If you’ve driven along 10th Street in Greeley, you may have noticed a new addition to the line of businesses along the area.
The Shine Shop and Craft Spirits at 2525 10th St., is Greeley’s newest addition to the city’s lineup of distilleries and breweries, introducing the community to the world of moonshine.
The shop, owned by David Pennington and his family, makes homemade moonshine that will dispel any misgivings you’ve had or dispel any rumors you’ve heard about the illicit liquor.
The term “moonshine” is slang for high-proof liquor that was, and is, produced illegally. The word derives from the tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, as to avoid getting caught by authorities.
Tasting Table, an online magazine dedicated to spirits, food and travel, defines moonshine as “homemade, un-aged whiskey, marked by its clear color, corn base and high alcohol content — sometimes peaking as high as 190 proof.”
The high-alcohol content of the clear liquor, partnered with its strong flavor, gave moonshine a reputation for killing people or leaving them blind or paralyzed. The spirit was often referred to as “white lightning.”
Moonshine made its way to the United States via Scottish and Irish immigrants who settled in the southeastern areas of the country. The spirit is often associated with the south and Southern culture.
Interest in the culture and production of moonshine has even lead to a television series, “Moonshiners,” on Discovery. The show chronicles the risks and challenges U.S. makers of moonshine go through to produce the spirit illegally and what law enforcement does to prevent it.
While the outside of the building is neat and simple, as if keeping with the tradition of moonshiners not wanting to bring attention to their operation, the inside of the distillery is where the character of the business really comes to life. The shop’s raw wood-paneled walls, galvanized metal sheeting additions and a gorgeous handmade wood bar gives guests a backwoods, rustic feel. Fun photos and signs as well as shelves with merchandise and knick-knacks decorate the walls. Even the bathrooms have their own character.
“I got in here, and it was just an empty warehouse. We gutted it and added some walls, put in a prep kitchen and basically everything you see here now,” Pennington explained. “The bar is made from all used materials. Me and my wife poured the epoxy on the bar. It was definitely a learning process.
“But I really enjoyed it,” he added.
Prior to opening the shop, Pennington worked in the oil field industry for more than 19 years.
“I was kind of looking ahead, and I’ve always done a little bit of distilling and enjoyed it at home. I had a passion for it,” he said. “The oil field was scaling down, and I had a heart-to-heart talk with my wife that I wanted to open a distillery.”
The couple had previously discussed opening their own distillery three years down the road, but as we all know, we don’t get any younger, so Pennington and his wife, Donnielle, decided to take a chance on their distilling skills and open The Shine Shop.
While COVID-19 was causing problems for new and existing businesses, the Penningtons used the opportunity to file the necessary paperwork with the city, state and government, scout possible locations and eventually renovate the current location.
The couple opened the doors to The Shine Shop in the second week of February 2021.
“So, we’ve been open for a little over two months now,” Pennington said. “This building sat vacant for a little over four years so when people drive by, they don’t expect anything to be here. So we are on social media and relying on word of mouth.”
The Penningtons are also Army veterans and show their pride of serving and appreciation to other veterans through military plaques hung behind the bar.
“I was active for a little over three years and inactive for four,” Pennington said. “I got out in 2000, and my wife got out in 1996/97.”
Behind the bar, in the back of the shop sits the stills that Pennington uses to make his moonshine and other spirits as well as where bottles are filled and prepped for sale or to be shipped out to wholesale distributors.
“The difference between my moonshine and others is that mine is from a bourbon mash, so it’s a lot more palatable than most. I don’t make stuff that’s real strong like that, that people don’t like to drink,” Pennington said. “It should be sweet and there should be a sweet note in it. And it should be good and palatable, and you should enjoy drinking it.”
Pennington is more than glad to give customers a tour of the still area and a peek into the process of making moonshine.
“I will not charge anyone for a distillery tour,” he said. “I want you to come on back, and I’ll explain it to you. That way if you have a question about something, I can help you. I want you to know you’re drinking good liquor.”
Pennington uses a lot of fruit flavors when creating his moonshine, another difference between his spirits and those of more traditional moonshine.
“I like making the one-off stuff that’s really unique,” he said.
Some of the shops featured liquors include:
- Sip of Blackberry: 50-proof liquor flavored with blackberries, organic neutral grain spirits and organic agave nectar.
- Moonshine Swaggle: the shop’s un-aged 80-proof whiskey made with corn and other grains.
- Apple Agave Spirit: a 100-proof liquor made using fresh apples. According to the shop, it has “all the bark but none of the bite” of similar spirits.
- Chopping Wood Moonshine: another 110-proof creation, this spirit is the shop’s force-aged whiskey.
Customers can order drinks on the rocks or opt for one of Paddington and family’s several featured cocktails such as the Bee’s Knees Martini, made with Green Tea Gin, simple honey and a squeeze of lemon juice; the Sex in the Woods, a mixture of Shine Shop Moonshine, Sip of Apple, topped off with cranberry and orange juice; or an adult Cherry Limeade with Sip of Lime, Shine Shop Vodka, cherry juice and lime juice all mixed with muddled cherries.
The shop also serves classic cocktails such as a Vodka Collins, gin and tonic, Tom Collins and vodka martini.
Can’t decide on just one flavor of shine or spirit to try? The shop has you covered with a four- or six-shooter flight with your choice of liquors.
In addition to some shine, the distillery offers a small menu of snacks and finger foods with the choice of cheese quesadillas, pretzels, boneless chicken bites, cheese sticks and on Fridays and Saturdays, meatball or sausage sliders with chips.
“We are going to be getting a barbecue pit here in a few weeks, and my middle son is going to school to be a chef so he is helping me develop some of the stuff for the menu,” Pennington said. “On the weekends we do specials. I do homemade green chili. We do tacos and stuff like that.”
The shop also sells bottles of their distilled spirits that make for a great gift for family, friends or just for yourself to enjoy.
Depending on the spirit, prices range from $26 up to $36.99 for each 750 ml bottle when purchased at the distillery.
On the wholesale side, The Shine Shop spirits can be found at several liquor stores in Greeley and around the area.
On The Rocks at 4637 29th St., in Greeley, as well as the Windsor Craft Cooler at 401 Pointe Plaza Drive, Unit D, in Windsor, carry The Shine Shop products. The distillery has also branched out to North Star Liquor, 4919 Thompson Parkway, in Johnstown, Hometown Liquor, 425 Meadow Lark Drive, in Berthoud and Spirits of Downtown New Castle at 302 W. Main St., in New Castle.
The Shine Shop is scheduled to host its official grand opening 2 p.m. Saturday, May 15 with a barbecue, games, tastings, music and more.
The distillery is also working on offering classes that will include a day of instruction with Pennington to learn how to make your own spirits, lunch and a half gallon of spirits to take home and enjoy.
With the extra space in the back of the shop, Pennington is hoping to add some pool tables for some friendly competition between customers.
“It’s fun, and I can tell you I really enjoy coming to work,” Pennington said, smiling. “I’ve done construction, I worked in an oil field for a long time, but I really enjoy doing this. It’s a passion of mine.”
For more information on The Shine Shop and Craft Spirits, available spirits, upcoming classes and more, go to www.theshineshop.org.
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The Shine Shop and Craft Spirits in Greeley introduces customers to moonshine — minus the backwoods sneaking around - Greeley Tribune
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