How It Started: Empirical Spirits

In the 2024 Imbibe 75 Issue, Empirical Spirits co-founder and distiller Lars Williams described his company as “an R&D lab wrapped in a business.” Williams and his business partner, Mark Emil Hermansen, founded the distillery in 2017 after leaving famed restaurant Noma in Copenhagen. Empirical doesn’t produce vodka or whiskey but rather uncategorized spirits with unique flavor profiles. Think: plum stone mixed with marigold kombucha. As esoteric as the flavors may be, the spirits have become an experimental favorite among adventurous bartenders and have won awards such as a double gold, silver, and bronze at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Earlier this year, the company packed up and moved from its birthplace in Copenhagen to its first consumer-accessible U.S. location in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood. The idea was to be able to get in front of customers and walk them through Empirical’s spirits. While the new distillery is still in the works, the team is keeping busy. They introduced a playful Doritos collaboration at the end of 2023, and recently announced the release of a new Cilantro spirit, which they say has even converted haters of the polarizing herb. Along with new releases, their cocktail bar and tasting room, 53 A.D., is slated to open later this month.

In the midst of this whirlwind of activity, we caught up with Williams to find out how it all began with Empirical, as well as the inspiration behind their flavors, what other plans are in the works, and why they moved Empirical to Brooklyn.

Lars Williams:

The inspiration to create Empirical Spirits came from my extensive experience in the culinary world, particularly during my time at Noma and the Nordic Food Lab. I realized there was an opportunity to explore and express flavors in a way that transcended traditional culinary boundaries. Transitioning from a chef to a distiller felt like a natural progression, given my passion for flavor creation. I didn’t have a formal background in distilling, but my culinary expertise, especially in fermentation and flavor development, provided a solid foundation. Creating delicious things has always been my focus, and distilling offered a new medium to pursue that passion.

“There have been a few ideas that didn’t pan out as expected. But each failure is a learning experience that informs our future creations.”

Our flavors are developed through extensive research and experimentation. We start with a taste profile or an interesting ingredient and build from there. For example, Ayuuk was developed around the unique smoky flavor of Pasilla Mixe chili, and SOKA around the green and earthy notes of sorghum cane. My favorites tend to vary, but The Plum, I Suppose holds a special place due to its nostalgic connection to my favorite dessert. As for unsuccessful combinations, there have been a few ideas that didn’t pan out as expected. But each failure is a learning experience that informs our future creations.

Easy Tiger was one of our early spirits. And its creation was inspired by a desire to encapsulate specific sense memories and experiences in a bottle. The idea was to capture the essence of the Scandinavian forests that I often walked through while foraging, particularly the petrichor aromas of Douglas fir and mature juniper. This connection to nature and the vivid sensory memories it evokes were central to the spirit’s development.

Left to right: Empirical Spirits’ distillery in Brooklyn; Williams in the lab.

Leading with Easy Tiger allowed us to showcase our innovative approach right from the start. It embodied our ethos of creating spirits that transcend traditional categories and are deeply rooted in unique flavor experiences. This spirit exemplified our commitment to pushing the boundaries of distillation and flavor creation, setting the stage for what Empirical Spirits would come to represent.

We call Empirical a flavor company: Insomuch, we apply the hard work, critical lens, culinary innovation, and scientific rigor we learned through our careers in kitchens to harness flavors, and then democratize the way that those are shared. Flavor is our North Star and thus dictates all we do. From selecting the best raw material to ferment, to the yeast we chose to create new layers of nuance, or the botanicals we showcase; we strive to unlock the aromatic potential of each ingredient from scratch. Flavor is our way of communicating and connecting with people, creating experiences, conveying a perception of place and time, and universal sense memories to share. The fact that we started with spirits was in a way incidental, but it is only a beginning.

“One of the biggest hurdles was doing everything differently from what the industry had done before.”

Starting Empirical Spirits came with its fair share of challenges. One of the biggest hurdles was doing everything differently from what the industry had done before. This included developing our own methods, such as using vacuum distillation and integrating culinary techniques into the distilling process. Additionally, sourcing unique and high-quality ingredients from around the world posed logistical challenges. Financial backing was another challenge, as we relied on a relatively large number of small investors to get started.

We chose Brooklyn for our new distillery because of its vibrant food and drink culture, which aligns with Empirical’s ethos of innovation and creativity. Brooklyn also offers a diverse and engaged community that appreciates unique and high-quality products. Opening the distillery now allows us to expand our production capabilities and bring our flavors closer to our American audience, fostering a deeper connection with our consumers.

We are always exploring new ideas and flavors at Empirical Spirits. We recently debuted a new spirit, Cilantro, a bright, garden-fresh, herbaceous spirit with a lovely dry finish that will change people’s opinions on cilantro. Our immediate plans include the launch of new products and regional exclusives that use local ingredients from our new production facilities. We also have plans to release some aged versions of SOKA and other expressions. Additionally, we are continuously looking to innovate and refine our processes, with the ultimate goal of creating a future for flavor that is delicious, impactful, and beyond the obvious.

—As told to Caroline Pardilla

Left to right: R&Ding flavors; Empirical Spirits’ new Cilantro spirit.

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