Cooper King Distillery

History

Cooper King Distillery was founded by Abbie and Chris, who travelled to Tasmania and learned the craft behind Tasmanian whisky, before returning to Yorkshire and building the distillery from the ground up. They call the distillery a Yorkshire spirit with a Tasmanian heart: "Yorkshire Spirit – Tasmanian Heart". The company places sustainability high on its agenda and describes itself as a self-built, crowdfunded project driven by adventure and community. Founders’ Club was launched in 2017 to finance the project through a community-driven approach and give early access to limited releases.

In 2023 they launched England's first net-zero energy whisky and since then have expanded the range with various Expedition- and Cask-series, while continuing to donate to the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and focusing on sustainability at all stages of production. The company also highlights that they plant 1 square meter of British woodland for each bottle and operate a gin and spirits production based on 100% renewable energy.

Production and Technology

Whisky Production

The whisky is made from 100% floor-malted English Maris Otter barley, malted at Warminster Maltings and hand-malted at the distillery. Fermentation lasts 5–7 days and yields a malted wash that is double-distilled in the special 900-litre Tasmanian copper-pot still. The resulting new-make spirit is bottled at approximately 70–75% ABV and then aged in small casks (typically 90–110 litres) in the distillery's own bonded maturation warehouse, with on-site maturation.

Gin and Other Spirits

Gin and vodka are distilled using vacuum distillation, which makes it possible to preserve the freshness of the botanicals. The distillery runs on 100% renewable energy, and the botanicals are sourced locally in Yorkshire. The honey for gin comes from on-site apiaries, and the bottles are labelled and hand-labelled at the distillery. Gin refills are offered as an environmentally friendly practice.

Sustainability and Packaging

Cooper King is committed to a range of sustainable initiatives: 100% renewable energy, planting UK woodland for every bottle (through the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust), and being a 1% for the Planet member. Packaging is designed with lightweight bottles (55% recycled glass), paper-based honeycomb inserts, and of course materials and labels without unnecessary waste. By-products are recycled: botanicals for bakery or composting, and spent malt for agriculture. The distillery also works to reduce water use through closed cooling systems and reuse of hot water in production.

Whisky Series and Products

Single Malt Whisky

Cooper King produces an English barley malt whisky made exclusively from English barley, floor-malted and hand-malted, distilled in Tasmania and aged in small casks on site. Bottlings are non-chill-filtered and free of artificial colours.

Expedition Series

Expedition Series includes releases such as Pioneer (Winter 2025), Sundown (Summer 2025), Transatlantic: Cocoa + Vanilla (Spring 2024) and Embers: Wood Smoke + Corn (Autumn 2024). These releases explore different cask combinations and maturations, and support the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

Cask Series and Founders’ Series

Cask Series includes single cask releases such as Single Cask: Cognac, Single Cask: American Rye Cask, and so on. Founders’ Series contains Limited Releases and Cask No. releases such as Founders’ Cask and Inaugural Release, as well as cask movements from 2019–2024. The releases are often non-chill-filtered, natural colour and hand-filled in small batches.

New-Make Malt Spirit (Pilot Series)

New-Make Malt Spirit is a young spirit that serves as the base for the whisky, produced in small batches with a focus on terroir notes and tropical fruit tones, and donates 1% to the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

Visits and Experiences

The distillery is open every Saturday from 12:00 to 18:00, with guided tours at 13:00 and 15:30. Access and parking are fine, and there is a bar and a shop on site. On-site B&B (The Kennel) and home tasting/virtual tastings via Home Tasting Experience are also offered, so you can experience Cooper King from home.

Philosophy

Cooper King describes itself through the motto "Craftsmanship, Honesty and Adventure" and blends Tasmanian inspiration with Yorkshire roots. They claim to be Europe’s first company to produce carbon-negative gin and net-zero energy whisky, and they continually work on sustainability across the board through:

• 100% renewable energy and on-site solar power

• 1% for the Planet and Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust partnerships, including woodland planting and rural apprenticeship programs

• Lightweight bottles and FSC materials in sealing and packaging

• Closed water and waste management, recycling of by-products and waste to compost and bio-heat

• Local ingredients and acorns for organic and regionally sourced flavor notes

"Net Zero Energy Whisky" and other sustainability initiatives are central to their communication and product development, and they showcase detailed sustainability reports and carbon credits on their website.