I got vaccinated, went out of town, got a sinus infection and then started a new job so bourbon social media has taken a back seat but now I am back and can smell things again! I picked up Blood Oath Pact 7 a few days ago and I’ve had a few(small) pours so let’s see how it holds up.
Blood Oath Pact 7
Age: Blend of 8-14 years
Proof: 98.6 (human blood temperature)
Price: $130
Neat
Nose: Rich oak, sweet white grape jelly, caramel and subtle spice notes.
Taste: A rush of caramel and grape sweetness followed by oak, more caramel and warm spice. Good mouthfeel for the proof.
Finish: Long with fading sweet vanilla and fruit notes then lingering slightly dry oak and warm spice.
1 Star - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies
Conclusion
I am enjoying this bottle but the finished bourbon and rye market is getting more competitive and Blood Oath is just holding course. With things like Magnus Cigar Blend and Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborations like Chateau de Laubade out doing Blood Oath on the high end and new releases from Thomas S Moore’s, Peerless and Nulu on the other end it it’s harder for me to justify the higher price, lower proof and lack of transparency from Blood Oath. If this was cheaper or it was higher proof and told us where the whiskies and finishing barrels were from it that would be a good step towards staying competitive in the finished bourbon market. This is the 4th time they have used a wine or wine distilled spirit finish and doesn’t offer much that Pacts 2, 3 and 6 don’t. If I had to choose between this bottle and a Bardstown collab I’d be grabbing the Bardstown or if I was price sensitive I’d be reaching for the Thomas S Moore instead. That said if you are a fan of the series, like I am, this one lives up to the bar set by those releases and when I compare it to some of the ‘shelfie’ finished bottles like Whistle Pig 12 year or the weird Barrell releases I am definitely picking the Blood Oath.
TL;DR: Another good release from Blood Oath but it’s starting to struggle with increasing competition in the finished bourbon market.
Scale
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