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

Elevate your Martini to a new standard.
Split Empirical Olive with Vodka or Gin and stir with a touch of Extra Dry Vermouth for the Olive Martini. Delicious, consistent and ready in seconds. Or get creative and add a savory note to an Olive Negroni or an Olive Highball.

Empirical Olive features a smooth French wheat base, layered with the green, herbal and nutty profile of Gordal and Manzanilla olives. Not briny, but a balanced umami: round on the palate, with notes of dark herbs, cut grass and a lingering olive oil finish.

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Empirical Stonefruit 750ml bottle, front label with peach and apricot illustration
Empirical Stonefruit 750ml bottle, back label with flavor wheel
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
A tattooed arm holding a bottle of Empirical Stonefruit against a black background

Empirical Stonefruit

Refine your coffee cocktails and make them memorable.
Shake Empirical Stonefruit with Vodka, espresso and Coffee Liqueur for a spectacular Stonefruit Espresso Martini, or bring it into a classy Mind Eraser. For something lighter, the Stonefruit Tom Collins adds a soft, fruity depth to the classic.

Empirical Stonefruit opens with a beautiful bitter almond and marzipan aroma, lifted by the tea-like fragrance of marigold, then moves into a gently juicy, tannic mid-palate. The finish is soft and warming, with notes of pastry dough and vanilla, like frangipane tarts in Grandma's kitchen.

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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

Make your Margaritas unique.
Split Empirical Cilantro with Tequila or Mezcal, then shake with Orange Liqueur and lime for the Cilantro Margarita. Top it with Fever-Tree Yuzu & Lime mixer for a crisp, citrus-forward highball in the Cilantro Yuzu & Lime, or explore a different flavor profile with a Cilantro Chocolate Negroni.

Empirical Cilantro brings a bright citrus bouquet and a pop of garden-fresh herbs, then finishes dry and mineral, with hints of fennel and green tomato. Tomatillo evokes the flavor of the stem, lime brings out the green notes of the leaf, and a touch of vinegar ties everything together.

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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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Trusted By The Top Establishments

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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%

    Elevate your Martini to a new standard.
    Split Empirical Olive with Vodka or Gin and stir with a touch of Extra Dry Vermouth for the Olive Martini. Delicious, consistent and ready in seconds. Or get creative and add a savory note to an Olive Negroni or an Olive Highball.

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

    Empirical Cilantro / ABV 38%

    Make your Margaritas unique.
    Split Empirical Cilantro with Tequila or Mezcal, then shake with Orange Liqueur and lime for the Cilantro Margarita. Top it with Fever-Tree Yuzu & Lime mixer for a crisp, citrus-forward highball in the Cilantro Yuzu & Lime, or explore a different flavor profile with a Cilantro Chocolate Negroni.

  • Empirical Stonefruit bottle beside sliced peaches and their stones

    Empirical Stonefruit / ABV 32%

    Refine your coffee cocktails and make them memorable.
    Shake Empirical Stonefruit with Vodka, espresso and Coffee Liqueur for a spectacular Stonefruit Espresso Martini, or bring it into a classy Mind Eraser. For something lighter, the Stonefruit Tom Collins adds a soft, fruity depth to the classic.

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

    Ayuuk / ABV 43%

    Bring a smoky depth to your cocktails.
    Empirical Ayuuk plays naturally with Mezcal and Whiskey. Try it neat or on the rocks, or give an Old Fashioned an outstanding twist.

  • Empirical Soka bottle beside sorghum heads against a pale sky

    Soka / ABV 43%

    A change-up for your white Rum cocktails.
    Try the Daiquiri or Mojito.

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

    Symphony 6 / ABV 40%

    Add a new level of complexity to your gin-based cocktails.
    Try with a Symphony 6 & Tonic, or add 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.