Dream Life Chapter 20.2: “Rathmore Village Reform Plan (Part 3): Distilled Spirits Production”

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(As expected, he’s really a dwarf. He’s a true drinker like their stereotype. I feel a little scared of this passion, and if the distiller fails… maybe I might have ignited his passion a little too much…) (Zack)

　I was a little taken aback by the sight of Bertram, but as a drinker, I wasn’t going to be outdone either.

“I want you to make it according to the drawings for now. To tell you the truth, the shape of the neck makes a big difference in the taste. So I want you to make at least two kinds but preferably four.” (Zack)

　I was going to make a simple straight head, for now, then a lantern head, a ball type, a T-shape, and so on.

“Anything you want! Then I’ll talk to Scott about the brewing process. When the distiller is finished, you can explain it to him.” (Bertran)

　Scott was the man in charge of the brewery along the Finn River, which was responsible for all the ales, beers, and wines produced in the village.

“Anyway, I’ll be back tomorrow, so if there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask then.” (Zack)

　I returned to the house, satisfied with the progress we had made.

　I was going to have a small distiller, about one meter in diameter, made as a prototype.

　Even though I had the knowledge, I didn’t expect to be able to make one on a whim in a world without thermometers or pressure gauges.

(If it turned out well, it could be made into a specialty product. Fortunately, the Kingdom of Caum, with its many dwarves, is close by, and the adventurer’s town of Pericritor is not far away, where many people seem to consume a lot of alcohol. With the size of this village, there is no need to expand our reach any further, and after that, we can brand it and go the luxury route while making sure it can be aged for a long period of time.) (Zack)

　Just as he declared, Bertram made a distiller in ten days.

　I had expected it to take a long time because of the neck, the part like a bird’s neck that is the exit of the distiller, but whether it was his obsession with liquor or his original ability, he finished it with incredible ease.

(Even though it’s a copper plate that’s been magically purified, I’m not sure how you can make a distiller out of a plate… I’d love to visit Ars, the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Caum, the city of artisans.) (Zack)

　Then, on September 30, the day before the Autumn Harvest Festival, I conducted using a test in my workshop.

　At first, we put in only water and checked how the temperature rose and how steam was generated.

　When steam started coming out of the arm, we checked for any steam leakage from the surrounding area.

　There were no leaks, and the distiller was in near-perfect shape.

“As expected of Bertram, it is perfect. All that’s left is for Nicholas to learn how to control the temperature, and then he can pass that on to Scott.” (Zack)

　Temperature control must be important in distillation. Only the alcohol must evaporate without evaporating the water. To achieve this, the temperature must be kept at about 80 degrees Celsius, the temperature at which the alcohol boils.

　Since there was no thermometer and the pressure could not be monitored, the water boiled off immediately in the beginning.

　After much trial and error, we came up with the steam and the sound of the kettle.

　He asked Bertram to make an iron rod 5 mm in diameter and about 1 m long and listened to the sound as he raised the temperature. As the temperature rose, the sound would change little by little, and we would check it with our ears.

　After a few times, they were able to get a vague idea of how the temperature changes. The only way to know for sure was to check how much the actual material would change the sound.

　When the trial run was over, Bertram asked when we were going to install it.

　Bertram was ready to take it in today, but the villagers were busy preparing for the festival, and Scott, the liquor supplier, was completely out of the loop. When I told Bertram that I would bring it in the day after the festival was over, he slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

　The day after the harvest festival, Bertram was working hard from morning to transport and set up the distillation equipment, showing no sign of fatigue from the festival. I was a little taken aback by his exuberant appearance.

　Originally, I had planned to go in the afternoon as usual, but Bertram’s pressure forced me to be there in the morning to set up the distiller.

　As we carried the wagon through the village, we were subjected to curious stares.

　Occasionally, Bertram would be approached, “What are you doing, dwarf!” “Well, just watch!” he would reply. He just confidently pumps his fist in the air and walks on by.

