Beim Charity Tasting des York Whisky Clubs, zu dem Destillerien und unabhängige Abfüller Flaschen spenden, konnte sich die Cooper King Distillery zum zweiten Mal in Folge den Titel des „Dram of the Night“ erringen, und das gegen hochkarätige Konkurrenz mit Flaschenpreisen bis zu 800 Pfund. Diesmal war es der extra fürs Tasting abgefüllte „Super Smoky“, der die Gäste überzeugen konnte.
Die Einnahmen des Tastings gehen übrigens an das St Leonard’s Hospice in York, das sich um Sterbende und Menschen mit tödlichen Erkrankungen kümmert. Bislang konnten so Spenden in der Höhe von 5.600 Pfund eingesammelt werden.
Die Cooper King Distillery hat uns dazu die folgende Aussendung mit Bildern und einem Video gesendet:
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Cooper King smokes whisky giants with second ‚Dream Drams‘ win
York Whisky Club launched its ‘Dream Drams’ tasting in 2023 to introduce attendees to whiskies that they would be unlikely to experience otherwise, including sold-out first releases, old and rare bottlings, and high-value or exclusive bottlings that are usually collected rather than opened. The first year was such a success that in 2024 it became the first of many tastings used by the club to raise money (£5,600 so far) for York-based St Leonard’s Hospice, who provide care and support for terminally ill people, and people with life-limiting illnesses.
As part of recognising the kind support of distilleries, independent bottlers and other partners contributing to the charity tasting through their donations, the Dream Drams award was created in 2024 for the whisky voted ‘dram of the night’. With age statements ranging up to 34yrs, and retail prices to £800/bottle, the tasting has pitted giants of the Scotch whisky industry against the craft of the leading independent bottlers and award-winning English distilleries.
Against this competitive backdrop, Yorkshire-based Cooper King have become a two-time award winner, with their ‘Double Matured: New Oak into Armagnac’ release in 2024, and a tasting-exclusive “Super Smoky” in December 2025, drawn from the remaining liquid in one of three casks that were used for recent sold-out release ‘Smoked Cask: Peat-Smoked Oak’.
“For Dream Drams, we ask attendees to buy tickets at a price that allows us to maximise our charity donations.
Jasper Hegarty-Ditton & Jim Deal, Co-founders, York Whisky Club
For that, our promise is amazing whisky and – if we can – we love to offer ‚unobtainium‘ that can NEVER be bought and they may try for the first, last and only time in that tasting. On the back of their win last year, we asked if Cooper King would be open to providing a truly unique whisky this year, and they did not disappoint.”
“Feedback from attendees for ‘Super Smoky’ included – ‘A revelation. Never tasted anything like that before’, and ‘When you want a smoky whisky, THAT is what you want.’ and we will definitely encourage them to release a whisky like this in the future. ”
“We’re huge whisky enthusiasts ourselves, so to be making whisky that our fellow whisky drinkers rate so highly means a ton to us. Especially when up against such unbelievable line-ups. We’re blown away by the support and can’t wait to get stuck into smoking more casks in the upcoming months.”
Chris Jaume, Co-founder, Cooper King Distillery
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
York Whisky Club
York Whisky Club is a four year old, not-for-profit club founded by Jasper Hegarty-Ditton and Jim Deal, who discovered a shared love of whisky when they worked together.
With an aim to share a passion for whisky with as many people as possible, the club has established a global following online, alongside running innovative York-based tastings that have paired whisky
with tapas and sherry, chocolate, cheese and even an award-winning film, to bring together those just getting into whisky and seasoned collectors.
