Brewing Alcohol in Another World for Living

Now, Whiskey Making ! !

Translated by Omkar
Edited by Omkar

“Make good alcohol, Shogo.”

“Yes, Goddess”

I was now in a glowing magical circle, bowing deeply. As the Goddess held her hands out to the ground, the Japanese house and Japanese garden were enveloped in darkness. All that was there was Goddess, me, and a pure white magic circle spread out around me on the floor, which had been tatami mats earlier.

Goddess and I had just had a meeting to discuss how to make whiskey without delay. The equipment necessary for whiskey making, a place where water containing minerals suitable for whiskey making flows, a mountain where I can obtain the wood for the barrels used to fill the whiskey, and a port town nearby where it is easy to spread the whiskey to other parts of the world. I also made other detailed requests to the Goddess without hesitation. Goddess promised to fulfill all my selfishness.

Goddess is, to put it mildly, the best sponsor. For Goddess’ sake, I will make alcohol to my heart’s content in another world. And not only to make whiskey, but also to let as many people as possible enjoy it. I will continue to make whiskey in the other world to make up for the alcohol I didn’t allow my mother to drink.

And so, I was enveloped by the light of the magic circle and transferred to another world.

When the glare of the magic circle subsided, I heard birds chirping. When I opened my eyes, I felt a spring breeze caressing my face. But there was still snow in chilly places, and oak trees were growing all around. I couldn’t resist running straight to the thick oak trees.

“Ohhhh~~! What a magnificent white oak, it must be at least a hundred years old. This will make a good barrel for my liquor.”

One of the first requests he made to the goddess was to have a base in a forest rich in oak trees, which are used to make liquor casks to fill with whiskey. Why is he so particular about the wood for liquor barrels ? Because whiskey is a mysterious liquor, and whiskey is transparent at first. Yes, it is transparent like vodka, tequila, shochu, and awamori.

However, after barley is fermented, distilled, and made into a spirit with a high concentration of alcohol, it is placed in oak barrels and allowed to sit for several years. This is called maturation, and the longer the whiskey is aged in the barrels, the more it glows amber in color.

Why does this happen…… Although there are many unexplained things, the components of oak wood dissolve into the whiskey and affect it in many ways. The power of the oak wood is said to be as much as 70% of the whiskey’s smell, taste, color, and everything else. In other words, it is no exaggeration to say that whiskey is grown in the barrels, and they are truly the alchemists of whiskey.

“Right now, I can’t turn you into a barrel of wine just yet. But I will surely gather people here and show them how to turn this place into a big brewery. I’m sorry, but that’s when you’ll pay the ultimate tribute.”

I spoke to the tree. With such a majestic tree in front of me, I was not the least bit shy about talking to it.

I began to move on. At the end of this dirt road is my home. In a previous life, I had often dreamed of living in a house like this. The house soon came into view.

“Wow, it’s a magnificent log house. Thank you, Goddess.”

My gaze fell on a two-story log house, lit by the warm spring sun. If I had tried to build such a house in a previous life, I could have easily blown off 30 million yen.

The Goddess gave me an item box, which looks like a purple drawstring bag, but according to the Goddess, it is an excellent item for storing anything that is not alive and freezing the time.

I took the key to the house out of it. When I finally entered the house, I was greeted by the smell of newly built wood, a smell I had dreamed of, or perhaps even smelled in my dreams. I took off my leather shoes at the entrance and walked into the living room, which had a large desk and a fireplace in the atrium.

“So you even provided me with the furniture.”

The goddess had provided me with all the furniture I needed for my life. She had even transferred some of my favorite things from my previous life. It was my favorite glasses, even the tools of my trade from the bar. I could say that these things were my life, and it was a really thoughtful gesture. I didn’t have any clothes or sundries, so I had to get them myself.

Other than that, she provided the necessities of life, such as food for the time being. I had made careful requests about the things necessary for making whiskey, but I had completely neglected these things, so now, thanks be to the goddess.

“Water and Sewerage is good ! Air conditioning is good! I have no other concerns in particular ! Now let’s get right to it, let’s get a peek into the basement workroom ! !”

I pressed a hidden button on the kitchen wall, which opened the flooring to reveal a stairway to the basement.

“It’s nice, like a secret base, but it’s dark. Uh, I’m sure, lights !”

I chanted, and a light came on, illuminating the foot of the stairs. This house was built to respond to me and to the voices of those I allowed. Moreover, this house has a huge magic stone buried underground, from which all the power comes. It is powered by the Goddess’ multiple magic circles using that magic power. Truly, long live the goddess !

After descending for a while, a large iron door appeared. This door, too, can only be opened by me and those authorized to do so. The doors looked heavy, but with a light touch, both doors opened easily.

“It’s dark in here.”

Then, the entire basement was illuminated by lights.

“Oh Oh ! ! !”

A spectacular view. That’s the only word I can use to describe it.

In front of me was everything necessary for whiskey making that no single individual could ever have. A grinder to crush barley, the raw material for the single malt I intend to make; a mash tun to saccharify the milled malt; a huge wooden vat to ferment the saccharified malt; and a single distiller pot still to distill the alcohol contained in the fermented malt. Oh, what a beautiful looking still. You were born just to produce single malt.

