Category: Bourbon Whiskey

Blood Oath Pact 08 Bourbon

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Blood Oath Pact 08 Bourbon Review:

reviewed 05-September-2022

BLOOD OATH PACT 08 BOURBON REVIEW:

While preparing for this review, I remember thinking, “Apples and Bourbon — Yes please!” I am here to say Blood Oath Pact 08 Bourbon (Blood Oath P8) delivers. Those who come looking for earthy elements of flora and wood may be a bit disappointed, but the fruit, spice and sweet components shine. I am happy to have another bottle in my bunker.

BLOOD OATH PACT 08 VITAL STATS:
Blood Oath Pact 08

Category: Barrel Finished Bourbon Blend (Finished in Calvados Casks)
Region: Sourced from undisclosed distilleries in Kentucky
Blender: John E Rempe
Producer: Lux Row Distillers
Mash Bill: unpublished
Barrels: New Charred Oak, ex-Calvados Casks
Barrel Char: unpublished
Barrel entry proof: unpublished
Age: NAS (Includes 14 year old bourbon, 11 year old bourbon, and 8 year old bourbon)
Released: April 2022
ABV: 49.3% (98.6 Proof)
Price: $99.95 (Summer 2022, Idaho, USA)
NABCA CSC #: 87078
Price: $99.95 (Summer 2022, Idaho, USA … MSRP now $119.95)

A masterful union of three well-bred bourbons. One, a 14-year ryed bourbon. Two, an 11-year ryed bourbon. And three, and 8-year ryed bourbon finished in Calvados casks from the Normandy region of France to impart slight apple on the nose with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. With each sip, feel transported to Northern France by way of Kentucky.
— Learn more at Blood Oath Bourbon.

WHAT IS CALVADOS?

Calvados is a variety of Brandy. To claim the name of Calvados, the apple-cider (or pear) brandy must be produced within the Calvados region of Normandy, France. Calvados is aged in Sessile or Pedunculate oak barrels for a minimum of two to three years prior to marketing. Aging can be much longer with four to six years being common.

ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:

Alternate pours, equaling about four ounces, were added into three Glencairns. My daughters and I enjoyed the bourbon neat for this review.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

BLOOD OATH PACT 08 NOSE:

The first aromas are fresh, tart apples. Then the ethanol creeps in. Blood Oath P8’s heat is a bit surprising. At 98.6 Proof, my nose is accustomed to much higher. When I breath in, roasted corn blends in as the fresh apples return, this time covered in caramel with a hint of cashew butter in the blend. With continued nosing, I sense acidic notes, but is it citrus or tart apples? As I try to decipher the pair, I smell a hint banana and baking spices of faint cinnamon, pepper, and rye along with aromas of milk chocolate and vanilla custard. The confection builds with brown sugar enhanced buttery caramel hidden in light, sweet, dry-toasted oak. What a fragrant treat.

BLOOD OATH PACT 08 PALATE:

I get a warm bite of alcohol in each sip of Blood Oath P8. As my mouth acclimates, I taste roasted corn and dusty grain along with the apple and faint banana sensed on the nose. And like in the aroma, I pick up acidic, and bitter notes. As before, I cannot decide if the flavors are citric in nature, or from tart apples. Either way, they add complexity to the pour as the baking elements of Cinnamon red hot candies, pepper and rye marry with subtle milk chocolate and light vanilla. There are notes of caramelized sugar here and soft caramels as well. The flavors are light and fresh owing to the acidity with only a minimal amount of dry, toasted oak.

Blood Oath Pact 08

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Blood Oath P8’s aromas and flavors are well balanced but for my tastes, are somewhat lacking in the flora and woody elements. Each sip is viscous and oily and gives my mouth and throat a pleasant tickle. As I enjoy the mahogany nectar, the liquid veil breaks inside the Glencairn falling in fast legs which leave behind small, widely spaced droplets.

BLOOD OATH PACT 08 FINISH:

Blood Oath Pact 08 has a medium-long throat warming finish. I feel the sensation of dusty grain and bitter citrus on my palate and taste the memory of vanilla enhanced caramel apples with a touch of cinnamon, pepper, and rye. And as these perceptions fade, dry-toasted oak drifts away leaving an empty Glencairn of vanilla and caramel infused sawdust.

