A Tasting of Copper King Distillery New make spirit batch 5 and the maturing malt @15 months old.
New Make Spirit (batch 5) 60% ABV
Double distilled in Neilson, our 900 litre Tasmanian copper pot still, after on site mashing and long fermentation of 100% floor malted Maris Otter barley.
Cooper King distillery
Appearance
Obviously clear, but very viscous, even at this stage it has decent legs, quite syrupy in fact.
Batch 5 swirling, sticky top line, rapid drop of legs, lovely fresh nose #thewhiskeychaps
— david brodie (@davidjbrodie) September 23, 2021
Nose
@CKdistillery New make nose – Definitely getting a banana vibe here, mango, hazelnuts, i’m also getting a botanical note. There’s a dunnage aroma and a faint menthol note too. #thewhiskeychaps.
A second nosing reveals Hob nob biscuits, a very faint perfume aroma, and the menthol is a little stronger this time for me.
The pastry note is still there with this, nice baking aromas: brown sugar & cinnamon. I’m also getting steak/slow cooked meat bark, which is new but very nice #thewhiskeychaps
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) September 23, 2021
Palate
@CKdistillery New make palate – Easy going at 60% ABV tbh, quite oily too, banana, hazelnuts, grapefruit, i agree with @whiskeychap with the blood oranges, perhaps cranberries too, definitely a little grapefruit in there. #thewhiskeychaps
Tasting it again i get espresso, wood polish, cigar leaves, and orange rind.
It has a bit of a punch to it on the palate (not added water yet), but not sure I’d have guessed 59.7% for the abv.
— Gentleman Grimm (@GentlemanGrimm) September 23, 2021
Still getting that chilli note but getting plenty of sweetness too and a tart fruit note (rhubarb and custard as the notes say fits perfectly).#TheWhiskeyChaps
Finish
There is a lovely mouthfeel by now, and i have to say it’s a combination of chest warming and fruit sweet. I’d go as far as to say it does taste like a sherry cask finished whisky to a degree, those dark fruits, like mince pie filling.
My thoughts
As the whiskey chaps we have tried 14-15 new make spirits now, it says a lot about which direction the distilleries are heading in. New make spirits do vary quite a bit with different barley and yeast strains being used.
The combination used here isn’t the most commonly used barley strain, and it does give off banana and nutty notes, as well as a little citrus fruit edge, leading on to dark fruits, it is very nice indeed, and has been crafted so well. It’s a great base to start from.
Maturing Spirit @ 15 months old 59.7% ABV.
Grain: Maris Otter heritage two-row barley. Malting: 100% floor malted, Warminster maltings. Yeast: Distiller’s, dried. Fermentation time: 6-7 days. Distillation: Double distilled, 900 litre copper pot still. Cask filling: 60% abv, cask #7. Cask: Ex-bourbon corn whisky (1st fill bourbon, 2nd fill corn whiskey), 100 litres, American oak, char #4. Bottling: single cask, cask strength,15 months old,natural colour, non chill filtered.
Appearance
@CKdistillery 15 month spirit A – Very light in colour, chardonnay like, the swirl line beads up straight away, and like the new make coats the glass evenly, then starts to drop teardrops. #thewhiskeychaps
Nose
Again, maturing spirit, hasn’t made it to the lips yet, cos I can’t get it off my nose! 🤬😂😂
— david brodie (@davidjbrodie) September 23, 2021
Vibrant citrus bomb. I’m going in….
@CKdistillery Maturing spirit nose – Old style hubba bubba chewing gum, slightly dusty, definitely linseed oil, perhaps even old style glazing putty @jenkaloid. Then lots of cocktail cherries, vanilla custard, cherry crumble and custard in fact for me. #thewhiskeychaps
On nosing again i’m getting menthol coming through, and there’s a meatiness too, and i hadn’t noticed just how spicy the nose on this feels, and it’s almost fizzy like.
Palate
Oh yes, lovely & oily on the palate already, great mouthfeel. The buttery feel follows through from the nose. There’s a slight spiciness and drying from the ABV which adds character. #thewhiskeychaps
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) September 23, 2021
@CKdistillery maturing spirit palate – Definitely getting those blood oranges here, i’ll say latte too, chocolate orange, pomello’s too @Graham__Coull, black peppercorns, liquorice, anise, raisins, strawberry jam, raspberries and blackcurrants. #thewhiskeychaps
@CKdistillery maturing spirit palate – the longer it sits the new make fruitiness does eventually push itself through, the wood, fruits, and FF spiciness are just lovely. I will have to sit with these again for longer for my tasting notes #thewhiskeychaps
On tasting a 2nd time i’m getting milk chocolate digestives and ginger root, it’s lovely and spicy.
There you go, Mick, look for heavily charred to avoid the dreaded sulphur!! #thewhiskeychaps
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) September 23, 2021
Finish
Long side of medium in length, mouth tingling, chest warming, black forest gateau, mince pies with vanilla custard. I’m getting a touch of drying, like cranberries, and an oiliness too. The drying glass is all about red berry strudel.
Finish: Slight spiciness, buttered popcorn, chocolate and chilli. Short to medium in length. #thewhiskeychaps
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) September 23, 2021
My thoughts
To be honest i had to keep reminding myself that this maturing spirit is only 15 months old, it already has so much influence. The only thing that gives it away is that after a while the real fruity aspect of the New make spirit does come through. Cooper King have so far balanced this so well, it is lovely stuff. I really am looking forward to their whiskies.
Overall thoughts
Thanks to – Abbie Neilson, co-founder of, and @whiskysophie, assistant distiller at, the Cooper King distillery, @GentlemanGrimm, @davidjbrodie, and @Lambence for all joining us on the tasting. Much more was talked about than just tasting notes, Abbie and Sophie thankfully answered quite a few questions for us, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Cooper King distillery can be found here, Gentleman Grimm’s Youtube channel can be found here.
Follow @CKdistillery Follow @whiskysophie Follow @GentlemanGrimm Follow @davidjbrodie Follow @Lambence Follow @thewhiskeychaps
