Chapter 24

It's the day of the trial run for the still installed in the warehouse of Scott's brewery along the Finn River.

Under Nicholas's instructions, barrels of ale are being brought in one after another.

They carefully put it into the still and light the coal at the bottom.

Nicholas, while listening to the sound with a thin iron rod, cautiously checks the gradually rising temperature of the still. Then, seemingly satisfied, he nods slightly and starts pouring cold water from the Finn River into the condenser connected to the arm's outlet.

After a while, a thin, transparent liquid slowly flows out of the condenser's outlet, gradually becoming thicker.

Beltram receives it in a container and, after sniffing it, frowns for a moment.

I pretend to be a curious child and take it. Scott tries to stop me, but Nicholas, pretending to be struggling with his mischievous child, smiles and says, "It's fine. I'm watching."

I bring the container close to my nose and sniff it with my hand.

(Seems fine. It smells like the new pot still whiskey I smelled at the distillery in the past. It's also non-peated, just as it is.)

Based on my knowledge, it should be concentrated to about three times its original strength in one run, so the alcohol content should be around 20 degrees. The sweet malt smell is a bit strong, but if distilled again, it should reach around 50 degrees.

I return the container to Beltram and smile at an angle where Scott can't see.

Beltram asks with his eyes, "Is it a success?" I nod slightly and confirm, "It's a success."

Despite thinking it's eye contact with the dwarf, I almost jump for joy at the success.

I inform Nicholas of the success with the keyword we agreed on beforehand.

I ask childishly, "Nicholas, what is this?" The code was that if I said, "This smells weird," it was a failure, and if I said, "What is this?" it was a success.

He laughs and says, "This is a strong alcohol. It's too early for you, Zacharias," and to Scott,

"It's a success. Distill it again in the next still. Put the finished product in barrels. Mr. Beltram, would you like to taste it?"

Beltram hesitates slightly at the words but says, "Let me have a taste," and puts the container to his mouth.

He swallows it in one go.

I was worried if he would be okay, but as expected of a dwarf, he swallows it without choking.

"Indeed, it's a stronger drink than ale. It doesn't burn the tongue, but this feeling is addictive. Nicholas, try it. You might choke if you drink it in one go."

Nicholas nods slightly and takes the container. After taking a small sip, he says, "Buh," and chokes a little.

"Indeed, it's a bit strong. The smell is unique, but it might sell as a peculiar drink."

After that, Scott also takes a sip but chokes like Nicholas, frowning and saying, "This is a unique taste. Is it supposed to be good?"

It seems the taste doesn't suit Scott.

"If we can make it a bit stronger, it will definitely sell in Caum. It feels like drinking a whole glass of ale in one sip, which is perfect for alcohol-loving dwarves."

Encouraged by Beltram's approval, Scott seems a bit more motivated.

"Alright! Let's distill it vigorously and make it even stronger!"

After that, Nicholas gives Scott a memo with precautions and continues to guide and research.

(Nicholas is serious. I think he can handle it to some extent. If we had a way to measure the alcohol content, we could maintain quality, but it's not necessary to force it. It's part of the character of the drink... Is he watching to prevent the still from being broken?)

I stay for the second distillation and confirm the impressions of the stronger distilled spirit.

First, Beltram.

"At first, it feels like, 'What is this drink?' The burning sensation on the tongue when you first taste it is unfamiliar, but the punch in the stomach after it goes down is addictive."

Next, Scott's impression—Nicholas is asking him—

"At first, it felt like my mouth was burning. As Nicholas said, diluting it with water made it a bit easier, and my stomach heated up quickly. Whether it's good or not, it's a unique drink."

Finally, Nicholas's impression.

"I prefer beer or ale. However, if it improves with aging, I'm interested enough to wait and see."

In the end, it seems only Beltram liked it, but I'm a bit relieved that it might sell to dwarves.

On the way back, I ask Beltram for his opinion.

"I think it's better to dilute it with water at first. What do you think?"

"It might be better for humans. But for roughnecks, it will sell as it is. They live for their pride. 'I can drink this strong drink just like this.'"

I was planning to make a production plan, but I was unsure how much to produce without market research.

(That's fine for now. It's just a trial distillation. But if we produce it seriously, we need to consider cultivating barley. We also need to discuss with my father about expanding the still and building a storage facility.)

I report to my grandfather and father with the distilled spirit in a jar, along with Nicholas.

First, I let them taste it. I tried it myself before coming here, but my sensitive four-year-old tongue couldn't tell the alcohol content.

When I lit it on a plate, a pale blue flame appeared immediately, indicating it's over 40 degrees.

My grandfather and father show a subtle expression after tasting it. I dilute it slightly with water and add a bit of honey to make it sweeter. It's a lukewarm cocktail-like drink, but it should be easier to drink than the original.

After they take a sip, they start drinking it. After finishing it, my grandfather says,

"I'd like another glass. Matt, this could be something. What do you think?"

My father, looking at the empty mug, says, "Yes," and then,

"This year's barley was a good harvest. We can allow distillation for the excess. Regarding the storage facility... Zach, you seem to have some ideas?"

"Yes. For now, I think an extension next to the brewery, which is easy to transport, is fine. In the future, I'm thinking of building a basement under this manor for storage. Distilled spirits don't require strict temperature control, but it's better if the temperature doesn't rise too much during long-term aging."

