Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 314: Angel’s Liquor? Devil’s Liquor?
“Now then… since you’ve seen the distillery, shall we move on to the tasting?”
After touring the alcohol workshop, Rest was guided to a separate building.
Urged by Celestine, he sat at a table where villagers soon brought trays with bottles and glasses.
“This is distilled liquor produced with the equipment here. We’ve made several varieties by changing the type of fermented alcohol used as the base.”
“I don’t know much about alcohol, but is it really that different?”
“Incredibly so.”
Celestine answered without hesitation.
“Just changing the base alcohol dramatically alters the flavour and depth. It seems that making distilled liquor is quite a deep craft.”
“I see…”
“Yes. I can’t let my father—who loves alcohol—try any of this just yet. If I do, he might throw aside all his other duties and dive headfirst into brewing.”
“So the Chancellor has a human side after all…”
Rest had always imagined him as a rigid workaholic, so it was surprisingly ordinary to hear he had a fondness for alcohol. Perhaps Celestine’s enthusiasm for distilling was also influenced by her father.
“Now then, please try them one by one.”
“Oh?”
Several glasses were filled with different types of liquor. A sharp, nose-stinging alcoholic scent filled the room.
“This smells… pretty strong.”
Rest wasn’t well-versed in alcohol, but since reincarnating, he had at least tasted wine. Incidentally… this world had no drinking age restrictions.
He picked up the amber liquid on the right and slowly brought it to his lips.
“Ugh…!”
“That one is made from beer. It has a smoky, heavy taste, and you should be able to detect a subtle nutty aroma.”
“Y-yeah, totally…”
He had no idea what she was talking about.
Just one sip felt like getting hit over the head, leaving no room to consider flavour or aroma.
Distilled liquors made from grains included things like whiskey and vodka—major types back in his previous world. Of course, they were major in society, not to Rest personally. He’d never tried them before.
“Next, this one’s made from grapes.”
“Ooh…”
This drink had a slightly redder tint than the previous one. It smelled fruity and seemed easier to drink, but once in his mouth, the alcohol struck with full force.
Fruit-based distilled liquors are called brandy, and besides grapes, could also be made from apples, cherries, and so on.
“If you warm it in your hand a little instead of drinking it all at once, the aroma will become more pronounced. Please, try it like that.”
“………Got it.”
“Alcohols like ale go down better when chilled, but this kind tastes best at room temperature.”
Celestine also tilted her glass and drank.
With elegant gestures, she drained her drink… and let out a soft sigh, cheeks faintly flushed.
(Is she… is Celestine secretly a huge drinker…?)
He’d heard her father loved alcohol, but maybe the daughter was the same.
Rest was already reeling from a couple of sips, while Celestine looked completely fine—just a touch rosy in the face.
By the way… whiskey and brandy generally have an alcohol content of around 40%. These test brews were a bit lower, but still nearly three times stronger than wine.
“And finally, this one.”
“This one… it’s lighter in color than the others. It’s almost clear.”
Though somewhat intoxicated, Rest took the final drink.
He didn’t think much—his dulling mind simply brought the glass to his mouth.
“~~~~~~!!”
And then… it felt like he was going to breathe fire.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!?”
“Ah yes, it is rather hard to drink, isn’t it? My apologies.”
“Wh-What was that…!?”
Gulping down the water Celestine handed him, Rest screamed in confusion.
What the hell had he just been given? His throat felt like it was going to combust.
“This was originally an Imo-shu, a potato-based alcohol made by the villagers. I distilled it repeatedly as an experiment. Most attempts failed, but by miracle, I managed to produce this one bottle.”
Celestine took a sip of the insanely strong alcohol herself, slightly furrowing her brows.
“Drinking it straight is a bad idea. It’s undrinkable unless diluted with water.”
“D-Don’t give me something like that ever again…”
In Poland, there is an alcohol called Spiritus, made by repeatedly distilling grains or potatoes to an alcohol content of 96%.
The liquor Rest had just consumed was nearly identical to that—a liquid made up almost entirely of ethanol, dangerous enough to burn one’s throat if consumed as-is.
“It’s time-consuming, requires effort, can’t be reliably produced, and it’s highly flammable… far too dangerous to sell.”
“Ugh…”
While Rest slumped from the effects of the alcohol, Celestine gave a troubled shake of her head.