Empyrical Orchard & Cidery is the 2023 GLINTCAPCidermaker of the Year for the micro-scale category (5,000 gallons or less produced for year), with three of their cider & perry products taking home Best in Class awards.
Empyrical was founded by husband and wife Adam Wargacki and Elizabeth Lockhart, in partnership with Elizabeth's parents Burt and Diane Lockhart. Their ciders are refined by considered sips, edited, and blended by consensus. Cidermaker Adam is a chemist, orchardist, and award-winning winemaker. Together with his brother Matthew, Adam has participated in the design and planting of several new regional orchards as well as ongoing educational efforts, lectures, and workshops in community horticulture. As creative director, Elizabeth curates the brand aesthetic.
Empyrical Cider entered commercial production in 2021, and about 1/3 of their limited volume is grown onsite in Snohomish, Washington, where they have
seven acres of over 1,500 pome fruit trees. They blend their estate harvest with regional heirloom apples to attain the aromatic intensity and tannic structure of fine wine, enlivened by the fruit-forward approachability of a budding Pacific Northwest cider style. Fermented in oak and aged mostly in glass, every bottle is best poured carefully off the lees and warmed in hand.