I put my hand on the still pot with the reddish-black coppery skin. At that moment, a feeling of deep emotion leaked from the pit of my stomach and down my throat in the form of words.

“I guess I can make booze again. I never thought that the day would come when I, an atheist, would be so grateful to God. Thank you, Goddess !”

Before I knew it, hot tears were streaming from my eyes. These tears were unmistakably tears of joy and determination.

“I want more people to drink whiskey, even if it is just one person. To do so, many encounters and obstacles will stand in my way. But I don’t care, as long as I can make whiskey and have someone drink it, I will overcome them all!　Yeah ! !”

From that day on, I spent my days making whiskey. The whiskey I was aiming for was the Speyside malt of my previous life. It is gentle on the palate, with a gorgeous aroma and sweetness that spreads in the mouth, and the peat finishes off the sweetness. I want to make such a whiskey.

Finally, the fermented wort is distilled and the distilled spirit is ready. At this point, the whiskey has no color and is a cloudy, clear distillate of 40 to 70 degrees.

When filtered through activated charcoal, it becomes vodka. Whiskey is aged in barrels, but vodka is bottled as is.

＝＝＝＝[Vodka]＝＝＝＝＝

The main ingredients are wheat, barley, rye, or potatoes, which are fermented to produce alcohol that is distilled three to five times in a continuous distiller and extracted as a 50-90% alcohol. A liquor made from the same ingredients.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

Wort from barley contains 7-8% alcohol, which is placed in a single distiller. Heat is then applied. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, whereas alcohol evaporates at 78 degrees Celsius. Using this, we can get a high concentration of alcohol by distilling it several times in a single distiller.

To return to the original story, the most important process that makes the distilled spirit a whiskey is the aging process in a whiskey barrel. By dissolving the components of the oak wood in the distillate, the unique amber color of the whiskey and the flavor, which varies depending on the barrel in which the whiskey is filled, are formed.

“Well, I was careless to realize after making alcohol that I had not prepared a wine barrel. I panicked and searched the basement, but the goddess had prepared several hundred barrels in advance, so I was able to save the day !”

The alcohol barrels that had been prepared in advance were new barrels, and the inside of the barrels into which the alcohol is poured had not been charred. Charring literally means that the part of the barrel wood that comes in contact with the alcohol is charred by roasting it over a fire in advance. By doing so, the components of the barrel wood are more easily dissolved into the alcohol.

“Flame ! Oops, yeah, that’s about right.”

Thanks to the blessing of the god of time and space, I am able to use simple life magic. This time, I adjusted the flame at the lowest level. Most of the oak barrels used for single malt are second-fill barrels that have once been used to age sherry or bourbon whiskey, so-called first-fill barrels.

This time, however, the single malt whisky will be filled into first-fill barrels from the very beginning. This is actually a contraindicated practice. The reason is that the barley component of single malt is said to be incompatible with fresh charred oak wood.

In case you are wondering, I also barreled whiskey in a barrel that had not been charred. It was a precautionary measure in case of failure.

Still, in the last generation, more and more breweries are actually actively using first-fill liquor barrels. Besides, that’s the kind of whiskey I’m planning to make this time. I’m stepping up to this challenge, and I know it won’t be in vain !

“Now, I’ve finished preparing the alcohol barrels. Now it’s time to fill the barrels.”

I packed all the distillate I made from the barley into white oak barrels that can hold 200 liters. It was hard work, because I had prepared a total of 100 barrels this time, but when I finished filling all the barrels and put them in the aging cellar on the second basement floor, it was a sight to behold.

Then, I chanted a certain spell on all the whiskey-filled barrels.

“Space-time magic, time accelerator”

This magic is a “unique magic” that I, with the blessing of the god of time and space, can use. I can make the time of the object I touch with my hand go forward. It is an extraordinary ability that can accelerate time by four years in about one month.

“Whew, now all I have to do is wait for it to age.”

Whiskey must be aged for at least three years before it can be called whiskey. This is because of the tannins that are transferred from the oak wood to the alcohol. It is said that tannin is only transferred from the oak wood to the liquor for about three years, after which it is said to decrease drastically. Tannins have various effects on the flavor of whiskey.

Therefore, there are very few tannins left in second-fill barrels and no aromas left to transfer to the whiskey. With this in mind, I filled the first-fill barrels with single malt whisky this time. I thought this would transfer a lot of the barrel components from the barrel to the whiskey, making it a more opulent whiskey.

I imagined that in just a month I would be able to taste the whiskey for the first time. That means……

I really don’t have to wait four years to make whiskey tasting possible, and in three months I will be able to drink twelve-year-old whiskey ! Then I could even sell them! Ah, what amazing magic ! If the craftsmen of my previous life knew about it, they would be on their knees on the ground.

I was busy as soon as I transferred to another world, but thanks to Chronois-sama, I have a reason to live. I hope to drink as soon as possible.

Author’s Afterword

Whiskey is initially colorless and transparent. Over time, it develops an amber color. I know of no other drink that evokes such a sense of romance. Although I am a novice, I would like to paint a picture of an enjoyable slow life. Thank you in advance for your kind support.