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Empirical moves into food with Provisions range

Danish distiller Empirical has entered the culinary space with the launch of a collection of sauces and cooking ingredients.

Empirical has created four pantry items using ingredients and techniques from its spirits and cans

The self-proclaimed ‘flavour company’ was founded in 2017 by Lars Williams and Mark Emil Hermansen, two former employees of the acclaimed restaurant Noma.

Copenhagen-based Empirical made its debut with a range of spirits that defy categorisation. Its Ayuuk bottling, for instance, is made with Danish purple wheat, pilsner malt and pasilla chillies, and is rested in oloroso Sherry barrels.

“We see flavour as a way of connecting people from around the world,” Williams explained.

In February 2020, the company applied this flavour-focused approach to the ready-to-drink (RTD) category, rolling out two canned drinks, and last year released a third RTD.

Now the team has created Empirical Provisions, a line of sauces and other pantry items inspired by the techniques used in its brewing and distillation.

“Spirits and cans were the first steps in sharing flavour, and now we are expanding that connectivity with our Provisions line. Building on decades of experience in kitchens and countless fermentation trials, the Provisions simply make anything you cook delicious,” Williams said.

With development led by head of provisions Eric Heilig, four products have been launched.

Pasilla Sauce is made with the same pasilla mixe chillies used in the producer’s Ayuuk spirit, as well as lemongrass, galangal, baobab flour and more. It has been developed for use as a condiment and in cooking.

Next up, the range features two umami-driven liquids, Elixir 01 and Elixir 02. The former is inspired by Japanese shoyu, but with a Scandinavian twist – it uses steamed, organic Swedish fava beans and øland wheat that is fermented for six to eight weeks using a hybrid strain of koji, as well as grey French coarse salt. The latter, made from Empirical’s brewers’ grains, boasts an earthy dimension thanks to its use of lapsang souchong tea, which is smoked over pine bark.

Rounding out the offering is Tasty Paste, an umami paste that is also crafted with Empirical’s brewers’ grains. These are paired with smoked barley koji, fermented for 18 months to develop chocolatey, meaty flavours.

Empirical’s new food products are available to purchase at empirical.co.

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