I arrived at the Whiskey Museum with Corbin.
The building’s exterior gave off a really… traditional vibe.
I couldn’t tell if it was made of real bricks, but it looked like it was crafted with something similar.
The mountains and scenery behind it were pretty as well.
I had already bought the museum tickets, so all we had to do was explore.
Sure, we could take a tour with the curator, but… who would apply for that?
I mean, we couldn’t have a date like that, could we?
“Something smells really strong, like wood.”
“Yeah, it definitely does.”
As soon as we stepped inside, I noticed a familiar scent of wood.
Of course, it wasn’t just wood; there was also a strong, sweet aroma.
Not like candy or anything.
-BEEP!
Having scanned our tickets, Corbin and I started walking into the real Whiskey Museum.
The interior was a bit dimly lit, but contrary to that, the exhibits were brightly illuminated.
The first things that caught my eye were the displays related to ancient methods of alcohol production.
Well, it made sense…
“…Is that a bear?”
“Um…”
“…Wow.”
There was a bear.
Of course, it was a model, not a living one.
Seeing the bear model behind glass, I couldn’t react casually.
Why a bear?
Seriously, why… a bear?
“…Corbin.”
“Yeah…”
We started walking towards the direction of the bear model as if we were enchanted.
I was totally unprepared to see a bear here at the Whiskey Museum, you know…?
Long, long ago, there was a time when humanity roamed and lived off hunting and gathering without settling down for long periods.
Even before the Neolithic Era, when people began to reside in specific areas and started agriculture, alcohol existed even in the Paleolithic Era.
Historians believe that the first alcohol in human history originated from honey mainly eaten by bears. After a bear dug into a beehive and ate the honey, the rainwater mixed with the honey, leading to fermentation…
“…Oh.”
“Oh…”
Surprisingly, it was pretty interesting, so I read on.
Of course, I wasn’t super fascinated by the fermentation process or anything.
It was just a bit shocking to think that honey leftover from a bear turned into alcohol.
I was startled by the bear model upon entering, but there was a reasonable significance to it.
“…I saw a documentary before where a bear fought a tiger.”
“Isn’t it just a guaranteed win for the bear?”
“Yup.”
“…But when did you see that? I haven’t seen anything like that recently.”
“Um… late at night, secretly?”
“……..”
Anyway, this was off to a surprisingly fun and interesting start.
The bear model I saw right after entering was shockingly effective.
I hadn’t planned to read all the descriptions; I was just going to glance at the exhibits.
Step… step…
So, we quietly started walking around the museum together.
Initially, I was just going to the whiskey tasting booth to try some whiskey, but it turned out to be fun.
“Oh…….”
“They have beer too.”
“Isn’t this more of an alcohol museum than a whiskey museum…?”
“Seems like it could be.”
“Considering they have lots of other types of drinks, I’d say that’s possible.”
Shouldn’t they really consider changing the name?
Instead of the Zone 16 Whiskey Museum, just call it the Alcohol Museum…
They had information about the origins of beer and wine, so just calling it a whiskey museum would be a shame, right?
Of course, it’s up to the museum owner, but it felt ambiguous.
“They say the next room is more focused on whiskey, though?”
“Is that so?”
“There’s a sign that says so over there.”
“Oh.”
Following Corbin’s words, we saw a sign at the exit of the room we were in.
It looked like this room was just a teaser.
“Corbin, let’s buy some whiskey on our way back today.”
“Are we going to drink it in the hotel room?”
“Um… isn’t that okay? We could also buy some snacks for the way back. We could have some fun once we go in.”
“If that’s what you want, of course, I have no problem with that.”
“Then let’s do that.”
Anyway, our plan for today was just to finish exploring this place, and we hadn’t decided on anything more.
I wasn’t sure what we’d do in the afternoon, but after dinner, I guess we’d just relax in the hotel room?
Probably?
As we talked about that, we moved into the next room.
As Corbin mentioned, from this point on, there were indeed many exhibits about whiskey.
Was the reason why there were no whiskey-related displays in the previous room all because of this?
*
“Wow…”
After looking around the room multiple times, we finally arrived at a place filled with people… a bar.
It was a bar, in the most literal sense.
A bar that didn’t match at all with the name museum.
I did have some doubts if this was part of the museum, but… there were definitely people who looked drunk.
Those doubts quickly faded away.
It seemed the real end of our museum visit was just about drinking here.
