Day 13 - Blood Oath Pact 6
- Paul Mora
- Dec 25, 2020
- 1 min read
Day 13: Blood Oath Pact 6: I don’t remember why I was at Blackwell’s Wine and Spirits on Geary in 2014, but I saw a display for Blood Oath Pact #2. It caught my eye. I thought about it the whole ride home and couldn’t let it go. Maybe it was the way it was packaged, in a branded wooden box or the square bottle, it spoke to me. I ended up going back and buying a bottle. Then many more.
I found a real love for the taste of Bourbon. And yes, I know this is a blend.
Every year since, I have managed to get the next Pact. Some are better than others, but Pact #2 has always been the bottle I judged them by. This year, Pact #6, is pretty amazing and I wanted to share.
All Pacts are bottled at 98.6 proof, which happens to be our body temperature.
I chose this sixth installment to end this journey. It is a blend of 14, 8- and 7-year Kentucky Straight Rye-based Bourbons and finished in Cognac casks.
The nose is sweet with an oaky vanilla, with notes of corn and fresh cut grass. I also get a slight molasses note on the exhale. I taste a creamy vanilla, followed by peanuts, raisins, and toasted sugar with cognac flavor on the exhale. The finish has cherries, dark chocolate, and a light dry spice.
I appreciate all of the feedback and thank you for humoring me on this journey.
It was fun to put together and i hope you all found something here to enjoy.
Merry Christmas!!
Well, I could only hold out until Boxing Day.
My Designated Sniffer: Sigrid's Notes:
"Wow! Assertive. Complex. Orange peel, warm spice, nutmeg, cinnamon,a hint of molasses and, of course, vanilla."
The Final Tasting: Sampled neat, it's a melancholic bourbon. It opens with gratitude for the unique experience this holiday season. But after adding a few freshwater tears, I noticed a lingering aftertaste of loss, knowing that there is not another.
I found it necessary to follow this excellent lucky #13 Blood Oath sampling with the only remaining bottle of Bourbon in the house, a desperate and sad bottle of Trader Joe's house brand Kentucky bourbon poured indiscriminately over the rocks. And then another.
Finished with a Toast to our gifting…
I enjoyed this so much. Thank you for including me in the advent tasting. I looked forward to each and every sample. I hope you and Meliza had a wonderful Christmas!
Thank you Paul and Meliza for this tremendous gift. Here is my off the cuff final ranking of this amazing flight:
Willet Pot Still Reserve
Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Small Batch
Old Forrester 1920
Joseph Magnus
Blood Oath Pact 6
Evan Williams
Bulleit Blenders Select
Elijah Craig Barrel Strength
Willet Rye
Jefferson's Ocean Aged at Sea
New Riff
David Nicholson
Stillhouse
I am resisting sampling the last bottle as I'm having too much fun with this and don't want it to end. Not sure how long I can hold out.
God rest ye merry gentlewomen and men on this spirit-filled Holiday evening. Thanks again to Paul and Meliza for this advent experience. It has been a lot of fun trying a new whisky every night. Alas, my humble bottle of Buffalo Trace will never do me as well again.
But more to the point: "Smooth" is the word in tasting this last bourbon. Subtle oak and caramel on the nose. Tasting almost immediately brought up hot butter. Pepper slowly appeared and brought on a fine warmth. More sips showed spicy cherry. Every taste sensation was found within a smoothness I've not experienced before. One more bourbon to guide me down the river of a pleasant evening.
Cheers and Happy Holidays!