While stationed in Germany shortly after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. Army veteran Travis Whitmeyer discovered his passion for distilling alcohol from a girl he was dating whose family made their own alcohol. "The family that I learned from in Germany, they made all kinds of stuff: beer, wine, ciders [and] schnapps," he said. "They basically took whatever produce they had on their farms and turned it into alcohol as a way to preserve it. It's pretty common over there." Travis turned his love of distilling into a thriving family-owned and -operated business by opening Whitmeyer's Distilling Co. in Spring three years ago. Recognizing there were only a couple of distilleries in Harris County, he recruited his brother Chris and father, Wesley. The trio focused on what they believed was an underserved niche in a huge metropolitan area; serving a city which, at the time, had 18–20 breweries and a handful of wineries, but only two or three businesses producing spirits. However, founding one of Houston's first distilleries came with obstacles as the Whitmeyers discovered selling spirits is a heavily regulated industry with federal, state and local taxes attached. "The absolute biggest challenge after you get [the company] up and running and get through the red tape is shelf space," Chris said. "That's the most expensive real estate in our industry. That's where the real battles are fought." Chris said the business struggles convincing liquor store owners they will make money on Whitmeyer's products. "We're kind of hamstrung by the law and the fact that we can't walk into a bar with our bottles and let the owners sample it," he said. "We have to [work]with our distributor, so that limits us." Despite the red tape involved with getting the company up and running, Travis said he still enjoys the distilling process. "It's soothing, and it's an opportunity to work for ourselves and create something and share it," Travis said. "That makes you feel good." The Whitmeyers said they also enjoy the growing trend toward supporting and dealing with local businesses. "People are more and more moving towards supporting local businesses, and that definitely gave us an edge," Travis said. "Couple that with the fact that—for a while—we were kind of the first over the wall pioneering [the industry], and it caught a lot of people's attention." Some of the more popular products are Space City Vodka, Texas Peach Whiskey and limited release items that are only available in the 4,500-square-foot facility. Whitmeyer's also offers the Moonshine Whiskey and Texas Single Barrel. Since the Texas Distillery Act passed in September 2013, allowing distillers in Texas to serve mixed drinks and bottles directly to the public, Whitmeyer's has become a tourist destination. Plans for expanding the business in the future include launching two to five new products—including a new gin—and expanding distribution into Nebraska, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma, the Whitmeyers said.