Head distiller and craftsman, Russell Thorp, and his wife, Vicki, turned a passion into a thriving enterprise in a relatively short time. With a lot of hard work and a fair bit of trial and error, these two have developed Castle Spirits into an aficionado’s destination of choice in downtown Oklahoma City.
Russell is a craftsman at heart and a master plumber by profession. While on the surface it may seem odd for a master plumber and craftsman to become a distiller, Russell says, “Craft distillation is really about physics and chemistry—and building a great still.”
Russell and Vicki’s journey to becoming distillers began in 2014, when they owned and operated a commercial plumbing shop. That year they attended Oktoberfest in Muenster, Texas, where they sampled honey whiskey for the first time. Their leap from whiskey enthusiasts to distillers began with a friend’s recommendation to watch a few episodes of “Moonshiners” on the Discovery Channel.
The physics and chemistry of distillation captured Russell’s attention. He built a small still in the warehouse of the plumbing company and started making moonshine. In the beginning, the taste was not what they desired, but they enjoyed the process. So, Russell and Vicki spent the next few months perfecting the blending process to reflect on the honey spirit they experienced in Texas. After a series of trials, Russell says, “We put together a spirit we liked.”
Russell and Vicki set up their distilled spirits production area in the back of their plumbing shop and began the process of gaining federal and state licensing. A larger still was soon required to facilitate increased production. So, Russell re-purposed a 40-gallon decorative brass pot and created Castle Spirits’ unique hammered-brass still. With that, Castle Spirits Distillery began bottling, featuring its Signature Series Honey Blend Spirit. “We were on the shelves of several liquor stores by Christmas Eve of 2018,” Russell says.
The line of spirits has since expanded to include Castle Clear, Castle Copper Crown, and Castle Double Barrel Bourbon, Castle Rye and Castle Single Malt.
Russell and Vicki work jointly, with Russell as the distiller and Vicki handling production, including the bottling, labeling, corking, and waxing the top of each bottle by hand. The result is a beautifully crafted design. “Our desire is for excellence,” says Vicki. “We selected a bottle that speaks of whiskey and is a piece of art in itself. We grounded the bottle with our label’s trademark Welsh castle to create the perfect blend of old-world style and Oklahoma hand craftsmanship.”
