COPENHAGEN, Denmark— Empirical, a flavor company revolutionizing spirits with its free-form approach, today announces its U.S. expansion with the opening of its first-ever distillery in North America. Located in North Bushwick, Brooklyn, the new distillery is slated to open mid-summer and also serves as Empirical’s new headquarters. The expansion is the cornerstone of the company’s new vision for the company. It prioritizes the U.S. market and decentralizes production by winding down the Copenhagen distillery to be better attuned to local markets and more eco-friendly in the process.
Embracing the U.S. Market with a Decentralized, Locally-Focused Approach
“We are doubling down on the U.S. market, which is a key driver of our success that holds exceptional potential for the future,” says Lars Williams, Chef/Distiller, Co-Founder and CEO, Empirical. “At the same time, safeguarding the environment has always been a core value at Empirical. Now that we have trusted relationships and track records with partner distilleries around the world, we can transition to a new decentralized model where production is closer to local sources and markets. It is the fulfillment of a plan that was set in motion two years ago, with capacity in Northern California, Wisconsin and now, New York. Our goal, ultimately, is to capture local terroir and create unique products in each market.”
A Full Production Facility in North Bushwick, Brooklyn
The 5,000-sq.-ft. distillery, located in North Bushwick, is a full production facility, encompassing fermentation and distillation operations, bottling and canning lines, an R&D center and a tasting room. The new distillery shares its neighborhood with fine arts and music studios, as well as a farmer’s market.
Winding Down the Copenhagen Distillery
Empirical’s Copenhagen distillery is scheduled to wind down operations at the end of June 2023, with an R&D facility and tasting room moving to a nearby location. In the meantime, production in Copenhagen is ramping up to ensure there is an ample stock of Empirical’s spirits for all markets worldwide as the company transitions.
A Homecoming for Co-Founder Williams
The new vision of Empirical marks a homecoming for Williams, who is returning to his native New York City after a successful 14-year stint in Copenhagen. Williams is also taking on the role of CEO, while Co-Founder Mark Emil Hermansen, who remains in Copenhagen, focuses on Empirical’s investor relations. Williams will spend most of his time in the U.S., while returning to Copenhagen on a monthly basis.
Leveraging NYC’s Dynamic Cultural Diversity
“I’m personally excited to return to my beloved hometown, and we are bringing a lot of Empirical’s Copenhagen DNA with us to the Big Apple,” says Williams. “It was truly an amazing experience working with a very talented group of individuals here in Copenhagen to create flavor and change how people engage with flavor. I’m looking forward to the dynamic cultural diversity of New York City and the access to so many creative people, flavors and traditions. The city offers a limitless number of connection points for building a robust network and community for Empirical.”
About Empirical
Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Empirical is a flavor company founded in 2017 by Lars Williams and Mark Emil Hermansen. The two deep-thinking visionaries are inspired by the role flavor plays in their ability to create and transport experiences. The company does things its own way, having custom-built machinery, developed hybrid fermentation techniques, augmented low-temperature distillation and traveled globally to source the highest quality ingredients. Taking a flavor-first approach means that Empirical does not pay attention to the conventional categories that traditionalists often want to cast its creations into. The result is something that is democratic, shareable and driven by the journey of creating unique and unexpected flavors. Empirical is writing a playbook that does not exist—one distillation, one spirit and one flavor at a time.
For More Information:
https://empirical.co/