Blood Oath Trilogy, a Set of Collectible Bourbons, Drops in September

There are so many collectible whiskeys these days, from the annual Birthday Bourbon release to the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection to the continued dominance of Pappy Van Winkle. Another series that is lesser known but still highly coveted by whiskey fans and flippers is Blood Oath, which offers limited-edition bourbons released as “pacts.” The distillery behind these whiskeys just announced the details of the new Trilogy, which combines three previous releases into one luxury package.

Luxco, the company behind Blood Oath, releases other well-known whiskey brands out of its Bardstown distillery in Kentucky, like Ezra Brooks and Rebel, and also owns Limestone Branch where Yellowstone Bourbon is made. The company merged with MGP a few years ago, the large Indiana distillery that produces whiskey for many other brands, and now manages all the labels under its Ross & Squibb division, which makes some great whiskeys under the Remus name. Blood Oath launched in 2015 with a focus on cask-finished whiskeys, which it sources from other Kentucky distilleries. The latest release was Pact 10, a blend of two bourbons given a double finish by master distiller John Rempe—first in Cabernet Franc barrels and then in Merlot casks. “Blood Oath is a passion project for me,” said Rempe in a statement. “Each new Pact brings together everything that I love about creating memorable bourbons– from the unique blends to the cask-aging. This third Trilogy edition is something truly special and I’m looking forward to sharing this unique collection of bourbon history with our fans.”

The new Blood Oath Trilogy is the third edition of this expensive set of whiskeys, combining Pacts 7, 8, and 9 into one $800 collection that comes in a black wooden display box. The brand says each whiskey is a one-off that will never be repeated, upping the collectibility of this new set. Pact 7, released in 2021, is a blend of 14-year-old bourbon and two 8-year-old bourbons. One of these younger whiskeys was finished in French Sauternes casks to give it notes of oak, honey, and apricot. Pact 8, from 2022, is a blend of three whiskeys: 14-year-old bourbon, 11-year-old bourbon, and 8-year-old bourbon finished in Calvados casks sourced from France. That secondary maturation added notes of apple, cinnamon, and chocolate to the palate. Finally, 2023’s Pact 9 is a blend of 16-year-old bourbon, 12-year-old bourbon, and a 7-year-old bourbon finished in Oloroso sherry casks from Spain to bring layers of spice and sweetness to the palate.

As mentioned before, the SRP for the new Blood Oath Trilogy, which will be released in September, is $800—but expect to pay much more than that on the secondary market, as previous Trilogy releases can be found for nearly $10,000 at websites like Cask Cartel. You might have better luck looking for individual bottles on websites like Total Wine, which currently has Pact 10 selling for less than $150 depending on your location.