Oishinbo

Synopsis

At a Wine & Spirits Expo in Maruzakaya, Higashi Ginza, Yamaoka and Kurita see a man a who has become inebriated from tasting too many liquors. Later, President Ohara asks them to interview Shinichi Furuyoshi, the famous literary critic. When they meet him, they realise he is the man they saw earlier and he is drunk again. Furuyoshi asserts that he drinks because Japan lacks a strong "spirit" and Japan consequently lacks the literary strength of cultures which have produced strong spirits such as whiskey, cognac and vodka. Kurita suggests that Japan is going through a shochu boom, but he argues that it lacks the depth of character compared with liquors which have aged for more that 30 years. Yamaoka accuses Furuyoshi of knowing nothing about wines and being obsessed with Western culture. Furuyoshi contacts Touzai to have him fired, but Yamaoka convinces president Ohara to take Furuyoshi to Okinawa. Yamaoka arranges for them to taste distilled Awamori which has been aged for 20, 30, 40 years and more. Furuyoshi tastes the Awamori and declares that it is equal to the other liquors, forgiving Yamaoka for his former rudeness. Some time later Yamaoka and Kurita encounter Furuyoshi in the street, drunk again and unconcerned about literature. Yamaoka declares that Furuyoshi is not a connoisseur, just a heavy drinker.

(Source: Wikipedia)