I Regressed and Became Too Good at Brewing - Chapter 37

Unless someone could see a Dokkaebi and receive their abilities—which no one trying to copy and steal could do—they would never be able to produce a taste like Meari.
And as Mok-tong said, those without a Dokkaebi’s aid could never replicate this flavor at all.
Besides, there was another reason as well.
“With such distinguished guests here, wouldn’t this be an opportunity for me to improve further?”
“Haha. I’m truly grateful for such kind words.”
“Ahem! If that’s the reason, then…….”
Naguchi’s head snapped around at the flattery, his shoulders puffing up.
But Eddie Brook, by contrast, was showing the bearing of a true adult.
He’d already demonstrated his character by apologizing on behalf of something he hadn’t done himself.
“And I was hoping to ask your cooperation for filming—it would be great publicity. Would that be possible?”
“We did arrive unannounced, after all. I apologize again for the intrusion. We were simply so curious…….”
“Not at all. I’m grateful for your curiosity.”
“Then may we take a brief look?”
“Of course. Ye-eun? Make sure you’re capturing this well?”
“… Yes…….”
The camera’s red light came on, and I began explaining from the very beginning of Meari.
What we’d aimed for, what had happened along the way in that process.
And just how deep the history of this spirit called Meari truly went.
“Oh… So you’re saying this Meari is the Nok-pa Liquor that your grandfather first restored?”
“Yes, that’s right. I simply developed it further.”
“‘Further’ is too modest a word. The very fact that you’ve moved it forward at all—that itself is remarkable.”
When I later spoke of the days spent creating Meari: Autumn, and how I’d utilized a Bokbunja Cask for Dalbod, Eddie Brook’s eyes grew noticeably brighter.
For a Distiller from Scotland, the Bokbunja fruit might well be unfamiliar.
He’d naturally take interest in the origin of that sweet, jammy taste he’d experienced when he drank it.
After I’d offered him the chance to touch and crush Bokbunja berries directly, observing them, he asked me.
“So the Bokbunja fruit has the sweetness of berries, then. But it’s quite acidic, and there’s a lot of oil in the seeds—it seems like the spirit could easily become cloying.”
“That’s why I used only the cask aging.”
“Haha. You can never overemphasize the importance of cask maturation. And I see you understand that well, Mister Yeon-woo.”
“The cask came from someone who makes truly excellent Bokbunja wine. And I put tremendous effort into striking that balance.”
“Hear that? You? These are things that absolutely no one but an artisan who’s actually made it could say.”
“Well… but…….”
Meanwhile, Naguchi continued to regard me with an expression of displeasure.
Changing someone’s mind is arduous work.
There’s no need to convince everyone.
“You’ve come a long way—why not look around the distillery a bit more and enjoy some of our other spirits?”
“Excellent. I’m curious what sort of friends your sensibility has created.”
“I’d be honored if the Master enjoyed them. This way, please.”
My footsteps led toward the Aging Cellar.
That space where Mok-tong had been waiting.

