks. Interesting. Let’s get into it. Nose: Caramel, vanilla frosting, and milk chocolate. Toasted almond. Cranberry, fig, date, plum, raisin. Rye and pistachio. Pecan. Dried apricot. Blackberry. Sugar cookie. Sawdust. Black tea. Molasses. Orange citrus. Pipe smoke. Heaps of black pepper. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: More of the creamy vanilla frosting and milk chocolate. There’s a Valentine’s raspberry chocolate as well. Toffee and apple fritter. Velvety texture. Pipe smoke. Cinnamon red hots. Hazelnut and toasted almond. Finish: Cranberry, raspberry, date, fig, and raisin. Sawdust. Toasted almond and walnut. Rye spice. Black pepper. Milk chocolate, caramel, and vanilla. Black tea and pipe smoke. Clove, nutmeg, and plenty of oak. Long finish. Excellent work here from Lux Row. I’ve noticed that the wine cask finished Pacts tend to be superior to the spirit cask counterparts—discounting the Calvados cask. This is a stellar effort with a unique profile and plenty of punch. I paid $185 for this. It’s certainly more than I’d like to be spending on a bottle, but that is actually on the lower end for Blood Oath at this point. But I’m glad I ponied up. The cask selection is great. The proof is more than respectable. And the spirit is top notch. Nothing not to love here. 4.75/5.

This week has been a great week for me. First I got my very own bottle of Maker's Mark The Heart Release and now a new Blood Oath: Pact 10. A fresh Blood Oath release is always cause for celebration. Yes they are super hyped and typically sell for astronomical values over RRP but its worth it to try to catch a release at launch and pay close to RRP. The nose is deep and swimming with rich, velvety sweetness. Caramel and vanilla provide a luscious bath for the fruity cherry scents ushered in with a little bit of smokey charred oak. My God what a nose on this one... can't wait for the taste. The taste begins on a nice sweet bed of Caramel. Its soft and not cloying at all. There's a slight twang of tart and sweet cherries about mid taste. As the taste moves toward the finish it dries up a bit with some tannic oak and tobacco. The finish on this release is full, long and satisfying. That cherry on the taste is pretty prevalent especially after a few sips. It's tart and viscous like cherry preserves. There is a little bit of the oak and tobacco experienced at the end of the taste but overwhelmingly the finish is sweet and fruity. WOW! I like this as much, if not more than Pact 9. Bitter tannins, sweet fruit and caramel... it really does these flavor profiles right. Pact 10 is still available at or near RRP in most stores, do yourself a favor and GET A BOTTLE. It is one of the best I've had.

When I saw this at my local shop, I immediately grabbed a bottle. It has been quite some time since I've had my last pact. I remember loving it so I figured this would be no different. I acquired this around last December and am at my next to last pour. I enjoyed it so much I almost forgot to review it. The nose was all about the usual yet always welcome brown sugar and baking spice. What makes this so unique is the flavor bomb it provides along with the ease of consumption. There's a variety of notes to behold.The first characters I received were a blend of herbal, oak, and corn/grain surrounded by undertones of leather and cinnamon. The lovely wine barreling then emerges and completes the experience in a distinguished manner. It's such sweet sorrow to reach bottom of this great bottle, but all good things must end. I anxiously await the next entry and hope it reaches my neck of the woods sooner than later.

Finally cracking this bottle to try. Tried neat. On the nose it smells sweet and delicious with notes of caramel, peanut brittle, vanilla, oak, toasted marshmallow, creme brûlée, dirt, green apples, spiced pears, pepper, wood, slight cinnamon and red chili. On the palate its smooth with a warm hugging finish. Strong spices on the palate with notes of clove, pepper, cinnamon. This s*it is delicious

The nose on this one is amazing, dark fruits, powdered sugar sweet. I could nose this pour all day. Palate is just as good with the dark fruits and the wine barrel finish coming through. Finish is lightly spicy and long. I loved the MWND act 11 for the same qualities, however this one surpases it in almost every way. Do yourself a favor and buy a bottle if you can find it at or under $150.

had a chance to try this today and wow! lots of fruity sweetness on the palate with a butterscotch finish. super oily texture. wish i had a bottle of my own, this is right up my alley!