Cooper King Distillery, a leader in sustainable distillation, has unveiled a UK-first innovation — a method of maturing whisky in cold-smoked casks.
Working alongside local Master Cooper Alastair Simms, the award-winning Yorkshire distillery developed three experimental casks for the first release. Simms designed a custom cold-smoker, attaching it directly to ex-bourbon casks. Two of these were smoked using peat for varying durations to study the impact on flavour.
Co-owner Chris Jaume explained:
“We wanted to make a peated whisky without creating a whole new peated new-make spirit, which would be financially and technically tricky at our scale. When Alastair proposed cold-smoked casks, we jumped at it. We love smoked food — and couldn’t understand why the same process used for smoked salmon or cheese hadn’t been applied to whisky.”
This approach goes beyond flavour innovation — it addresses the industry’s debate around peat use, a vital carbon sink. Cooper King sees cold-smoking as a sustainable way to explore alternatives to peat, especially for smaller distillers.
Head Distiller Abbie Jaume added:
“Local heather cut from the Yorkshire Dales is top of our list. Avoiding peat bog degradation has clear environmental benefits — but the flavour potential is equally exciting. Using local ingredients to shape flavour captures the spirit of place, which is what great whisky should do.”
This first batch is limited to 206 bottles, bottled at 56.1% ABV, non-chill filtered and natural in colour. Price: £115 (70cl).
Following the success of the initial trial, the distillery plans to expand with an on-site smoker, continuing its smoked cask programme. “We knew immediately we were onto something special,” said Chris Jaume.
Importantly, Cooper King is open-sourcing the method, encouraging other small distilleries to experiment with cold-smoking and sustainable alternatives to peat.
Founded in 2016 by Dr Abbie Jaume (a former scientist) and Chris Jaume (a chartered architect), Cooper King Distillery is an independent, self-built, crowdfunded distillery near York, known for producing sustainable gin and whisky.
The distillery operates on 100% renewable energy and has achieved several sustainability milestones:
- First carbon-negative gin in Europe with 1% for the Planet® accreditation.
- Produced England’s first net zero energy whisky (2023).
- Partnered with Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, funding native woodland planting and wildflower meadow restoration — over 36,000 m² restored to date.
- Offers a gin refill scheme, plastic-free packaging, and vacuum stills saving 26 tonnes of water annually.
Distillery tours and tastings run Wednesdays and Saturdays — bookable at www.cooperkingdistillery.co.uk/guided-distillery-tour.
