Since its founding in 2005, the owners and staff at Dripping Springs Distilling have strived to create a quality product and experience for the community that continues to show them love.

A family affair

Dripping Springs Distilling was founded by brothers Gary and Kevin Kelleher. They started out with Dripping Springs Vodka, their flagship product. Shortly after, they started to win awards such as Gold Best-in-Class at the 2008 International Wine and Spirits Competition.

Gary said the business started very “primitive,” but they gained visibility from awards and community support.

“We had a tiny space that was a fraction of [the current distillery] size that was down the road, about half a mile,” Gary Kelleher said. “We had the one still that I designed, and I was spending the night there, we were filling all the bottles by hand, we were putting the corks in with hammers.”


Today, Dripping Springs Distilling products are distributed to 19 states.

Respecting the craft

The distillery offers various products, from mixers and liqueurs to gin and vodka. The flagship vodka is micro-distilled 20 times in a copper pot still that Gary designed and mixed with pure, mineral-rich spring water from the Texas Hill Country. Variations of the vodka include artisan orange and lemon.

Gary said he experimented with stills for years before he decided to start a business.


“In terms of wanting to open a distillery, it's literally something I always wanted to do,” he said. “It sounds really crazy. I was always in the bar restaurant business, but I always had a desire to do this. It's something I kind of had in the back of my mind ever since I was quite young.”

What else

The Dripping Springs Distilling property includes the distillery, which is available to tour, and a visitors’ center. The center has been open for three years now, and is a hub for tastings, events, happy hours, weekend brunches, outdoor live music and lounging, said director of hospitality Kristi Quick.

“It really is just making it a place for [visitors] to feel at home...” Quick said. “[We are] very family-oriented, value-driven. We really tried to make it where there's something here for everyone.”


Quick said Dripping Springs Distilling reciprocates the support they get from the community through donations and hospitality toward local organizations. Gary said he and the distillery team are grateful to the Dripping Springs community for their support, welcome and partnership throughout the years.

“When I came out here to ask about seeing if we could open a distillery here, everybody just really greeted us and had an open-arms approach to us,” he said. “It's been a great experience here because they really supported us and wanted us to be here and want us to be successful.”