Meet the Maker: Wrecking Coast

We sat down with Founding Partner of Wrecking Coast Distillery, Craig Penn, to find out about how the distillery was set up almost by accident, what it is that makes their clotted cream gin so special, and Craig’s (surprising) favourite tipples.

Wrecking Coast clotted cream gin is featured in our South West Specialist tasting box, available here.

Wrecking Coast is a proudly Cornish distillery, producing a range of gins and rums inspired by the local landscape and its botanicals. Established in 2015 by founders Craig and Avian, after Craig used the Cornish countryside as an idyllic escape from his life and work in London, before they set up their own distillery in the area after a wave of inspiration one night. 

“We sort of started Wrecking Coast accidentally. Myself and my wife used to escape down to Cornwall to visit Avian and his wife in Tintagel, and one night us boys were left on our own while doing some gin tasting. Our wives came back to find us a little merry, having mixed up the tasting labels and having no clue what it was that we’d actually been tasting, claiming that nothing we’d tried had been up to scratch. The response from our wives was rather direct: ‘if you can do so much better, why don’t you make it yourself then?’ So, looking back, that’s what we did!”

The idea started out as nothing more than wanting to produce a few bottles for themselves that they would enjoy, share with their friends and family, and five years later has developed into a distillery featuring several gins and two rums, with more spirits in the works.

“We’re proud that all of our products continue to stem from this original idea; we only make drinks that we enjoy, and it just so happens that other people enjoy them as well. We don’t just follow market trends as our products are always a passion project. Anything we sell is something we’d happily sit in front of you and drink and enjoy. That’s the reason they’re there”.

The Cornish influence

“Being based in Cornwall has allowed us to explore and use really special ingredients which we may not have found if we weren’t based here. Our foraging expert will come back with all sorts of wild ingredients he’s found, and we’ll distil it, try it, and see how it works.  There’s one valley in which grows a specific type of plum, Kea, which we use for our Kea plum rum liquor, which launched last year. They are a really good balance of sweetness and bitterness”.

The distillery’s clotted cream, plums, sloes and apples are all sourced from local producers, orchards, vineyards, growers, or are found naturally growing wild in the area.

The distillery’s location also helps with sustainability. “Every one of our products has a local influence, so there are many ingredients which we can find on our backdoor, rather than ship in. We only distil with local Cornish spring water, less than a 20 minute drive from our shed, and we are investing in reusing our water through state-of-the-art stills to make sure we reduce our footprint on the local environment”.

The featured clotted cream gin

The clotted cream gin was an immediate hit for Wrecking Coast, purely because it’s so unusual. In fact, it's proved pretty divisive: “We always get two reactions - ‘I’ve got to try it’, or ‘that doesn’t sound right’! And either reaction is great, because there’s an immediate hook - but don’t say you don’t like it until you try it!”

The initial reaction is it will be too sweet or not an actual gin, more of a flavoured liqueur. But it couldn’t be more different.

Craig talked us through the tasting of this unusual drink: “It’s a traditional-style gin rather than a flavoured gin, so a lot of people get the juniper hit first. Then it’s down to individual palates - some people get more floral and sweetness, others naturally pick up bitterness or earthiness. It really depends on the individual. People’s upbringing, the ingredients and flavours they’re used to, dictates what they can taste.” 

And how best to drink it? Craig likes his clotted cream gin neat for its lovely smoothness, over ice, or with a cinnamon stick as an after dinner drink; an alternative to whisky or brandy. Serve with ice and tonic, with fresh strawberries to garnish.

What else is on the menu?

Wrecking Coast’s honey sloe gin is made with foraged sloes, from Cornish Duchy land. Craig told us that he never liked sloe gin, until they developed their own: “Sloes are naturally very bitter, but most sloe gins are very sweet. I never personally liked it until Avian developed this one; our own sloe is less sweet, and very close to the natural flavours. Those who like sweet spirits will walk away, but others fall in love with it.

“We have a navy strength - our Scurvy Gin - distilled with scurvy grass which was taken by sailors back in the day to help with vitamin deficiency. We were desperate to get a navy strength because our favourite cocktails are a Negroni or a Martini, and you really need a well balanced navy strength gin for both”. 

Another Wrecking Coast  gin, Cornerstone Rare Cornish Gin, was made specially for Cornerstone restaurant in London, run by Chef Tom Brown, winner of the Great British Menu. Craig sent him a bottle of the clotted cream gin, and a couple of months later Tom commissioned his own, exclusively for his guests. The recipe was put together by Tom and Avian, unusually choosing to distil it with apple juice instead of water, as Tom cooks with fish and seafood - it’s the perfect accompaniment.

Craig’s favourite tipples

“It would be American-style whisky every time. I love a Woodford Reserve, which for me works well as my ‘everyday’ bourbon. For a real treat I like a Blanton’s Gold, although it’s hard to get hold of!. But I guess a rye base is where I’m really at; Sazarec works a treat.”

And a less traditional choice? Rum and raisin milkshake! “It all started on a trip to Barbados.  I ordered a rum and raisin milkshake one morning, in my naivety thinking it would be an alcohol-free ice-cream shake. After lunch I was wondering why I was tipsy! The drink triggers amazing memories of that brilliant time in Barbados, and every time I’m in a hot country, I compare it to that original - nothing has beaten it so far!”

What’s next for Wrecking Coast?

Being rum and whisky fans, Wrecking Coast have recently launched their very own rum, Muscovado Silver Spirit which will be followed by an aged in Cornwall rum later this year. And next up, their own whisky? Possibly: “We’ve got two different variants we’re trialling as each of us has different preferences in taste profile; these will very much be distillers’ choices”.

Head over to the Wrecking Coast website to find out more about their products, flavour profiles, and to order online: https://thewreckingcoastdistillery.com/

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