Spirits · Brooklyn, New York
Empirical Spirits
Experimental, uncategorized spirits from former Noma chefs, now made in Brooklyn.
- Founded
- 2017
- Founded by
- Lars Williams, Mark Emil Hermansen
- Based in
- Brooklyn, New York
Making it since
2017
Their story
Empirical was founded in Copenhagen in 2017 by Lars Williams, who had led research and development at the restaurant Noma, and Mark Emil Hermansen. They set out to make spirits that do not fit neatly into any category, using the curious, kitchen-driven approach Williams had developed at Noma.
In 2023 the company opened a production facility in North Bushwick, Brooklyn, and shifted its focus to the US. Later that year the Copenhagen company filed for bankruptcy and the Danish distillery was wound down, while the founders said the US business would carry on.
How it's made
Empirical builds its spirits around unusual bases and ingredients, its own fermentation techniques and low-temperature distillation. The goal is to capture flavor in ways traditional categories like gin or whiskey would not allow.
Why we carry them
We like Empirical for anyone who wants to try something that is not quite like anything else on the shelf. Sip it neat first, then try it in a simple highball.
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