A North Yorkshire distillery has created what is thought to be the world’s smallest wooden casks.
Cooper King Distillery, based in Sutton-on-the-Forest, has worked with master cooper Jonathan Manby on the pair of casks.
They have been painstakingly hand-coopered from individual, virgin English oak staves.
They are finished with hand-made copper hoops and presented in an oak frame. The 750ml capacity casks are individually numbered and engraved, with each base stamped with the cooperage’s mark.
Now they are up for auction. They have a reserve price of £350 each, which covers the cost to produce each cask.
Half of all proceeds above the reserve price will be donated to charity partner the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, to fund community outreach projects in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Each cask comes with one litre of the distillery’s gold-medal winning New-Make Malt Spirit whisky, ready to be filled by the winner bidders.
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Co-founder of Cooper King Distillery Christopher Jaume said: “The collaboration between Cooper King Distillery and Jensen’s Cooperage showcases the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the cooper, celebrates the beauty of oak and creates something timeless – a treasure to be passed down through generations.
“These are living, breathing casks. Each one gives the owner the chance to age their own spirit and to experience the wonder of maturation first hand.”
Jonathan Manby of Jensen’s Cooperage said: “Drawing on my years of experience, and investment of over 100 hours of research and development into this collaboration, we have created something beautiful yet functional, that pushes the boundaries of what can be achieved when working with oak.”
The auction is underway here. The closing date for bids is 11pm on Thursday 30th June.