Empirical Ayuuk
Empirical Ayuuk is a 43% ABV (86 proof) spirit in a 750mL bottle from Copenhagen's Empirical — the flavor company founded in 2017 by Noma alumni Lars Williams and Mark Emil Hermansen. Its sole botanical is the Pasilla Mixe chili, smoked for up to 30 days with oak wood by Mixe farmers in the Sierra Norte mountains of Oaxaca, macerated in a spirit distilled from Danish heritage purple wheat and pilsner malt, then rested in Oloroso sherry casks. Smoky, earthy, and savory, it drinks like a cousin of mezcal that grew up somewhere else entirely. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 43% (86 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Botanical: Pasilla Mixe chili (sole botanical), oak-smoked up to 30 days
- Origin: Copenhagen, Denmark — chili from Oaxaca, Mexico
- Production: purple wheat + pilsner malt spirit base; distilled; rested in Oloroso sherry cask; no added sugar
A Hike Through the Sierra Norte, Distilled
Empirical's whole project is bottling sense memory, and Ayuuk is the landscape of the Mixe mountains: warm earth, sun-dried dark red fruit, and an enveloping oak-and-chili smokiness that the Oloroso rest rounds into something savory rather than aggressive. The purple-wheat base gives it a bready, grainy spine that lets the chili's complexity read clearly. The Spirits Business noted its 2019 release as a standout among new spirits, and bars use it like a smoky modifier with an umami streak. Browse more experimental bottles in the liqueur collection and spirits shelf, or the Empirical collection at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Empirical's own description: earthy, dark red fruit, smoky. Retail sources elaborate: warm earth and sun-dried dark red fruits with nuanced, lingering smokiness; smooth, distinct, and savory on the finish after the Oloroso cask rest.
How to Enjoy
Over ice, or in Empirical's own serve — with grapefruit soda and a squeeze of lime as a smoky Paloma — or with ginger beer for a warming highball.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Empirical Ayuuk made from?
Smoked Pasilla Mixe chilis from Oaxaca, macerated in a spirit of Danish purple wheat and pilsner malt, rested in Oloroso sherry casks.
Is Ayuuk like mezcal?
It shares mezcal's smoky soul, but its base is grain (not agave) and its flavor centers on a single smoked chili — its own category entirely.
Who is Empirical?
A Copenhagen "flavour company" founded in 2017 by Noma veterans Lars Williams and Mark Emil Hermansen.
Smoky, savory, and unlike anything else on your bar — order Empirical Ayuuk online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.