Lux Row debuts Blood Oath Pact No. 8 Bourbon
Master Distiller John Rempe continues his pact with bourbon fans with eight renditions of this rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey release. Rempe is the creator of limited blend of bourbons produced by a newer Bardstown, KY distillery, Lux Row Distillers. In this post, we’ll cover the Blood Oath Pact 8 bourbon release, review, price, proof and more!
SEE ALSO: Blood Oath Pact 9 Bourbon Release, Proof, Price, & Review
Lux Row Master Distiller John Rempe is the creator of this limited release Blood Oath bourbon, which is on its eighth iteration. However, he’s been blending beverages and spirits for more than 20 years. Those creations span different types of spirits within the parent company Luxco’s portfolio. For this project though, he states, “I have the luxury of not being tied down to one specific distillery for this brand. I have the ability to sample many of the finest bourbons available to make the perfect blend for each Blood Oath Pact.”
As a bourbon connoisseur, the goal was to seek rare bourbons, “famous and forgotten.” Created in small batches, this annual release is a rare whiskey that isn’t intended on being reproduced.
Lux Row Distillers only produces 1 batch of Blood Oath bourbon each year. The Bardstown, Kentucky distillery is now on Blood Oath Pact 8 of this finished bourbon which was introduced in 2015. Hence the 8th nameplate, it debuted as Pact 1 of the ultra-premium Blood Oath whiskey. This product blends multiple bourbons with various age statements, then finishes that blend additionally in other casks.
SEE ALSO: Blood Oath Pact 7 Bourbon Release, Proof, Price, & Review
In Pact 8, it features a14-year rye bourbon that is blended with an11-year rye bourbon. The third part of the blend is another8-year rye bourbon, which is then finished in Calvados casks.Calvados is an apple or pear brandy which originates in the Normandy region in northwestern France. They are distilled from cider and aged for a minimum of two years in oak casks. Therefore, this finish produces a unique aroma and flavor.
“That every batch of Blood Oath is the undertaking of one man — a student of both bourbon and science. Loyal to no one family, favoring no one distillery and bound by no one philosophy – this bourbon connoisseur has one goal in mind – to seek out bourbons rare and wonderful, famous and forgotten. Then bottle them in combinations previously unimagined for a lucky few. Not to cater to anyone’s loyalties, he has sworn to never reveal where he finds his bourbon, but only to promise to choose and make the best he knows. Loose lips never tasted something so special.”
The Lux Row website gives the outline about the Blood Oath Pact.
–The Blood Oath Attests
Review & Tasting Notes
The distillery describes this finished bourbon as, “Slight apple on the nose with hints of vanilla and cinnamon,” on the nose. The palette is distinguished as “ripe apples and juicy pears combined with butterscotch and hints of chocolate.” Additionally, Pact 8 Blood Oath picks up flavor notes of apples and pears from its finish in Calvados brandy casks.
You might ask, how does this Pact No. 8 compare with other Blood Oath releases? We look forward to doing a blind tasting in the near future to “research” more on that front personally.
“I’ve once again sourced three great bourbons for Blood Oath Pact 8, and I’m particularly excited to include a bourbon finished in Calvados casks,” said Rempe. “The Calvados cask will bring additional tasting notes characterized by slight apple on the nose, with hints of vanilla and cinnamon, as well as flavor notes of ripe apples, juicy pears, butterscotch and even subtle hints of chocolate. Blood Oath Pact 8 is a bourbon I’m proud to share with bourbon lovers, but the recipe is a secret I’ll be keeping to myself.”
Color
Bright Amber
Nose
Aroma: Slight apple on the nose with hints of vanilla and cinnamon.
Palate
Taste: Ripe apples and juicy pears combined with butterscotch and hints of chocolate.
Finish
Apples, pears, butterscotch, and chocolate.
SEE ALSO: MGP Buys Luxco for $475M, Including Bardstown Distillery
Release Date & Availability
This batch or expression is suggested to have an allocation of 17,000 three-pack cases. That is the equivalent of 51,000 bottles. Roughly 1,400 of those bottles will be held back for future Trilogy Pack releases. Those 750ml bottles should be hitting shelves at your best local liquor stores around mid-April.
Therefore, 49,600 bottles of Blood Oath bourbon Pact 8 will be released immediately. TheBlood Oath Trilogy Pack gives you a bit more opportunity to snag up a few bottles of rare whiskey. If you are not able to locate this release, expect to wait for Pact 9 on shelves in 2023.
Proof & ABV:
The Pact 8 release of this Blood Oath bourbon blend lands at 98.6 proof. That’s an equivalent of 49.3% ABV if you prefer the percentage alcohol by volume measurement. This is a familiar territory if you’ve been following this annual finished bourbon release. Each of the latest releases have all landed at this 98.6 proofing, even though they are otherwise drastically different.
Blood Oath Pact No. 8 MSRP & Secondary Price
The MSRP of the latest Blood Oath Pact 8 release comes in at $119.99. True bourbon hunters will know the secondary price of this could be inflated immensely. Just for the sake of making things more difficult for resellers looking to exploit true enthusiasts, we’ll refrain from publishing secondary prices.
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