MY RATING: 87/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 87/100 to access Brian’s other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Blood Oath.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
Blood Oath Pact 08
Blood Oath Pact 08

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Remus Repeal Reserve V

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Remus Repeal Reserve V Review:

reviewed 04-September-2022

REMUS REPEAL RESERVE V BOURBON REVIEW:

The aromas and flavors of Remus Repeal Reserve V (Remus RRV) are well balanced and can be detected in the aroma, on the palate and through to the finish. Each sip is gentle, creamy, viscous, and quite easy to hold. This is a fine bourbon, one I am happy to have on my shelf.

REMUS REPEAL RESERVE V VITAL STATS:
Remus Repeal Reserve V

Category: Small Batch Bourbon Repeal Series
Region: Lawrenceburg, IN
Company: Luxco
Distillery: G. Remus Distilling Co. (DSP-IN-15023, Ross & Squibb Distillery)
2021 Batch V Mash Bill Medley:
▪︎  9% 2005 Bourbon 21% Rye
▪︎  5% 2006 Bourbon 36% Rye
▪︎19% 2006 Bourbon 21% Rye
▪︎13% 2008 Bourbon 21% Rye
▪︎54% 2008 Bourbon 36% Rye
Barrel Char: unpublished
Barrel entry proof: unpublished
Age: unpublished (more than 10 years old)
ABV: 50% (100 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 18422
Price: $89.95 (Idaho, Oct 2021)

Click George Remus to learn more.

ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:

Alternate pours, equaling about four ounces, were added into three Glencairns. My daughters and I enjoyed the bourbon neat as I prepared this review.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

REMUS REPEAL RESERVE V NOSE:

As I bring Remus RRV to my nose I feel little if any heat. I do however smell fruit tree blossoms, sweet corn, caramel apples and Maraschino cherries, as baking spices of powdered ginger, white pepper, and rye mix with chocolate cream and vanilla custard. Then come treats of raspberry caramel candies, candy corn, and marshmallows with buttery caramel, maple syrup, and toffee. While I cannot identify a particular nut, there is nuttiness in each draught which compliments this bourbon’s light dry and toasted oak.

REMUS REPEAL RESERVE V PALATE:

Each sip of Remus RRV is warm highlighting fresh roasted corn. As I contemplate the pour, I feel (more than taste) the acidic nature of slightly bitter citrus, but it works. There is not a lot of traditional bourbon fruit, but I do pick up on dark figs sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered ginger. Those baking notes continue with the same chocolate cream and rich vanilla I detected on the nose. The sweetness becomes more defined with each sip, coming through as burnt caramel, honey, and slightly bitter walnuts hidden in dark toffee. The palate also helps boost the woodiness as dry oak blends into barrel spice and char.

Remus Repeal Reserve V

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
The aromas and flavors of Remus RRV are well balanced. Each sip is gentle, creamy, viscous, and quite easy to hold. As the glass is set down, a curtain of liquid coats, then breaks into large clinging drops which hang above the mahogany colored pool. There are no legs here, just big drops.

REMUS REPEAL RESERVE V FINISH:

Remus Repeal Reserve V offers a long throat warming finish. The elements of dusty grain and bitter citrus pass through the experience as do the cinnamon, pepper and rye. And although much subdued, so does the toffee-like confection, as bittersweet chocolate, burnt caramel, and dark walnut fade into the dry old oak, barrel spice and char. As the last drops are taken, the empty Glencairn smells of dry sawdust and the memory of the pour. This is a fine bourbon, one I am happy to have on my shelf.

MY RATING: 89/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 89/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To see other reviews from George Remus click here.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
Remus Repeal Reserve V
Remus Repeal Reserve V

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Border Bourbon Cask Strength

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Border Bourbon Cask Strength Review:

reviewed 29-August-2022

BORDER BOURBON CASK STRENGTH REVIEW:

Border Bourbon Cask Strength (Border CS) is a fine bourbon, one I wish was readily available to me in Idaho. Aromas of roasted corn, blackberries, and dark dried fruit along with spices of dark cinnamon and sweets of woody caramel pass to the palate. This is a well blended bourbon with a solid oak foundation. If you are in the upper midwest, find and secure as many bottles as you dare.