Anyway, Corbin and I found a decent spot to sit.
Hmm… drinking a lot right after skipping lunch could be risky.
I intended to have a tasting, but I didn’t plan to drink much either.
Drinking heavily would be safe in our hotel.
“Linda, looking at the menu… it seems like they sell meals as well as snacks.”
“Is that so?”
Hearing Corbin’s comment, I turned my head towards the menu.
Indeed…
-Rice
-Chicken & Pizza
-Soup & Stew
-Noodles
…There were definitely plenty of items that went well with drinks, but many of those details were also meal-like.
Right off the bat, their pizza was the traditional round and large type rather than the square pizza usually sold in bars.
The rice looked similar to the kind served in other restaurants.
“So, what will you have?”
“I’m fine with anything.”
“That’s not a proper answer.”
“Should we get rice? We barely ate breakfast, so it might be better to have something hearty.”
Corbin’s suggestion did sound reasonable.
We did have a pretty light breakfast today.
In fact, we just quickly settled for a quick meal since neither of us was particularly hungry.
Naturally.
Honestly, I was feeling a bit hungry since a while ago.
“Then should we order rice?”
“Isn’t that a good idea? Or do you want to have something from the noodle selections?”
“I’m thinking of going for fried rice.”
“Choosing the same dish feels a bit disappointing… then I’ll go with…”
So we decided on our meals: kimchi fried rice and plain fried rice.
Plus, we ordered some fried snacks as a side dish… and a bit of alcohol.
I mean… this is a whiskey museum after all?
Even though it’s a restaurant, I thought it was proper to order a drink.
Just… a light aperitif.
It wasn’t anything heavy on the alcohol; just a cocktail with lots of lemon flavor.
“Don’t drink too much, okay?”
“I won’t. After all, we’ve decided to drink tonight.”
“We used to drink a lot back then, though.”
“…That was unavoidable.”
Hmm… it’s hard to deny when it comes to old stories.
Corbin was right; there were many times I said I wouldn’t drink much and ended up drinking a lot.
Of course, it wasn’t just me; Corbin also had times when he claimed he wouldn’t get drunk and did, leading to me taking care of things afterward.
In a way… it was mutual, wasn’t it?
“By the way, it seems like there are a lot of drinks worth buying on our way out.”
“Were you looking at that?”
“Yes.”
After ordering, I kept looking at the shop outside the restaurant.
Since this was a whiskey museum, I definitely planned to pick up some drinks and snacks on our way back to the hotel.
“First off, the cocktails like Hum Bay, Milano, and Lemonade should all be basic… and then for whiskey… um…”
“How many bottles are you planning to buy for just the two of us?”
“If there are leftovers, we can take them home to drink later.”
“That’s true…”
“After all, the first three are for cocktails. So you shouldn’t worry too much.”
“…I wasn’t worried.”
“It shows.”
I could see everything.
At this point, we knew each other too well to hide our reactions.
Well… buying more than four bottles might be a bit much.
It’s not common to buy so many bottles at once, is it?
I might occasionally pick up four cans of beer after work, but those are only 355ml.
Buying four bottles with nearly 2 liters each was rare, but still, I was planning on it.
Because… that sounds like a lot, right?
Unlike the usual types of alcohol sold in convenience stores, the drinks here were truly diverse.
There were some I’d never seen before and others I knew but weren’t available at the convenience store… including really popular ones.
The variety of alcohol was astounding.
Whiskey, vodka, rum, liqueurs… there was an array of options that fascinated me.
There were no such specialty liquor stores around my house.
Taking advantage of this opportunity to stock up…
“Ha ha…”
“Hah…”
Seeing me smile, Corbin looked a little worried, but truly, it wouldn’t be a problem.
I was just buying some drinks, after all.
Sure, they had a higher alcohol content and were larger than what I usually bought.
At least for now.
“…We’re drinking when we get to the hotel, okay?”
“Didn’t we say we’d drink at the hotel? What I’m ordering now is a genuinely weak cocktail, not even 10% alcohol. Just a little something to whet our appetites.”
“Glad to hear it, but I was just worried you might want to drink from early on.”
“I won’t do that. I enjoy drinking, but I’m not an alcoholic, you know?”
“True enough, I guess.”
Although I had drunk day-drinks a few times on weekends in the past, I hadn’t done it at all since dating Corbin or after Charlotte was born.
Of course, I’d had a tiny sip during meals, but…?
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