It has been a long time since the highball became a common drink, but not many people know about its origins. For more information, please visit the following website. For more information, please visitthis way (direction close to the speaker or towards the speaker).

There are many theories as to the origin of the highball, but Dewar's, a Scotch whiskey with such a long history, recently held a very cool event.

Beautiful autumn leaves in the photo above. This is the view from a suite at the Fujiya Hotel in Hakone, a famous tourist and scenic spot. This suite, where Yukio Mishima, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono have stayed, had a space named "Dewar's Room" open for five days from November 18 to 22.

The space was produced by Kentaro Kobayashi, a highly acclaimed playwright and performing artist. We asked him to talk about the "Waiting for Mr. D" program, an interactive storytelling experience for guests staying at Dewar's Room, as well as whiskey, Dewar's, and other beverages.

When I was 20 years old, an acquaintance introduced me to a distillery in Japan, where I came into contact with malt and grain ingredients, and saw the barrels piled up in the warehouse. I was fascinated by the amount of time, effort, and love that goes into making whiskey. Drinking whiskey, for the first time, I experienced "time" in my mouth in addition to the taste. That is why it was very special for me to be able to help with the Dewars Scotch Whiskey campaign in this way.

In creating the story "Dewar's Room," I thought that a pub-like setting would go well with the world of the story, so I created a variety of mirrors, including one called a "pub mirror. When you go to pubs in England, you will see mirrors with advertisements on them. The ones in this space are mostly handmade, although there are some real ones mixed in."

The story is an involved one, in which the participants receive letters with various directives from a gentleman named D from Scotland, and proceed to act accordingly. The facilitator of the event was Mr. Butler Tomii, shown in the photo.

Letters received from Mr. D can be tucked away in this file.

This page, which illustrates how to enjoy drinking whiskey, is also by Mr. Kobayashi.

We really prepared a lot of things this time. It took about two full months from the time we were told about the project. It took about the same amount of effort as writing a whole play. This campaign is for five days, so it feels like five performances in five days (laughs).

In this case, if you answer the quiz in the directive, you will eventually receive a 12-year-old Dewars wine, but there are hints for this all over the place. For example, this book. For example, this book is about the 53 Stages of the Tokaido Highway, since Hakone is on the Tokaido Highway.

We also prepared name tags in addition to the whiskey. Due to the nature of the hotel, we know the guest's name in advance, so we put the date and name on the tag.

The fashion of Mr. Tomii Butler, the messenger who has just appeared, is also not lacking in fashion.

Dewars is a British liquor, so I decided to unify it with British style. The tie is a British-style regimental tie with a leftward slant. The pin badge is decorated with casks and a map of Scotland. And a tartan check chief. Mr. Scotch Whiskey is ready.

In the walk-in closet is a tweed jacket made of Scottish fabric, Mr. D's "personal possession.

Anyway, this campaign was a lot of fun. I created each piece while thinking about what kind of tricks I would enjoy if I were the audience. It was fun to create entertainment beyond the confines of the theater. Without a doubt, this is my latest work. There is no change in the part of making a story and entertaining the audience, and what I have accumulated up to now has been very useful.

I am attracted to the closed space of a hotel. I feel the pleasure of being locked in, including the feeling of being sealed in, as if you don't know what time it is. Such an idea of time is always an object of interest for me. So the space of a hotel and the whiskey, which takes an inordinate amount of time to make, excite me. It's an environment where stories naturally come to life.

The snacks for drinking are not only food, but also something to enjoy with your eyes. The quizzes and other information we have prepared for this event will also help you enjoy drinking alcohol.

The five groups of 10 guests selected by lottery from among 6749 applicants were sure to enjoy Kobayashi's quintessential "beautiful, interesting, and slightly mysterious" worldview to the fullest.

Finally, a few words about Dewars' taste.

To be honest, I used to drink single malt whisky most of the time, but when I tried Dewars, a blended whisky that combines both malt and glen, I was surprised at how good it tasted. Since then, I have compared all kinds of blended whiskies, and I think Dewars' 12 Year Old is a truly great whisky, including its cost performance.

Dewars Scotch Whiskey boasts the No. 1 market share standard in the United States, the largest consumer of Scotch, with its rich, mellow aroma and mild, well-balanced flavor. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, it goes great with a highball. Please give it a try.