Crostwater Distilled Spirits started as Victoria Close’s second career

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Craft distilling is a fast-growing industry. “It’s like microbreweries were a decade ago,” said Victoria “Vicki” Close, president of Crostwater Distilled Spirits, Lewisberry. 

She added that five years ago, about 2% of the distilleries in the US were owned by females, and that’s on the rise.  “I never dreamed that I’d be operating a distillery and restaurant,” she said,” It’s been an interesting journey.”

A first generation Russian-American, Close holds a masters in psychology and worked in the social services field right out of college. She served as executive director of Shalom House, a Harrisburg shelter for women and children, and as the program director for Help Ministries; connecting people with services such as medication, transportation, heating, or housing assistance. 

“I enjoyed working with people, but after we (husband, Kevin) had our second child, I decided to stay at home,” Close explained. “My mom owned a medical billing company in New Jersey, so I began working for her. It was something I could do from home.”

In 2002 she became a partner in the business. Her mom passed away in 2010, and Close became the sole owner. She closed the business in 2016. “I wasn’t enjoying it any more. I like people and wanted to be out working with people,” she said. 

As she thought about possible career options, she recalled her introduction to distilleries. In 2011, she and her husband, were visiting Purcelville, Virginia. As they waited for a table at a restaurant, they spied Catoctin Creek Distillery.

“I wasn’t familiar with distilleries, so we did a tasting. The staff took us behind the scenes–showing us the distilling room and explained the process. It was interesting. My parents are from Russia, so Kevin and I joked that we’d make vodka—perhaps open a high-end martini bar in Harrisburg,” Close said.

The idea was tucked away, but the interest was fueled when couple took a distilling class in Chicago in 2015. Close said she’s always enjoyed chemistry, and the distilling process is based on chemistry.

“After I closed the medical billing business, I became bored as a stay-at-home mom and began writing the business plan for the distillery. Kevin and I decided we’d need more of a draw than the spirits, so we decided to pair it with food,” she explained, adding that she received assistance from the Small Business Development Center at Shippensburg University for the start-up. 

She secured investors and then found the location in an industrial park in Fairview Township. Crostwater Distilled Spirits began making product in July 2018, and the tasting room opened in September 2018. Close said the farm-to-table menu originally featured six to eight items, but has expanded to 15 to 18.  It changes weekly since ingredients are sourced from local farms.  

Like the menu, the distilleries products also expanded. The original offerings were corn vodka and white rum. A spiced rum was added a later, followed by gin, rye whiskey, white rye whiskey and aged rum. A bourbon whiskey was scheduled for release on Valentine’s Day. In the next six months two new rye whiskeys will be released, including a Rock N Rye. Most of the ingredients for the spirits are sourced in the state, however the sugar cane for the rum is non-GMO and from Georgia. 

Each of the bottles tells the story of how the spirit originated and how it came to the US. The exception is vodka—that label tells the story of her parents and their journey from Russia to the US. 

“The hardest part of what we do is not marketing the product or getting the people to the door to try the product, it’s the distribution, “Close said.

Crostwater self-distributes. It can be purchased at the distillery and tasting room and can be found in area restaurants including John Wright Restaurant, Wrightsville, and Millworks, Harrisburg. Since September 2019, Crostwater’s craft spirits are available in 11 of the state’s Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores. 

Close said her goal is to be in 50 more stores, including a number in the Philadelphia area, by the end of the year. In 10 years, she hopes to grow Crostwater Distilled Spirits into a national brand.