　Nicholas with a slightly embarrassed expression was with me and was walking behind Bertram with a big grin on his face.

　I had left Nicholas in charge of explaining the situation to Scott and had been giving him lectures for several days.

“The whole point is just to take advantage of the difference between the boiling temperatures of spirits and water. You could think of it as a form of alchemy. The only thing to remember when explaining it to Scott is not to raise the temperature too high. And cool it down properly. If he has any strange questions, tell him to come and ask me, and I’ll look into it.” (Zack)

　Nicholas nodded with a look akin to resignation, as he always did.

　Scott’s brewery was a facility that could perform the germination process of barley for ale, the drying of the malt, and the fermentation and filtration process after the malt was crushed. It also housed other equipment such as a wine grinder and a filter.

　Because of this, there was no place to put the distiller, so we were allowed to put the distiller in the warehouse where the finished ales and other products are stored.

　Bertram did all the negotiations in this area, and we felt his extraordinary enthusiasm.

(What will happen if we can’t make a good distillate? We’d be in trouble.) (Zack)

　Then Nicholas explains the distiller to Scott.

　Scott wasn’t sure, but he half-heartedly offered his place, saying that if the lords were going to start, he had no choice

　Bertram and Nicholas set up the distiller.

　The main distillation unit was installed in the warehouse where the ale barrels were temporarily stored, and the cooler, or condenser, could have the air cooled down, but it was water-cooled instead to increase efficiency.

　The condenser was installed so that it could use water from the Finn River that runs next to the warehouse, but since the water was originally drawn in for cleaning the barrels, it was a simple modification to create a small diverter.

　As expected, because of the modification of the window, routing the chimney, and branching the water line, the installation could not be completed in a day and was left to Nicholas and Bertram.

　It was going to take about three days to install it, so I went back to the mansion with Nicholas.

　I began to ponder after making the distiller this time.

　I wondered how much modern knowledge I was going to spread in this world.

　I like this world. Or perhaps it would be better to say that I like this village because I haven’t seen anything else but this village yet.

　Beautiful scenery, simple people, fantastic races, and magic.

　Should I spread industrialization in this world or destroy the culture of this world? And I wondered if it is okay to cause environmental destruction like on Earth.

　I’m not particularly concerned about environmental issues.

　It is unfortunate that the people of this world destroy the environment with their own hands, but I think it is inevitable. However, I don’t want my creation to be the trigger.

　I digress. The distiller I made this time is a prototype of a thermal boiler in terms of structure.

　By attaching a turbine, raising the temperature, and increasing the pressure, steam energy can be extracted.

　If someone sees the distiller I built and comes up with the idea of a steam engine…

　Frankly, I’m more worried about the technology I’m bringing to the table than the crisis God said might come in a few hundred years.

　I have a vague idea of how to make gunpowder.

　I know the ratio of sulfur to charcoal, as long as I can make niter. I know how to niter the way they used to make it in Japan.

　But I have no intention of bringing gunpowder into this world. Even if it is to protect my village and the people I love.

　I will also limit the use of water resources.

　I am confident that I can quickly build a simple regulating device and improve the water wheel because a regulating governor using centrifugal force is not that difficult to make.

　If we can stabilize the speed of rotation and start spinning and producing woolen fabrics using it, we will surely succeed.

　This could be said to be an extension of existing technology.

　Still, I am hesitant.

　I know, myself, that it is a simple thing to do.

　In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that I made the distiller for myself.

　The distiller itself must have existed in the original world before the Middle Ages.

　That is why I brought the art of distillation to this world.

　Still, I don’t want to disrupt the harmony of this world.

　If possible, I would like to think of ways to become richer with that in mind, without getting carried away.

A/N: My desires are in full swing!

　If I were to travel to another world and there was no whiskey in that world… that’s the end of that story.

My impressions of BenRiach and Ladyburn are very personal.

(If you have a more sophisticated palate, you can give better ones…)

T/N: Sorry, I might have mistranslated some of the liquors the author wrote about. I just enjoy drinking beer and that’s it.

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