My father grunts and says, "We can't spend much money."

Upon hearing the details, the cost of the pump and still materials was higher than expected, and we need to liquidate our grain reserves to manage the budget.

Indeed, we are somewhat cost-insensitive.

Especially the production of the still, which is almost a personal project of Beltram. My father thinks we should at least cover the material costs.

Most of the materials are high-purity copper from Ars, the capital of the Kingdom of Caum, which is quite expensive. The purity is increased using "gold" attribute magic.

Whiskey production is a difficult business to recover the initial investment. In the 1970s and 1980s, many distilleries in Scotland closed.

I heard that they invested in equipment due to increased demand in the U.S. a little earlier, but the demand soon declined, and they couldn't recover their funds and had to close.

We could release the distilled spirit in its fresh state—almost like a grain shochu—but to build a brand image, I want to age it for at least three years.

This means the recovery of funds will take at least three years. For the not-so-wealthy Lockhart family, this could be a tough situation.

I answer, "Understood. I'll make a plan," and leave my grandfather and father.

My plan is to produce whiskey from ale, marc from wine pressings, and flavored spirits like gin that don't require aging.

The juniper berries, the source of gin's aroma, are found in the forest, so I plan to use them. I'd like to add citrus peels to the botanicals, but there are no citrus fruits in this area, so I'm considering using strong-smelling herbs like mint.

The cost of raw materials is relatively low, so the initial cost is more significant than the running cost.

(I should try to keep the initial investment as low as possible and launch with something that can be recovered quickly, like gin... I could add honey or sugar to the gin to make it sweet and market it as a fatigue recovery and health drink. If it hits, the name of Rasmoor Village will spread. Then we can go for a premium route...)

I summarize a simple plan and take it to my father, who gives Nicholas a bag of gold coins. There are ten gold coins, worth 1,000C (about 1 million yen), and he tells us to try with this.

I decide to use the money for the purchase of coal and ale. For the barrels, I plan to use old red wine barrels, similar to a "claret finish."

Actually, I'm struggling with how to sell it retail.

I could sell it in barrels, but I prefer to bottle it. It's more stable in quality, and buying a whole barrel is difficult.

There are no glass bottles, but ceramic jars can be made in this village.

There is a kiln, so I plan to make ceramic bottles like the ones used for Steinheger, a German gin. I'm struggling with how to estimate the manufacturing cost of these bottles.

Ceramic jars are common in this world, but there isn't much demand, so they are quite expensive. Adding the cost of the bottles will make the drink quite expensive, so I'm considering a deposit system to collect the bottles.

However, this will incur transportation costs for the empty bottles, so the effect on price reduction is limited.

(At first, I could make them disposable and, if they sell well, consider a system where barrels are transported to the consumption area and bottled there. Either way, it's pointless to think about it now. It's a matter of what happens after they sell.)

I give Nicholas the instructions for making gin and leave it to him and Scott.

The result is that a gin-like product was completed.

However, even Beltram, the dwarf, was puzzled by the taste.

"Is this a medicine? Can't the smell be improved? This smell will stick to your stomach, not just your mouth."

I forgot something important.

I forgot that we couldn't get citrus fruits that go well with gin.

(I should have remembered when thinking about the botanicals. This is a sailor's drink. England, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal... all the places where gin is produced are by the sea, where citrus fruits are easily available. What should I do...)

I decided to change my approach and make fruit liqueurs, which are easier to drink.

There aren't many fruits, but there are many berries and wild plums in the forest. They are relatively easy to obtain for making dried fruits or cooking, so I plan to infuse them.

I infuse berries and plums into the 40-degree distilled spirit, but the sweetness is overwhelmingly lacking.

Sugar can be obtained from traders, but it's expensive, so I don't plan to use it for now.

The only options are honey or water syrup made from malt, but I reject the syrup because it uses the raw materials for the drink.

(Honey... There seems to be a lot of wild honey, but it can't be supplied steadily. For now, I'll use wild honey, but I might consider beekeeping in the future...)

I make fruit liqueurs with honey and store them in jars to age until spring.

(I couldn't make something that would sell immediately. But it's good to know that distillation is possible.)

In November, we also produced marcs by distilling the wine pressings, and a few barrels of marcs were completed.

In December, we tasted the Scotch-type spirit that had been aged for about two months.

It was aged in smaller barrels for a short period, so it had a light amber color.

Beltram, Scott, and Nicholas taste it, and it receives good reviews from Beltram and Scott.

Especially Beltram is beaming with satisfaction and says, "This will sell. If it doesn't, I'll buy it all."

"I want to send this to a friend in Ars. Can you give me a bit?"

Beltram wants to send it to a dwarf friend in Ars, his hometown.

By then, we had made dozens of test bottles, and we decided to send about ten.

Beltram then asks me with a slightly troubled look,

"Does this have a name? It's hard to distinguish it from the marcs."

I pretend to think for a moment and tell Beltram and Nicholas, "To show respect to Scott, who made it, I want to name it 'Scotch.'"

Nicholas tilts his head and says, "But other spirits are also made by Scott?" but without any better suggestions, it is named Scotch as I intended.

I get really enthusiastic when talking about drinks.

I look forward to your comments and feedback.