We ask an expert how spirits awards work and what it means for you – and your whisky…
Whiskey attracts all manner of people from myriad backgrounds. Luckily, one of the prevailing factors that shines through most craft distillers is a like-ability and authenticity that make them both fascinating and enjoyable to chat to and spend time with hearing their stories. One such person (with an exceptional tale to boot) is Simeon Daley of Penrock distillery in Cornwall. This is his tale of Tennessee Sourmash and Penrock Whiskey from Cornwall.
Simeon has led a varied and colourful life – one that has taken him halfway around the world, but seen him return to his native Cornwall with a new passion and skills that he’s deploying on his own, unique, English Whisky Distillery.
SIMEON DALEY
A trawler skipper in Cornwall by the age of 21, Simeon’s life seemed set in stone. However, a love of music – and then the love of a musician (Missy, a bluegrass fiddle player) led him to settling down in the home of Country music, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Simeon started out working at a guitar workshop, before branching out and setting up his own company, Daley Mandolin; building instruments for his growing network of professional musicians. Simeon and Missy also both performed in the iconic Nashville music scene with Bluegrass heroes including Melonie Cannon (Buddy Cannon’s daughter) and the Tina Adair Band. Simeon even played in front of 16,000 music fans at the Indian Fiddlers gathering.
So how did this foot-stomping, guitar-building ex-trawlerman then enter the world of craft spirits?
MOONSHINE & MADNESS
Making a chance encounter with an old friend (who was producing brandy from Californian wine, matured in 1-gallon charred barrels in his basement) inspired Simeon to explore the world of US moonshine and craft distilling. Before long he’d connected with a self-confessed Kentucky Hillbilly, Sherman Owen, who also happened to consult for many distilleries including major clients such as Jim Beam and Willet distilleries. Hailing from a family of distillers, Sherman began teaching Simeon the ins’ and outs of Bourbon craft distilling.
Simeon at Willett Distillery
Simeon then began various jobs and work experience in Tennessee whiskey distilleries – but the call of home was also growing and soon Sim and Missy returned to his native Cornwall – but this time to establish their own Tennessee-style distillery (Penrock) here in Blighty. To make ends meet he has gone back on the Trawlers, often working early shifts at sea before returning to dry land to establish his craft distillery in 2020.
PENROCK BEGINS
Being the lovely guy he is, Simeon soon found friends and industry experts wanting to help him on this new venture – from Jim Harrelson at Do Good Distillery sharing his hands-on support in the early days, to Steve Cage (a still designer and manufacturer in the States) who so believed in Simeon’s dream he offered him the UK franchise of the business and set Sim up with their kit – which is what he uses to produce Penrock’s spirits, including Tennessee Sourmash style, Penrock Cornish Whiskey.
For a small operation Simeon does everything in-house, from mashing, fermenting & distilling – to ageing the whisky in a range of small, high-quality new American oak barrels. His signature whiskey is a Tennesse style ahem Bourbon (though it won’t be called that due to laws around Bourbon being made in the US) and he hopes to tap into a growing interest in craft American spirits and love of wheated ‘sourmash’ bourbons to capitalise on his venture in Cornwall and across the UK.
THE WHISKEY
With a grain bill of 70% corn (maize), 15% wheat and 15% Malt barley, this is true ‘Sour mash’ style Whiskey. There are also plans afoot for Single Malt and other styles of whisk(e)y in the future, but this is first and foremost a little piece of Americana rooted firmly (on dry land) in the most independent county in the country, Cornwall.
The land of pirates, meets the land of moonshiners and the outcome is a promising and heady mix of two very unique and independent cultures – combining to produce something we believe both countries can and will be proud of
You could say he’s a gambler, but due to the love of Tennessee whiskey Simeon will never be a man of constant sorrow, he just needs to walk the line even if people say he’s crazy. We certainly wish him the best 🥃
