GIN

"If we had to use two words to describe Cooper King Dry Gin it’d be Game Changer"

- The Gin Fayre

To bring you a range of sustainable gins bursting with flavour and purpose, we combine innovative distillation techniques with locally-sourced botanicals and Yorkshire-grown wheat. With our absolute dedication to craftsmanship, honesty and transparency, there’s never been a better time to explore the world of cold-distilled gins.

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ETHICALLY SOURCED BOTANICALS

Signature botanicals are sourced close to the point of distillation to support English growers, reduce food miles and celebrate Yorkshire’s bounty. The delicious raw honey used in the Dry Gin comes from our on-site family beehives - which are cared for by Graham, head distiller Abbie’s father - and the lavender is grown and harvested 9 miles away. Fresh basil for the Herb Gin is either grown on site or sourced from a specialist grower near York. The juicy raspberries used in the Berry + Basil Liqueur are all grown on Spilmans Farm, an independent, family-owned farm just 15 miles from the distillery.

We work with an ethical supplier for the more exotic ingredients - such as cardamom and clove - and are actively exploring ways to reduce the number of imported botanicals we use. Over the last three years head gardener and Abbie’s mother Pauline has been carefully tending to our trial batches of lemongrass in the on-site polytunnel. The results have been stunning, with this botanical beginning to be weaved into our recipes.

Gin’s key ingredient is the wonderful juniper berry, of which we use the variety Juniperus communis which brings that all important resinous, piney note to our gins. We currently import our juniper, though have just planted our first bushes on site.

LOCAL YORKSHIRE WHEAT

All UK-distilled gin must start with a neutral, high-strength alcohol which is predominantly distilled from grain.

Small-scale batch production of neutral alcohol is energy intensive. As a distillery focussed on sustainability, we strive to reduce the environmental impact of our products as far as possible. That is why we’ve chosen to work with a long-established local distillery who distil it entirely from Yorkshire wheat on their cutting-edge energy-efficient continuous column stills. This partnership better supports local farmers and significantly reduces the environmental footprint of one of our key ingredients. The result is a clear and pure wheat spirit with a beautiful silky texture. Some of the wheat is even grown in the field adjacent to the distillery, just 20 metres from the gin stills. This is where the fun begins.

INNOVATIVE COLD DISTILLATION

To create gins of exceptional character we take an innovative approach to distillation, cold-distilling botanicals under vacuum with a smooth Yorkshire wheat spirit. Awarded an innovation grant to explore the potential this distillation technique can bring to flavour, head distiller and former scientist Abbie set about creating spirits with a desire to keep flavours as fresh in your glass as they are in the wild. The result is a range of spirits with the freshest, most vibrant flavours unlike any others, all distilled with 100% renewable energy.

Botanicals are crushed, cracked or chopped and macerated in wheat spirit to coax out their flavour compounds. The glass vacuum still is then charged with this maceration and gently heated. Simultaneously a vacuum is drawn through the still, reducing atmospheric pressure and importantly, allowing distillation to occur at much cooler temperatures than traditional gin distillation which takes place upwards of 80°C.

The enriched alcohol vapour rises into the closed-loop condenser where it cools and condenses into a spirit full of botanical-derived essential oils and flavour. Once combined with pure Yorkshire water, a week-long resting period then follows allowing compounds to integrate and harmonise.

BOTTLED AND LABELLED BY HAND

All Cooper King gins are bottled and labelled by hand, one at a time, by our small and dedicated team. The batch number is handwritten on each bottle to provide full traceability back through the process, right down to the farm on which the wheat was grown, or the season in which the honey was collected.