You know a company is in good hands when it’s led by an alumnus of the restaurant voted second best in the world. Formerly of Copenhagen’s Noma, Lars Williams, along with co-founder Mark Emil Hermansen, started Empirical Spirits in 2017 as a way to bring a chef’s palate and a scientific philosophy together to make new spirits discoveries. Their focus is on using drinks as a vehicle for flavour and the result is one wild ride. Empirical Spirits have engineered a unique process from the initial steaming of grains to their signature vacuum distillation. The innovation doesn’t stop at the final product – what most producers see as waste (spent botanicals, for example), Empirical Spirits turns into flavourful products like kombucha, vinegar and miso.
So what should we expect from this venture down under? Through their partnership with High Hopes Wine Company, Empirical Spirits will be delivering a palate-pleasing line up of spirits. The list includes Fuck Trump – a refreshingly smooth, vegetal spirit with spicy and floral notes, Fallen Pony – a sweet, botanical spirit with hints of marzipan and tea, and Charlene McGee – a light, smoky spirit with hints of juniper berry, inspired by the Scandinavian culinary tradition of smoking. To keep tabs on where you’ll find Empirical Spirits come Sunday December 1, head to their website.