COPENHAGEN, Denmark— Empirical, a flavor company crafting free-form spirits with its unprecedented approach, unveils Symphony 6, its latest spirit that defies conventional categories. Symphony 6 (750ml/40% ABV/SRP $50) is now available for purchase at empirical.co and is rolling out first in New York State and California this month.
Inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (the “Pastoral Symphony”), his love letter to nature, it explores six highly aromatic yet underutilized leaves: mandarin orange, lemon, coffee (rolled and unrolled), blackcurrant and fig, as well as ambrette seeds and vetiver roots.
Symphony 6 represents the most botanicals that Empirical has ever used in a spirit, which was designed to excel in variations on iconic drinks like the Martini, Gimlet and French 75, as well as innovative cocktails.
Tasting Notes of an Eternal Summer Any Time of Year
With its medley of citrus and botanical notes, Symphony 6’s tasting notes are as follows:
- Appearance – A warm pink reminiscent of summer twilight.
- Nose – Leads with citrus notes and fragrant blackcurrant buds transitioning to a darker bouquet.
- Palate & Finish – Fragrant blackcurrant buds lead the way, followed by refreshing citrus acidity. The green and fruity fig leaves are then expressed, succeeded by the leathery muskiness of coffee leaves and ambrette seeds to finish on the length of vetiver roots.
Chef/Distiller & Co-Founder Lars Williams on Symphony 6
“Symphony 6 is the first Empirical spirit to feature this many different botanicals,” says Williams. “It was incredibly interesting to find ways for each botanical to shine, while also complementing each other. We used vacuum distillation to preserve and capture all of these incredible delicate flavors. We also leaned into the world of perfume to create an emotional through-line and worked with ingredients used in fragrances, vetiver roots and ambrette seeds, which are uncommon in the spirits world. Most importantly, it is delicious, highly versatile and easily swaps in for traditional clear spirits to add a new and exciting layer of complexity to classic cocktails.”
Symphony 6 can be enjoyed on its own chilled, whether neat or over ice. It resonates immediately among connoisseurs of botanical and citrus-forward spirits, like gin, and shines in variations of the Martini, Gimlet and the French 75. For those seeking the ultimate simple serve, Symphony 6 & Tonic, preferably Mediterranean, is noteworthy.
Symphony 6 delves into six leaves that, despite imparting profound aromas, are often discarded. Mandarin orange and lemon leaves bring refreshing bright acidity and light fruity notes. To create contrast, rolled and unrolled coffee leaves impart darker, leather notes. To flesh out the narrative arc with high points of conflict and resolution, fig leaves lend green and earthy flavors and a cooling sensation mimicking finding shade on a sun-drenched day. To tune up the high notes, blackcurrant buds add biting, green and sulfurous notes. Ambrette seeds and vetiver roots highlight the darker notes to reveal a distinctly musky and warm spirit.
The spirit has been embraced by top craft bartenders, including Iain Griffiths, who is spotlighting Symphony 6 at his Midnight Cafe in New York. Comprising the Empirical Limelight Series, they include:
- Tropical Rock Storm – A Negroni variation with Empirical Symphony 6, Campari, Cocchi Torino, Dolin Sweet Vermouth and coconut water
- Dancing Richard – A complex take on the Espresso Martini with Empirical Symphony 6, Kahlúa, espresso, simple syrup and saline solution
- Warner’s Delight – An elevated Sour with Empirical Symphony 6, Empirical Ayuuk, Italicus, satsuma syrup and lemon juice
- Beaucoup Bucks – A salute to the Japanese Highball, with Empirical Symphony 6, Suntory Toki Japanese Blended Whisky, goldenberry koji syrup, bitters and Fever-Tree Club Soda
In addition to upcycling aromatic ingredients that are often discarded, Empirical tries wherever possible to source ingredients close to where the spirit is crafted. Symphony 6 is produced for the U.S. market at Barrel Brothers Brewing in Windsor, Calif., since the leaves of mandarin orange, lemon, coffee and fig are procured in California. This distillery was also chosen because of its use of vacuum distillation, which has been supplemented with additional technology by Empirical. For the rest of the world, Symphony 6 is produced at the company’s distillery in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The ingredients of Symphony 6 are macerated in Empirical’s own base spirit’s low wines distilled from Pilsner Malt fermented with Belgian Saison 2 yeast. The citrus leaves are macerated first. The coffee leaves are treated like tea and are bruised, oxidized and dried prior to their separate maceration. Fig leaves represent a third maceration. These are then distilled and blended to form a base spirit that is then married with an infusion of blackcurrant buds, coffee leaves, ambrette seeds and vetiver seeds and brought to proof with reverse osmosis water. All-natural cochineal extract provides its warm and vibrant pink color.
Symphony 6 is the latest creation of Empirical, the Copenhagen-based company co-founded by Lars Williams and Mark Emil Hermansen. The duo shares a view of flavor as a prime vessel for connecting people and creating conviviality, with alcohol as a carrier of flavor. Their spirits, which are crafted with flavor as their only guiding principle, transcend existing spirits categories and democratize the hard work and innovation at the height of the culinary world by impacting thousands of consumers. The two flavor visionaries first met and collaborated at the acclaimed Noma and Nordic Food Lab.
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