BORDER BOURBON CASK STRENGTH VITAL STATS:
Border Bourbon Cask Strength

Category: Small Batch Cask Strength Bourbon
Region: New Richmond, WI
Distillery: DSP-WI-15005, 45th Parallel Distillery
Stills: German-made copper (three)
Master Distiller: Bob McKenzie
Barrel Construction: Three year air dried Ozark white oak staves from McGinnis Wood Products
Mash Bill: 62% corn, 12% rye, 12% wheat, 14% malted barley
Barrel Char: #3 (Medium char)
Barrel entry proof: 117
Age: nas (but 5 years minimum)
ABV: 60% (120 Proof)
Price: $59.99 (at the Wisconsin Distillery in 2022)

45th PARALLEL’S “FULL CIRCLE” OF LOCAL PRODUCTION

In 2007, 45th Parallel became one of only 50 Craft Distilleries in the United States.

45th Parallel’s process is a full circle local production and begins when we pick up grain from Rusmar farm. We then mill, mash, ferment, and distill it all within our facility. Afterwards, the grain is shipped to another local farm where it is used as feed for livestock. Naturally, the livestock turn the grain into fertilizer for next year’s crops.

— Learn more at 45th Parallel Distillery.

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

Taken out of the newly opened bottle, the first one and a half ounces mixed with the bourbon in our Infinity Bottle Project. Then, by alternating the pours, four once review amounts went into three Glencairns. My daughters and I enjoyed the bourbon neat as we prepared this review.

Check out Hannah’s and Elora’s reviews for this bourbon!

BORDER BOURBON CASK STRENGTH NOSE:

When Border CS is first brought to the nose, there is little if any burn. I smell roasted corn and wheaty grain. But fruit abounds as ripe blackberries, dark plums, and dark dried prune fruit leather waft from the glass as spices of dark cinnamon, faint ginger, white pepper are mixed in dark wheat bread. Sweets come in as rich vanilla, sweet brown sugar but woody caramel, and light molasses. There are a few faint toasted pecans here however sweet, old seasoned oak and smoky sweet barrel char blend with ashes and musty wet leather to give this bourbon a wonderful nose.

BORDER BOURBON CASK STRENGTH PALATE:

The first sip of Border CS gives a warm but comfortable bite. I taste roasted sweet corn and fresh tobacco, then come blackberries, plums, dark dried fruit leather, and soft prunes. Each sip brings more as spices of cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper tickle and sweets of rich vanilla, brown sugar, nearly burnt woody caramel, and like sensed on the nose, light molasses treat the tongue. There is a touch of bitterness, like hazelnuts, but the flavor is not off-putting. And as noted above, seasoned heavy old oak, smoky sweet barrel char, ashes, and musty wet leather round out the flavors.

Border Bourbon Cask Strength

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
While there is a bite (owing to the 120 proof), Border CS is creamy and viscous as the tongue is tickled although the wash is fairly easy to hold. This is a solid and well blended bourbon. As the pour is sipped, a long-lasting solid crown ring forms, then thin legs break to transport the dregs quickly back to the terracotta pot colored pool.

BORDER BOURBON CASK STRENGTH FINISH:

Border Bourbon Cask Strength has a long and lingering finish with a pleasantly warm burn. In the finish, traces of roasted corn blended in acidic berries, plums, and dried prunes fade in and out. My tongue tingles with ginger and black pepper as woody caramel fades with seasoned heavy old oak and barrel char. The empty Glencairn smells of bourbony oak and is almost as good as each sip.

MY RATING: 92/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
If you find yourself in the Midwest, secure as many bottles as you dare.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 92/100 to access other whiskies with this score.

Click 45th Parallel to jump to this distillery.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
Border Bourbon Cask Strength
Border Bourbon Cask Strength

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