Jan. 29: Online Tasting with Empirical's Co-Founder Lars Williams...
Fellow Drammers!
We’re excited to announce a special online tasting on Monday, January 29th at 8pm with Lars Williams, the co-founder of Empirical, together with their Director of Sales for North America (not to mention a longtime friend and fellow Drammer!) Georgy Zaydenman. If you’re not familiar with Empirical, they started in Copenhagen in 2017 and prefers to be called a "flavor company" rather than a distillery. They also make some of the most unusual, creative spirits in the world, and they are hugely respected. For example, in NYC almost every single top-rated cocktail bar and a lot of the Michelin restaurants have cocktails built around Empirical's expressions (Eleven Madison Park, Dead Rabbit, Death & Co, Double Chicken Please, Cosme, Temple Bar, Martiny's, PDT, etc. etc. - the list is stunning.). And it’s not hard to figure out why — they make crazy, fun, unusual-as-all-get-out spirits, much of it made on self-designed vacuum stills! Their core range features 4 expressions, none of them categorizable, made from kogi-based distillate, sorghum, Oaxacan chilis, plum stones, marigold kambucha, fig leaves… you get the idea. Truly original stuff.
And it’s fair to say they’re having a bit of a moment — their latest release on Dec. 12th (a spirit macerated with Nacho Cheese Doritos) generated more press in one day then all of the press they’ve received since founding the company in Copenhagen in 2017. It even landed them spots on the Late Show and Late Nite with Seth Meyers! I’ve tried it and you have to taste it to believe it — it smells and tastes spot-on like a Dorito. Wild.
So, on January 29th we’re going to welcome their co-founder for an in-depth online tasting and discussion featuring a whopping 9 expressions, some of them long-since-sold out — and yes, it will include the Doritos release. Here’s the lineup:
Ayuuk. The sole botanical in this distillate is the smoky Pasilla Mixe chili, which they source directly from Mixe farmers in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. They macerate it in a spirit made from Danish heritage purple wheat and pilsner malt. After distillation the best fractions are rested in a sherry Oloroso cask, allowing the flavors to infuse and mature with each other, giving a distinct and savory finish.
Symphony #6. Empirical describes Symphony 6 as a product that explores the potential of often underutilized leaves. It’s not a gin, but you might say it leans towards gin. It incorporates flavors of mandarin, lemon, coffee, black currant and fig leaves with ambrette seeds and vetiver roots. On the palate, the fragrant black currant bud aromas lead the way, followed by the refreshing citrus acidity. The green fruity fig leaves are then expressed, succeeded by the leathery muskiness of coffee leaves and ambrette seeds to finish on the length of the vetiver roots.
Soka. A sorghum distillate! Made with a Thai rice chong yeast! This one is wild and maybe their most unique offering to date. Flavors include fresh cut grass, green apple, silage. There’s a detailed back story on this one that you can read about here.
The Plum, I Suppose. Gotta love the name of this one. It relies on the balance between two very different components. The kernel inside the plum stones is the foundation of this spirit, lending a marzipan, bitter almond flavor. Distilled marigold kombucha contributes floral and tannic notes somehow reminiscent of plum skins.
Ehime Cask #2. Technically this is a whisky. It features Empirical’s trademark floral and nutty koji-based spirit aged for 3 years in an ex-bourbon cask. The American white oak imparts a familiar toast and sweet spice. They thought it tasted best at 48% abv, so that’s what they bottled it at. They describe it as having rich butterscotch and toffee aromas at the outset, followed by a “deep root-forward earthiness. The long and lingering finish reveals subtle savory and herbal notes of anise.” These are very limited bottlings made to raise money for a region that suffered devastating floods in Japan (the town of Ehime, hence the name) and are priced accordingly — we’ve got ‘em at DRINQY.com for $129.99 for a 375ml bottle! So this is a great chance to try them before committing to a hefty price tag. 48% ABV
Ehime Cask #3. The third (and most-recent) in their Ehime series notably comes in at a much higher proof (54.3%). It, too, features their signature koji-based spirit aged for 3 years in an ex-bourbon barrel, and here they describe it as having notes of dried dates. “The clean and rich nose uncover subtle wine-like and jammy nuances for a smooth and warm drinking experience.” We’ll have to judge for ourselves!
F*ck Trump and His Stupid F*cking Wall. Empirical isn’t afraid to wear its political views on its sleeve, and as you can imagine, the name of this release turned some heads. It is also long since sold out, making this a rare chance to try this expression. Online sites report that it is based on habanero chili peppers that (using their proprietary vacuum still — which allows for distilling at room temperature!). The result is a spirit without the spiciness of the habaneros, instead we’re left with the other, fruitier notes of the peppers.
Charlene McGee. This is one of their original spirits and another one that is long-since-sold-out. Named after the underage pyrokinetic main character of Steven King’s novel, Firestarter, Charlene McGee is made from Danish juniper berries, juniper wood, Pilsner malt and Belgian saison yeast. Juniper berries are smoked with their own wood, lightly crushed, macerated, and gently distilled at low temperatures to preserve the fruity, vibrant integrity of the botanical and the seductive smoky flavor profile. The final blend is matured in Oloroso casks to impart a faintly sweet and cozy note of woodiness.
Empirical x Doritos - Nacho Cheese Macerated Spirit. According to Lars, Empirical x Doritos wasn’t made simply by soaking a bunch of the famous chips in vodka. From a Robb Report article: “It is not a simple infusion made to taste like Doritos. Unlike traditional distillation methods, our process operates at lower temperatures, preserving the full spectrum of flavors derived from the maceration process.” They took their trademark koji-based spirit and macerated it with Doritos, no sugar or anything else added. “This ensures that the essence of the Doritos flavor profile is fully captured in the spirit,” according to Kyle. “The last step is to blend all of the distillation fractions to meticulously achieve the Doritos flavor in all of its complexity.” The origin of the Doritos spirit is serendipitous like the best things are. 42% ABV
That’s our lineup, we hope you can join us! The event will start at our usual 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern, and we’ll try our best to record it. We are happy to say that we’re bringing their products in to make them available to buy through our retail partner DRINQY.com (including 12 precious bottles of the Doritos spirit, which will be available exclusively to Members in a 5 pack with the rest of their core range).
Cheers,
Charlie and Drammers Club