COOPER King Distillery is a self-built gin and whisky distillery built on the site of an old family stable.

Formed in 2016, by Dr Abbie Neilson, a former scientist, and Chris Jaume, a chartered architect, Cooper King Distillery is independent, family owned and powered by 100 per cent green energy.

With a desire to leave the rat race, the co-founders travelled abroad. Whilst visiting Australia they became fascinated by Tasmania’s eight operational whisky distilleries and the hand-crafted premium whisky industry.

With a mission to bring their discoveries back to Britain, Chris and Abbie set up an independent, sustainable distillery in Sutton-on-the-Forest.

They secured investment from an European Regional Development Fund grant that enabled them to work with the Biorenewables Development Centre to explore sustainable end-routes for the distillery waste.

With the build yet to be completed and equipment needed, the pair were keen to give back to its early supporters and launched a successful crowdfunding scheme - the Cooper King Distillery Founders’ Club which helped to complete the distillery’s build and operations.

The pair were committed from the offset to support their local environment and ensure a carbon neutral business and so pledged to plant trees for every bottle of gin sold via a partnership with Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust to plant trees into neighbouring Yorkshire Dales.

The distillery which is in the running for the Socially Responsible Business of the Year award opened its doors and released its first product, Cooper King Dry Gin in May 2018.

Just over a year later, almost 9000 bottles of gin have been sold and the distillery now stocks a range of three flavours, the original Dry, Smoked and Spiced and Herb Gin and is now launching a pilot series including a new-make spirit, a berry and basil liqueur and a black cardamom botanical vodka.