Leaving the two Dokkaebi caught up in their scheming against Naguchi, I poured out a measure of spirit for each guest in turn.
Meari is where Song-ha Distillery begins.
“Ah. This pristine flavor. It truly feels as if a verdant mountain unfolds before my eyes.”
“That was precisely my intention in crafting it.”
“You used pine needles for the aroma, I’ve heard? A splendid choice indeed. Ha ha!”
Next came Meari: Autumn.
I felt a quiet pride hearing Eddie Brook mention that he’d discovered Song-ha Distillery after tasting this very spirit on a previous occasion.
He’d even lamented how difficult it was to procure additional bottles.
“Our production is limited by manpower constraints, but it isn’t exclusive. Output will increase going forward.”
“Still, are you certain it’s alright to give us something so precious, simply like this?”
“When visitors have come all this way, it’s only proper to offer something.”
And not mere guests, but a master of the whisky world, no less.
Besides, the camera Ye-eun still held continued to roll.
After some light editing and color correction, uploading it to YouTube would certainly make for excellent promotion.
“You mentioned you’d tried Dalbod as well.”
“Now that I’ve tasted it, I want more.”
“I wouldn’t mind a glass myself.”
Song-ha’s voice rang out sharp and furious in my mind: You wretch! I wouldn’t give you even a drop if my life depended on it!
Mok-tong, put that filth in a crock and seal it shut, will you?
Mok-tong’s indignant reply followed: Have you lost your mind? You Dokkaebi! What kind of crock are you talking about? I’m not putting that piece of garbage in anything!
Murata Naguchi took up the Dalbod, swirling it gently as he examined the legs.
After inhaling its bouquet, he lifted his head, and rapture bloomed across his face.
“Ah yes… this is the aroma… like a palace built from sweetness itself…”
“For the scent alone to evoke such perfect harmony… truly extraordinary… it seems even finer than before. Am I mistaken?”
“I’ve been refining it consistently.”
Even after bottling and releasing it to market, I never stopped paying attention to it.
Dalbod too had improved steadily through several rounds of refinement since its initial launch.
Whereas the sweetness had once been almost oppressively straightforward, I’d since adjusted its density to allow for pauses in the tasting experience, letting it linger and unfold with time.
“Even the finish on the breath appeals to me.”
“You’re too kind.”
“Now then, Naguchi, do you see? Mister Yeon-woo can no longer be called a proprietor or a young man—he is a craftsman.”
……
Naguchi had nothing to say in response to Eddie Brook’s pronouncement.
How could he?
His sensitive nose and palate had spoken for him.
A man who could craft spirits such as these deserved to be honored as a true artisan.
“Mister Yeon-woo. Here is reason enough for me to live long.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t quite understand…”
“You’ve shown me a new direction. If I continue along this path, the day will come soon when I surpass my own reputation.”
A blessing, almost, to receive such praise from a master of this stature.
In my past life, I would never have even met him, let alone heard words like these.
I was lost in the emotion of it when Ye-eun, standing behind the camera, made urgent gestures to catch my attention.
The object of her pointing hand was two bottles of Hong-ya that Se-jun had thoughtfully set aside the moment our guest arrived.
It was time to move into the main portion of the shoot.
* * *
“That was delicious. Thank you for teaching me so much. Ha ha.”
……
“Oh, if you have a moment to spare, might we taste another spirit?”
“Another spirit, you say?”
It was the promise of “another spirit” that held him in his seat just as he was about to leave.
“It hasn’t been released yet—we only began bottling it recently.”
“Naguchi, what are you waiting for? Don’t delay your flight.”
The distillery tour had clearly captured his heart.
For someone who loves spirits, the chance to taste an unreleased bottle beforehand is not an opportunity to pass up.
“This is a spirit I’ve recently crafted.”
“What is it called?”
“Hong-ya—red night, in other words.”
“Mmm… red night, you say… Looking at the packaging alone stirs anticipation. The red moon with such elegant calligraphy upon it. How thrilling.”
“Here’s what’s inside.”
I showed him the label briefly, then poured Hong-ya into two glasses.
“Please, have a taste.”
“The aroma is… oh… hmm!”
The moment they received their glasses, both swirled them to check the Legs, then brought them to their noses to inhale the bouquet first.
After savoring the aroma, they each took a sip.
“There we are. This is what I meant by skill, Naguchi. The red fruit, the tartness, and yet that weighty pressure beneath it all—followed by the sharp punch of spice. How could anyone call this mere luck?”
“…….”
“You’ve tasted it yourself, so you understand, don’t you? How could anyone attribute such flavor and fragrance to fortune? And the intention woven into each layer. A critic of your caliber couldn’t possibly have missed reading that intent.”
“Tch!”
Naguchi clicked his tongue at Brook’s words, then strode out of the Aging Cellar as if fleeing.
His face was equally flushed, but where it had burned with anger before, now it was suffused with shame.
Yet the Hong-ya he’d received, he’d drained to the last drop—which was rather amusing in itself.
“Sigh… I do hope that business has rattled some sense into him…….”
“Rattled some sense?”
“I do apologize, Mister Yeon-woo. Truth is, what happened was this…….”
And so he heard the tale of what had transpired between Naguchi and Brook.
To sum it up, it was rather simple.
<He misunderstood everything on his own and dreamed up wild fantasies, didn’t he?>
<It was no misunderstanding! He spun out a third-rate novel from his own absurd delusions!>
<That’s the right way to put it.>
The Dalbod was so delicious that he couldn’t believe the person who’d made it was a young Korean man.
I looked at Brook in disbelief, but he merely sipped his Hong-ya in silence.
“So that’s why I apologize. I should have contacted you beforehand, Mister Yeon-woo, before letting things spiral this way. I’m truly sorry.”
“No, not at all. Thanks to this, I was able to upload a video featuring the Master Distiller I so admire to YouTube.”
“I’m sure Naguchi bears you no ill will. He’s childish, yes, but when it comes to liquor, he’s sincere.”
Brook, who had been gazing at his now-empty glass during that brief exchange, spoke up.
“By the way, are you ever planning to make whisky at the Song-ha Distillery, Mister Yeon-woo?”
As he said this, Brook’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

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