Flan | Golden Raisin | Mango | Honey dew | Orange bitters

Light nutmeg | Touch of cinnamon | Vanilla pudding | Honey | Lime zest

Dry oak | Sugarcane | Black currant | Dash of black pepper | Short

The jury is still out on whether bourbon and tequila work well together, but that doesn’t stop producers from trying. Perhaps much of it is due to the steady rise in tequila’s popularity (and sales), and bourbon producers hope to ride the wave. This year is already shaping up to feature the most tequila-finished bourbons yet.

Blood Oath No. 11 opens with a dessert-like nose filled with sugary fruits. It is by far the whiskey's best aspect, as it layers on flan, gold raisin, mango, and honeydew. It’s capped off by orange bitters, reminiscent of what you’d find in an Old Fashioned cocktail. It’s an excellent concoction, but it is also very un-bourbon-like in composition.

The palate offers light nutmeg and cinnamon on its onset, before turning to vanilla pudding, honey, and lime zest. The short finish is the whiskey’s simplest part, with dry oak against sugarcane, black currant, and black pepper.

Now 11 editions in, Blood Oath constantly mixes it up every year and is one of the brand’s hallmark traits. It also means consistency and iteration are non-existent. Pact No. 11 is an approachable pour and that seems to be by design. Tequila finishing can be overpowering, and Pact No. 11 offers a taste of it instead of being walloped by it. The whiskey’s flavors are light and delicate, lacking much immediate impact. This results in a sip that lacks punch and strives to be an easy sipper. As such, it's a much less polarizing tequila finished bourbon than we typically get. Most will probably enjoy its sip, and rightfully so, but few will be wowed by it.  

Blood Oath Pact No. 11 is a 51,000 bottle release of which 1,400 were held back for a future Trilogy release.