Hannah’s Blood Oath Pact 8 Review
Original review written September 5, 2022
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
Soft with apples and light caramels and syrups, this is a welcome bottle in our collection. It’s unique while being familiar in its roots of bourbon warmth, albeit a little simple. I’m glad to have it. 84/100
VITALS:
– Made In: Sourced from undisclosed distilleries in Kentucky
– Distiller: Lux Row Distillers
– Blender: John E. Rempe
– Classification: Special Finish – Calvados casks
– Age: nas (includes one 14-year-old bourbon, one 11-year-old, and one 8-year-old bourbon)
– Mash Bill: unpublished
– Casks: ex-Calvados; unknown char
– Barrel Entry Proof: unpublished
– ABV: 49.3% (98.6 proof)
– Price: $99.95 USD in Idaho in 2022
“A masterful union of three well-bred bourbon. One, a 14-year ryed bourbon. Two, an 11-year ryed bourbon. And three, an 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.”
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ENJOYMENT METHOD:
I enjoyed the spirit neat from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.
Check out his review for this bourbon here!
SETTING:
I’d love to sit in the middle of a poppy field with Pact 8, hearing the wind play through the grass and making the whole horizon dance and sing with color. It’s a simple bourbon, but I imagine that sitting in such a field would prevent even the breath feeling bland.
Photo by Luismi Sánchez on Unsplash
NOSE:
While apple from the Calvados casks is here, contributing a soft sweetness, I can still easily detect the ryed bourbon foundation. Simple and golden syrups with oak, plus a mix of darker fruits meet the nose without a burn. It certainly smells deep with that oak at the base and the grain constituting the bourbon add an additional layer of sweet and spice simultaneously. The longer I nose the glass, the more I find a sugary, yet hot cinnamon as well – almost like a red-hot gummy candy. Overall, the nose is inviting and definitely warming, matching the proof of the pour just so.
PALATE:
– Mouth Feel: Soft, yet textured. It really is as though I’m chewing on a slice of soft apple.
– Balance: It’s heavier on sugars, down to the grain component, but it doesn’t taste sickeningly sweet at all. It translates more as a gentle wave of warmth than anything else.
– Visual: Mahogany in color, this leaves a thick ring with clinging droplets that stagger their way back down into the glass.
– Taste: I can hold this on the palate for a considerable time before feeling the need to aggravate it for flavors. It sits light on the tongue with tickles like pop rocks only kicking in after almost a minute of just holding it. Once I move it, a light caramel emerges and while not heavy in flavor, it does suddenly develop a depth in weight. It feels as though it’s seeping into my taste buds and making everything in my mouth warm. Golden delicious apples offer not only their juice, but also the texture of apple flesh – soft with just the hint of grip. With the fruit of the apple are accompanying apple tree blossoms.
Grain from corn offers its own syrupy contribution, adding to the thickness and depth while not overpowering the other flavors. In fact, where oak usually acts as the binding agent between flavors in a bourbon, I am finding that in Pact 8, it’s this gentle corn syrup. It even enhances the alcohol warmth, which as hinted at earlier, isn’t particularly aggressive. A Kentucky chew makes the palate pop, but the burn isn’t painful, rather it coaxes out more caramel and subtler golden syrup.
FINISH:
– Lasting Power: Short. I can’t find a great deal of warmth after the sip is gone, but there is a mild bourbon presence all the same at the back of the palate.
– Between Sips: Overripe apples that have been baked free of their raw flavors sit between sips. It’s like an apple pie without the spice, gluey syrup or pastry crust. Still decent, but not my favorite aspect of this bourbon.
– No More: This stays consistent in its flavors; however, the warmth does grow considerably the further into the glass I get. It sits in the chest but doesn’t expand far, feeling more like a pearl of heat. I wish that this had moved from being so simple into something more complex, but it’s not a bad pour.
The empty Glencairn is pure oaky sawdust in a way that the rest of the glass hadn’t been. I wish that I’d had some of that oak from the nose move into the palate.
WORTH THE PRICE?
$100 is, as I always say, a big ask. I do think Pact 7 is superior, but I won’t lie and say that I’m upset to have bought a second bottle. I don’t know if I’d go out of my way to buy another bottle, as it does feel a little simpler on the palate than I’d like for a bottle of this price. However, do bear in mind that it takes a near perfect bottle (and with more proof if I’m honest) for me to continuously reach for it at this price.
BLOOD OATH PACT 8 REVIEW RATING: 84/100
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