It’s illicit, illegal if made at home for personal consumption, and if improperly distilled it might kill you: That’s moonshine, so named because historically, distillers made this style of liquor under cover of darkness after the sun went down.

But if you walk into The Shine Shop & Craft Spirits in Greeley, you’ll find a blast of authenticity wrapped in a sunny welcome. If you’re concerned about the operation’s legality, don’t be: distiller David Pennington and his wife, Donnielle, are both ex-military and Donnielle spent 16 years in law enforcement at the Garfield County Sheriff’s office.

The Penningtons met in the Army in 1994 while stationed at Ft. Carson. They married, moved to the Western Slope and David went into the oil field industry. After a transfer to Greeley, his employer, SRC Energy, was sold and David decided to turn his pipe dreams of becoming a distiller into reality.

The couple opened The Shine Shop in February 2021 with all hands on deck. Their four children are involved with operations: Jocelyn handles accounting and Sidney Covalt (who cheerily informed me that the spelling of her name is like the one in Montana, not Australia) is in charge of advertising and sales.

They also have a son who’s a chef to assist in the barbecue side of the business, and the Penningtons’ 16-year-old helps with bottling and labeling. Donnielle helps with bottling, cleanup and shop maintenance, but said she can mix a drink if she has to.

There are plenty of craft distilleries producing vodka and gin, but not many in the moonshine niche, Donnielle said. They figured taking on shine might intrigue people. Even so, along with moonshine, The Shine Shop produces organic neutral grain spirits — vodka, essentially — for their flavored drinks because they can proof it down and flavor the liquor with fresh fruit and agave. They also make a green tea gin.

“It’s not as piney as other gins, it’s very palatable,” she said.

What does it mean to ‘proof down?’ In the professional distilling world, proofing is a way to lower the alcohol’s ABV (alcohol by volume) level to a standard minimum strength that’s within legal bottling limits.

But historically, here’s a better snapshot to describe it: According to John Mariani’s Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink, before distilling spirits became a science, primitive distillers mixed equal amounts of spirits and gunpowder and then lit a match. If the concoction didn’t burn, it was too weak; too bright a flame was determined to be too strong. An even blue flame was Goldilocks just right, and the liquid was “proved.”

In the United States, the amount listed on the label as “proof” divided by one half indicates the alcohol content if measured at a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, Mariani writes.

“Since each degree of proof equals one-half percent alcohol, an 80-proof spirit would contain 40 percent alcohol,” he wrote.

David Pennington takes filtered water and a grain mash mixture of corn maize, malted wheat and malted rye. After heating, the sugar is extracted, cane sugar is added and then he pitches in yeast. The mash ferments for 36-48 hours during which the sugar bubbles away and ‘eats’ the yeast, turning it into alcohol.

Pennington uses a stripped still to turn the alcohol into vapor, runs that through a copper pipe, through a worm (another name for a copper coil) into a barrel filled with cold water. When it hits the cold water, it turns into alcohol.

At The Shine Shop, sips (neutral grain spirits that start at 200 proof and are proofed down to 50) come in flavors like lemon, apple, a floral strawberry, green tea, and berry-licious blackberry. Sweetened with agave, this is a good way to get acquainted with Pennington’s products.

If you’re not sure which of the tastes will appeal to you, order a four or six-shooter flight of sips to sample.

If you like whiskey — moonshine is basically un-aged whiskey — give the oaky Chopping Wood a try. A milder option is apricot, which is moonshine with fresh apricots and apricot wood. Pennington force ages it by pumping the alcohol through to get the flavor. The result is a fruity-tasting apricot whiskey.

The Shine Shop has cocktails poured with neutral grain spirits, and also with moonshine, like the Grapefruit Ginger Sour made with Chopping Wood Moonshine, grapefruit juice and ginger syrup.

Covalt sources premium garnishes — Armenian French cherries, for example — to balance the taste.

“Because it’s moonshine you’re getting a lot more alcohol flavor,” she said.

Pennington isn’t limiting his distillery to moonshine. He’s aging a honey rye malt with used Heaven Hill bourbon barrels, which will age for 6-9 months. There are also plans for a 5-year bourbon he purchased from a distillery in Indiana; that product will be available soon.

Overall, The Shine Shop is distilling 60 percent of its own product, with about 800 bottles out a month. They’re ramping up to begin distribution to 130 liquor stores around Colorado, and will start shipping to the Dominican Republic to stock 50 mL shooters for hotel mini-bars.

The Shine Shop has a homey feel to it, with repurposed doors and light fixtures adding comfortable notes. And then there’s the barbecue: Pennington runs a hickory and charcoal smoker to make tender brisket, pulled pork, and ribs; as with everything else the family does, it’s authentic and tasty.

So pull up a chair, start sipping and make yourself at home with the Pennington family.

Where: 2525 W 10th Street, Greeley, CO 80634

Hours: Tues – Sat 11am – 10pm | Closed Sun – Mon

Contact: 970-702-2365 | theshineshop14@gmail.com

Important info: 100% veteran owned | Cocktails | Dine in & Carry-out BBQ after 4pm Tues – Fri and all day on Saturday | Live music, games, tastings | Follow on Facebook | family friendly

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