Tasted this as Day 18 of The Saratoga Whiskey Club Advent Calendar 2021. Every day is a new adventure with a blind tasting, where we each try to guess the country of origin, the type and age of the whisk(e)y, and the ABV, followed by a reveal at 9PM. This is an extremely rare, and extra special release from Eifel Whisky. it is a German rye whisky aged for 4-5 years in heavily-peated casks from Laphroaig, which previously held Maker’s Mark. The whisky is then finished for two years in first fill red Bordeaux casks from Chateau Ausone—one of only four wines in Saint-Émilion hold the top classification of “Premier Grand Cru Classé." It was confusing to me when I tasted it - it reminded me more of a Japanese blend than of a rye - the rye spice was subtle, and the peat really threw me off.