Empirical Olive 750ml bottle, front label with green olive illustration
Green olives splashing into a martini glass
Empirical Olive highball cocktail with olive garnish and dried citrus wheel
Empirical Olive Negroni in a rocks glass with olive and orange peel garnish
Empirical Olive 750ml bottle, back label with ingredients and botanical info

Empirical Olive

A clean, savory take on the Dirty Martini. Built around the herbal, nutty, softly bitter character of Gordal and Manzanilla olives from Spain, layered onto a smooth French wheat base. Keep in the freezer and pour straight for the ultimate elegant Martini, or split with a 1/4 oz of Dry Vermouth.

Empirical Olive features a base of smooth French wheat spirit, layered with the green profile of Gordal and Manzanilla olives from Spain, balanced by a round mouthfeel. Herbal, nutty and softly bitter, it captures the Martini's allure while sharpening its expression.

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Empirical Stonefruit 750ml bottle, its label printed with halved plums and peaches
A tattooed arm holding a bottle of Empirical Stonefruit against a black background
Stonefruit Sour: a pale pink sour in a rocks glass with a foam top and orange twist
Stonefruit Mind Eraser: layered dark and clear liquid over crushed ice in a highball with a black straw

Empirical Stonefruit

A contemplative botanical spirit built around autumnal stone fruits, from the kernel to skin, layered with marigold flowers. Dry, fruit-forward, and quietly floral — perfect to reframe classics like an Espresso Martini or a Tom Collins.

Empirical Stonefruit opens with high notes of bitter almond and marzipan, lifted by the tea-like fragrance of marigold, before moving into a gently juicy, tannic mid-palate. The finish is soft and warming, with subtle impressions of dough and vanilla. Designed as a modifier that behaves like an ingredient, it brings orchard fruit, dry florals, and kernel bitterness into balance.

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Empirical Cilantro 750ml bottle, front label with cilantro illustration
Empirical Cilantro bottle, back label with flavor wheel
Cilantro & Mango cocktail in a rocks glass with lime
Cilantro Martini in a coupe glass with lemon twist garnish
Empirical Cilantro bottle next to a tall glass of soda with lime

Empirical Cilantro

A vivid botanical spirit built around fresh cilantro leaves, tomatillo, and green spice. Lively and vegetal — split it with Tequila for a refreshingly unique Margarita, or perfect in a Vesper or Collins.

Empirical Cilantro opens with a sprightly, fresh citrus bouquet and a pop of garden-fresh herbaceousness, before finishing with a satisfying dry minerality and hints of fennel and green tomato. With a 38% ABV and a smooth base spirit made from French wheat, Cilantro is thoroughly unique yet designed to be approachable to cocktail fans and newcomers alike.

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An amber cocktail on the rocks with a lemon twist, on a wooden bar in low red light

We Are a Flavor Company

At Empirical, we believe that flavor has the power to create unforgettable experiences and connections. By focusing on flavor, we break not only with traditional norms of how spirits are made, but also redefine what they can be.

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Culinary Approach to Producing Spirits

Flavor Research: overlapping green fig leaves photographed close up

Flavor Research

Flavor Research

Empirical’s flavor research is an exploration of botanicals, places, and the memories they hold. We experiment with ingredients, to uncover evocative flavors that connect experiences, landscapes, and memories.

Flavor Extraction: a glass rotary evaporator flask swirling with deep orange liquid in a water bath

Flavor Extraction

Flavor Extraction

Flavor extraction is a science based on the respect for each ingredient. We use different techniques to capture the truest expression of botanicals—from delicate florals to robust kernels and smoky chilis. By understanding how different compounds reveal themselves in spirit, water, or even acidic solutions, we extract layers of flavor that feel vivid and alive.

Flavor Layering: an unlabelled Empirical bottle standing among rows of empty sample tubs

Flavor Layering

Layering Flavor

Layering flavors is an intentional process of building depth, balance, and complexity. Like composing a perfume or constructing a memory, we combine these distinct elements to create spirits with dimensionality.

Ayuuk Negroni – A Smoky, Bold Evolution of the Iconic Cocktail

Make It Empirical

Whether you're reaching for something classic or craving something bold and experimental, Empirical elevates your cocktails. From simple pours to complex builds, Empirical makes it unforgettable.

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Awards & Endorsements

  • Lars Williams nosing a glass at the distillery bar, bottles lined up in front of him

    Meet The Man Behind The World’s Most Innovative Distillery

    Forbes 
  • Four San Francisco World Spirits Competition medals — double gold, silver and two bronze — propped against Empirical bottles

    Grabbing Double Gold, Silver & Bronze in SF

    Empirical 
  • Khalid Williams laughing, in a white hat against a wooden fence

    A Bartender’s Guide to Working Niche Spirits into a Cocktail Menu

    SevenFifty Daily 

Our Spirits

  • Empirical Olive bottle and olives splashing in a martini glass

    Empirical Olive / ABV 36%

    A clean, savory take on the Dirty Martini. Built around the herbal, nutty, softly bitter character of Gordal and Manzanilla olives from Spain, layered onto a smooth French wheat base. Keep in the freezer and pour straight for the ultimate elegant Martini, or split with a 1/4 oz of Dry Vermouth.

  • Empirical Cilantro bottle beside a painted close-up of cilantro leaves

    Empirical Cilantro / ABV 38%

    A vivid botanical spirit built around fresh cilantro leaves, tomatillo, and green spice. Lively and vegetal — split it with Tequila for a refreshingly unique Margarita, or perfect in a Vesper or Collins.

  • Empirical Stonefruit bottle beside sliced peaches and their stones

    Empirical Stonefruit / ABV 32%

    A contemplative botanical spirit built around autumnal stone fruits, from the kernel to skin, layered with marigold flowers. Dry, fruit-forward, and quietly floral — perfect to reframe classics like an Espresso Martini or a Tom Collins.

  • Empirical Ayuuk bottle beside dried Pasilla Mixe chillies on red paper

    Ayuuk / ABV 43%

    Deep and earthy with a smoky Pasilla Mixe chili heart sourced directly from the mountains of Oaxaca. Rested in Oloroso Sherry casks, it plays beautifully with Mezcal or Whiskey flavors — try it in a Paloma, a Margarita or an Old Fashioned.

  • Empirical Soka bottle beside sorghum heads against a pale sky

    Soka / ABV 43%

    Built from fermented US sorghum juice and syrup, Soka smells like fresh-cut grass and drinks like a summer harvest. Slightly funky, wholly new. A great change-up or split-base for Rum — try it in a Daiquiri or a Mojito.

  • Empirical Symphony 6 bottle beside citrus leaves frozen into a block of ice

    Symphony 6 / ABV 40%

    A perfume of citrus leaves and flowers with ambrette seed and vetiver. Bright, complex, and herbaceous—a Gin substitute for the floral inclined. The ultimate layered botanical spirit. Try it with Mediterranean tonic or in a twist on a French 75.

  • Empirical x Doritos bottle with its red label, beside a gloved handful of nacho cheese chips

    Empirical X Doritos / ABV 42%

    Experience the indulgent flavors of your favorite snack in liquid form via this unique brand partnership. Open with umami and tangy aromas of nacho cheese, then move the deeper, corn-forward flavors of the chip and finish on a soft salty note. Neat over ice or in a great Bloody Mary.