Chapter 61: Whiskey

It had been some time since Bruno arrived in this world, and he suddenly realized a very serious problem.

There wasn't a single maid by his side!

Looking around, all he could see were a bunch of men surrounding him.

From Shabi to Lopida, and then from Lopida to Lister, Bruno had already changed three personal male attendants, yet not a single female attendant was in sight.

He had been single in his past life surely, he couldn't continue the same way in this one…

The few women in the lord's castle were mostly concentrated in the kitchen, and they all had thick legs, barrel-like waists, and even muscular arms! They were undoubtedly skilled in slaughtering pigs and cattle, but as personal maids? That was a different story.

Bruno also wanted to enjoy the shamelessly indulgent life of a noble!

This was the downside of being a border noble. It was nothing like the wealthy western regions of the empire, where noble castles were densely packed together, and banquets for noble ladies were held one after another from morning till night.

However, if given a chance to start over and choose again, Bruno would still pick Idar.

After all, Idar was as clean as a blank canvas, allowing him to paint and shape it as he pleased.

Waking up naturally every day was a wonderful thing. By the time Bruno got out of bed, it was already around eight or nine in the morning.

"It's all your fault, Lister! Why didn't you wake me up earlier? Do you know how precious the morning hours are?" As usual, Bruno pushed the blame for his late rising onto Lister.

"But, my lord… you once told me, 'Waking up late ruins the morning, but waking up early makes you dumb all day'…" Lister muttered with a wronged expression.

"You scoundrel, how dare you talk back to your earl? I'm deducting a copper coin from your pay!" Bruno lightly kicked him with his foot.

With that, Bruno grabbed his toothbrush and headed to the castle courtyard to freshen up.

The toothbrush was something he had ordered the carpenter to make a few days ago. It was crafted with pig bristles—moderately firm and attached to a bone handle—perfect for brushing teeth.

Instead of toothpaste, he used freshly ground mint powder, which left his breath feeling fresh and clean.

By now, the servants of the castle were no longer surprised by the earl's strange habits.

People of this era had no concept of dental hygiene. Most had yellowed teeth, and their breath carried an unpleasant odor when they spoke.

Thus, to protect his sensitive nose, Bruno had enforced strict brushing habits among those who were frequently around him old Ford, Shabi, Lister, and others had all started brushing their teeth daily.

The war had ended over half a month ago, and the serfs and commoners were busy with spring plowing.

It could be said that Bruno was the only one in the entire Idar territory with nothing to do, wandering around idly every day.

But after so many days of preparation, the equipment and tools for distilling spirits were finally ready.

Upon receiving the news, Bruno wasted no time. Accompanied by Lister and the others, he rushed to the newly built distillery next to the lord's castle.

At present, the brewing industry in this world was still in its early stages. The most common types of alcohol fell into two categories: fruit-based wines, such as grape wine, and grain-based beers.

The former was often seen at noble banquets, while the latter was popular in taverns across towns and villages.

However, both had one thing in common their alcohol content was generally low, usually around six or seven percent.

What Bruno aimed to produce, however, was high-proof distilled liquor with an alcohol content of forty to fifty percent or more.

Only by doing this could Idar swiftly dominate the untapped market for strong liquors.

His only concern was whether the nobles of this world would accept such strong spirits!

Even with his past life's experience, Bruno couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Since neither Idar nor the Norman Empire had large-scale sorghum cultivation, Bruno had to abandon his original plan to produce baijiu (Chinese liquor).

However!

He could still make brandy and whiskey!

Brandy was generally defined as a spirit made from fermented grapes (or other fruits) that was then distilled, aged in barrels, and blended.

Simply put, it was grape wine with an additional distillation step.

Whiskey, on the other hand, was a high-proof distilled spirit made primarily from barley.

Barley contained a similar amount of starch as sorghum, making it highly efficient for alcohol production.

For his first distillation, Bruno was particularly cautious. Considering costs and market acceptance, he decided to bypass brandy and focus solely on whiskey production.

In his past life, whiskey was known in the West as the "water of life," which spoke to its immense popularity.

Moreover, whiskey wasn't limited to barley it could also be made from corn, oats, and other grains.

As whiskey production evolved, people even developed blending techniques, resulting in different types such as malt whiskey, grain whiskey, blended whiskey, rye whiskey, and mixed grain whiskey.

But for Idar, barley whiskey was undoubtedly the best choice.

The first step in making whiskey was soaking barley in water to promote germination, then spreading it out in a special germination room for even sprouting.

Bruno had given specific instructions about this when ordering the construction of distillation equipment. After waiting all these days, the first batch of barley had already sprouted.

Next, the germinated barley needed to be dried to preserve the necessary enzymes for starch conversion.

Afterward, it was ground into grist and mixed with water to form a mash, which was then heated to 60–65°C for saccharification. This temperature played a crucial role in determining whiskey's flavor.

The mash was then left to ferment, a process that typically took three to five days, resulting in a low-alcohol wash of around seven percent.

This wash was then distilled. Since alcohol had a lower boiling point than water, it vaporized first and was then condensed back into liquid form.

By repeating the distillation process three to four times, a high-proof spirit of about sixty to seventy percent alcohol could be obtained.

Authentic whiskey was then aged in oak barrels to remove impurities, develop color, and enhance its flavor through long-term oxidation in a micro-oxygen environment.

However, Bruno believed this last step could be shortened.

After all, to the locals of this world, even the concept of distilled spirits was entirely new. They wouldn't be picky about the taste so long as it packed a punch, it would be good enough!