Empirical
Various Spirits
Copenhagen, Denmark
A flavour company
Out of Stock
Created by
life-long students and pursuers of flavour
Lars
Mark
The Origin Story
Guided by their Palates
Empirical was founded in 2017 by Mark Emil - an anthropology graduate from Oxford University and Lars - the head of R&D at NOMA Restaurant. They got their start in a 10m² garage kitchen in the meatpacking district of Copenhagen and began experimenting with ingredients, techniques and traditions that they’d learned through their extensive travels.
The Empirical Method
The name "Empirical" reflects the company’s approach to culinary and scientific innovation. They believe knowledge is gained from experiences, not theory. Their team constantly pushes the boundaries of conventional spirits and crafts unique flavour profiles through tinkering, exploration and continual refinement.
Building Flavour From the Ground Up
For their first spirit, “Easy Tiger Blend”, Lars and Mark aimed to recreate the experience of the Danish countryside by incorporating Douglas fir needles in their blend. They hope to connect you with sense memories by introducing flavours you have never tasted before. They combine the eastern ingredient koji with western fermentation methods to create Helena: the base product upon which all their other spirits are built.
The secret sauce
VACUUM DISTILLED TO LOCK IN FLAVOUR
To ensure no flavour is lost from the high heats used in the distillation process, Empirical engineered their own proprietary equipment. They use vacuum distillation which allows vapours to move more freely, enabling them to distill liquids at 15°C instead of the usual 85°C. The lower temperature allows them to use a wider range of ingredients, such as fresh herbs, pine shoots or oysters.
The Perfect vessel
Empirical is a flavour company and an experiment we all get to witness. With the belief that alcohol is the best way to contain flavour, they are now able to share their ideas across the world. Their bottle puts flavour at the forefront, providing everything you need to know about how the product is made and nothing more.