Cooper King Distillery entwickelt Methode zur Kalträucherung von Whisky-Fässern

Die Cooper King Distillery, über die wir bereits mehrfach berichten durften, stellt heute ihre neue Methode zur Kalträucherung von Whisky-Fässern und ihren in diesen gereiften Whisky vor.
Die englische Brennerei in Yorkshire wollte einen getorften Whisky herstellen, ohne einen komplett neuen getorften Rohbrand zu kreieren. In ihrem kleinen Maßstab wäre dies finanziell und technisch schwierig gewesen. Zusammen mit dem lokalen Master Cooper Alastair Simms entwickelte die Destillerie deshalb einen speziellen Kalträucherofen, der dann in einer erste Versuchs-Charge zwei Fässer unterschiedlich lange mit Torf geräuchert hat.

Möglicherweise bietet dieses Kalträuchern von Fässern, so die Cooper King Distillery, eine innovative und praktische Möglichkeit, mit nachhaltigen Torfalternativen zu experimentieren, insbesondere für kleinere Brennereien. Bei ihr steht beispielsweise Heidekraut aus den Yorkshire ganz oben auf der Liste, so Head Distiller Dr. Abbie Jaume, die die Brennerei 2016 gemeinsam mit dem Architekten Chris Jaume gründete.

Aus diesem Experiment der kaltgeräucherten Fässer veröffentlicht die Cooper King Distillery jetzt Smoked Cask: Peat-Smoked Oak. Der Single Malt Whisky vereint drei First-Fill-Bourbonfässer: ein ungeräuchertes zur Kontrolle, eines, welches eine Stunde lang, und eines, welches vier Stunden geräuchert wurde. Nach drei Jahren und drei Monaten Reifezeit wurden die Fässer miteinander vermählt. Smoked Cask: Peat-Smoked Oak, auf 206 Flaschen limitiert, ist jetzt online bei der Cooper King Distillery für £115 erhältlich.

Mehr zur Cooper King Distillery, ihrer Kalteräucherung von Fässern und Smoked Cask: Peat-Smoked Oak in der folgenden englischsprachigen Pressemitteilung:

UK FIRST: Cooper King Distillery Develops Pioneering Cold-Smoked Cask Maturation Method

YORKSHIRE, UK – NOVEMBER 2025: Cooper King Distillery, a leading name in sustainable distillation, have developed a pioneering method of maturing whisky in cold-smoked casks, in what is believed to be a UK-first.

The award-winning Yorkshire distillery worked with local Master Cooper, Alastair Simms, on the three casks used for the initial release. Simms built a custom cold-smoker, attaching it directly to whole ex-bourbon casks. For this first experimental batch, two casks were smoked using peat for varying lengths of time to gauge the impact on the whisky’s flavour profile.

Distillery co-owner Chris Jaume explains the motivation behind the innovation:

“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 small scale. So, when Alastair explained his idea for cold-smoked casks, we jumped at it. We’re huge lovers of smoked food, and we couldn’t understand why no one had applied the same process used to create smoked salmon or cheese, to a whisky cask.”

Future Alternatives to Peat

This method is not just about flavour – it is a critical response to the whisky industry’s ongoing debate regarding the use of peat, a vital carbon sink. Cooper King believes cold-smoking casks offers an innovative, practical way to experiment with sustainable peat alternatives, particularly for smaller distillers.

The first experimental batch used peat in the smoker as an important benchmark, but the distillery’s focus is now firmly on local, sustainable alternatives.

“Local heather cut from the Yorkshire Dales is top of our list,” says Head Distiller, Abbie Jaume. “The environmental benefits of avoiding peat bog degradation are clear, but the flavour potential is also incredibly exciting. Using elements of our local surroundings to shape the flavour profile creates a whisky that captures the essence of its place, and for us that’s always been a marker of a great whisky.”

While this initial release is limited to just 206 bottles, the distillery is committed to the method. Chris Jaume states they will immediately begin a smoked cask programme:

“As soon as we tasted the samples we knew we were onto something great. The next step is to build an on-site smoker so we can guarantee plenty more of this ridiculously delicious whisky in the future.”

Crucially, Cooper King is not keeping the method under wraps. They are keen to share their findings, hoping cold-smoking casks will become a crucial, accessible technique for smaller distillers to explore new, sustainable peat alternatives.

Smoked Cask: Peat-Smoked Oak

56.1% abv | Non-chill filtered and natural colour | 70cl | £115

The Cooper King Distillery

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 whisky and gin distillery near York, producing sustainable spirits distilled with craftsmanship, honesty, and adventure.

Cooper King Distillery was inspired by Abbie and Chris’s desire to leave the rat-race. They travelled across the globe and became fascinated by the community of whisky distilleries in Tasmania. With a mission to bring their discoveries back to England, the couple gave up their established careers and set up a sustainable gin and whisky distillery back home in Yorkshire.

The distillery is open for guided tours and tastings on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Tours can be booked at www.cooperkingdistillery.co.uk/guided-distillery-tour

Sustainability

Cooper King Distillery is a pioneer in the field of sustainable spirits production. Since production began in 2018 they have been partnered with Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust to help fund some of their key environmental projects: planting native broadleaf woodland since 2018 and restoring wildflower meadows since 2022. To date, over 36,000 square metres of woodland and wildflower meadow have been planted or restored, in the Yorkshire Dales.

The distillery is one of only a handful in the country to run on 100% renewable energy. They produced the first gin in Europe with 1% for the Planet® accreditation and certified carbon-negative, and England’s first net zero energy whisky in 2023.

Cooper King was the first distillery in the country to offer a gin refill scheme. It also ships all orders in plastic-free packaging thanks to a clever origami-style recycled cardboard box developed with a local box-maker and saves 26 tonnes of fresh water a year due to the use of innovative vacuum gin stills.

For further information, please email Zoë Rutherford, Marketing Manager, zoe@cooperkingdistillery.co.uk