Malibu Run and Bombay Gin: A Case in Deduction

I have been watching a lot of the classic Sherlock Holmes episodes starring Jeremy Brett (my favorite Holmes by far) and therefore get to see the detective’s process of deduction in action.

Recently, I employed deduction trying to figure out the mystery of what kind of person(s) would litter fifth-size bottles of Bombay Gin and airplane bottles of Malibu Rum (coconut) on both sides of a rural road in an impoverished section of coastal Oregon. During a Sunday walk I counted at least a half dozen of each type, but not exclusively one spirit on the same side of the road. In other words, the brands were mixed.

I was utterly baffled first by the appearance of these bottles, one usually sees cans of Bud Light or malt liquor, and their regular distribution pattern. Why on both sides of the road? Why Bombay and Malibu? One is expensive and prestigious. The other pedestrian and mid range sweet swill. Bombay Gin and Malibu Rum are nearly opposites of each other. The former seems masculine to me, the latter, feminine. Both are typically consumed with mixers of some kind, but it seems highly doubtful these were consumed that way. I mean, you don’t mix a gin and tonic or rum and coke while you’re driving or walking. Or maybe you do! But there were no mixer containers of any kind around. And indeed, were these bottles thrown from vehicles or simply discarded when emptied by a walker or walkers? I’d really like to see someone walking take the last swig from a bottle of Bombay and then just toss it on the ground and keep on walking.

Is all of this related to the Corona Virus?

Later today I will take another walk down this road and see if anything new develops.