Meet Travis Vander Vegte, Head Distiller at Union Horse Distilling Co.

Travis Vander Vegte is Head Distiller at Union Horse Distilling Company. We took some time this month to learn a little more about Travis’ background, how he got involved in the industry, what he listens to when working and what it means to be a part of Union Horse history. 

Q: Tell us about yourself and your background. When did you first get involved in the industry? What was it that made you want to work in the whiskey industry?

Travis: My interest in whiskey started very, very early on...my Mom always says that when she was pregnant with me and a few days overdue, my dad gave her a shot of Jack Daniels and they went for a walk around the block. That was all it took! Later that evening they were on the way to the hospital, and I was born the next morning.

I started out working in the food and beverage industry for the Embassy Suites (I believe I spent around 15 years working there). I’ve also spent many years as a home brewer, as well as I have always been handy fixing and repairing things (which can come in handy). I’m sure I have probably taken on some projects that I wasn’t qualified for, but I’ve always liked a good challenge. I think the learning process along the way and working through adversity is the best part of being in this industry. Learning from mistakes and coming out better on the other end is an invaluable life lesson.

When the opportunity came up to work with Patrick, Damian, and the rest of the Garcia Family, I was more than excited. I had known the Garcia family for years before I started work with them at Union Horse. Seeing them interact as a family is something special; they have an amazing cohesive family atmosphere and culture that I loved being around. Knowing that I could help be a part of their distillery start up, I jumped in with both feet and haven’t looked back since.

Q: What is your favorite thing about working for Union Horse Distilling Co.?

Travis: I love the family atmosphere, the people I get to work with and just doing something interesting and different on a daily basis.

Q: What music do you jam out to while in production? What do you listen to when you’re spending the day distilling?

Travis: I listen to an extremely wide range of music, but I’m big time into podcasts and audio books. My current listen is "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Hirari; it’s a brief history on human evolution. Extremely interesting, highly recommended!

Q: What’s the one point in the distilling process that’s most important?

Travis: I think if you had to break down the whole process of distilling, one of the most important factors is fermentation. You can create or not create a lot of flavors during fermentation that will come through in the distillate. It’s kind of like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears...you want to try to stay in the temperature range that is neither too hot or too cold. We have a certain range we like to be in to create the flavor of our whiskies

Wanna learn more about Travis or the process? Go behind the glass and experience our handcrafted, small batch process! Distillery tours are available in both a public and private setting. Tours are $17 per person, and must be purchased in advance by contacting tours@unionhorse.com or calling 913-492-3275. Also, stay tuned each month to learn about a different team member.

Meet Damian Garcia, our Director of Marketing & Sales and Co-Founder of Union Horse Distilling

Damian Garcia is Union Horse’s Director of Marketing & Sales. He’s also one of the co-founders of Union Horse Distilling Company. We took some time this month to learn a little more about Damian’s background and what it means to be a part of Union Horse history.

Q: Tell us about yourself and your background. When did you first get involved in the industry? What was it that made you want to work in the whiskey industry?

Damian: I got involved in the industry back in 1999, when I worked for a local food and beverage broker selling to bars and restaurants all over Kansas City. Over my 13 years with the company, I met a lot of restauranteurs and staff and gained a ton of insight on how to run a successful business both in the back and front of the house.

Around 2009, the family began discussing a potential business to start. Initially, we considered starting a brewery. My brother Patrick (Union Horse’s Master Distiller) had worked at a local brewery while he was in college and for a short time after he graduated. He had an itch about getting back into that industry somehow, as well as implementing some of my knowledge from the beverage side. We toured some local and out-of-state breweries to gain more insight, but the light bulb went off for us when we toured a small-batch, craft distillery on one of our family trips. We discovered that the processes of making a whiskey and beer were very similar, plus, since prohibition and at the time, there were no other craft whiskey producers or distilleries in the Kansas City area.

So, in 2009, my three siblings and I (Patrick Garcia, Master Distiller; Eric Garcia, General Manager; and Mary Garcia Gallagher, Events Director) decided to dive headfirst into researching on what it would take to make a distillery happen. The beginning stages of Union Horse was born!

Q: Why did you choose the name Union Horse?

Damian: Over the years, we’ve joked that the easy part was deciding to come together and start this business, while the hard part was choosing our company name, logo and figuring out the different recipes, names, and labels for each of our spirits.

We chose the name Union Horse because we wanted something that symbolized who we are and what we do. Union is the backbone of our team and our process. It’s the collective energy that flows from both Kansas and Missouri that creatively powers our hometown of Kansas City. It’s in the process of our spirits, combining the best locally sourced ingredients. We utilized the horse as our mascot, not only due to the fact that our family has a horse farm in Butler, MO, but it's also a symbol that’s associated with strength, courage, and freedom. Union Horse truly captures the unified spirit it takes to run a homegrown family business.

Q: What is your favorite thing about working for Union Horse?

Damian: My favorite thing about working at the distillery is working around the family and the people that we have employed over the years. Besides the family, we have some really great folks that truly believe in the brand and what we're producing. We all feel strongly that our whiskey stacks up with the some of the best whiskey makers around the country, and the world, so we continue to spread that brand awareness and getting whiskey to lips day in and day out.

Q: Do you have a favorite whiskey that the team has made? What's your favorite way to drink/enjoy them?

Damian: It’s a toss up between our newest release Rivalist American Single Malt or our Reunion Straight Rye Whiskey. I usually drink both of them neat – this is the way I’ve always drank whiskey. If I do enjoy a cocktail, I’m usually drinking a rye Old Fashioned or a Manhattan. Our rye recipe really shines and mixes so well in most classic cocktails. During the warmer months, I drink a lot of Rider Vodka and sodas.

Wanna learn more about Damian or the team? Swing by the distillery during our monthly distillery socials for a chance to chat with the team. Also, stay tuned each month to learn about a different team member.

Midwest Born & Raised

Union Horse started with the idea of bringing something unique and special to our hometown that hadn’t been done since Prohibition. More than a decade later, that idea has grown into the family-owned and operated, award–winning, craft distillery you know today as Union Horse Distilling Co. Union Horse was established in 2010 by the four Garcia siblings: Eric Garcia, General Manager; Patrick Garcia, Master Distiller; Damian Garcia, Director of Sales and Marketing; Mary Garcia Gallagher, Events Director. Our vision and mission: create a grain-to-glass whiskey legacy, family and community that would continue for years to come.

Our goal turned to producing and pioneering whiskeys born and raised here, using only the finest Midwest ingredients. We are "Midwest Born & Raised" …one barrel at a time. From milling the finest quality, Midwest grains to the barreling and bottling, everything is done in house and by hand. Our unified drive and dedication are what inspires us to pioneer and create our unique collection of authentic, artisanal offerings.

Local ingredients, as well as the area they’re produced in, make our spirits one-of-a-kind. Behind every mash bill is the grain and the farmers who grow it. The wheat, rye, corn, and barley used in our handcrafted whiskies are locally sourced from hardworking Midwestern family farms. As for the area - the extreme weather conditions, namely hot summers, and cold winters, play a role in the barrel-aging process. Each one of these pieces of the Midwest are what create our unique collection of authentic, artisanal, award-winning offerings. There’s no other place we’d rather be.

When we decided to choose a name, we knew that we needed something that truly captured the unified spirit it takes to run a homegrown family business. Union is the back of our team and our process. It’s the collective energy that flows from both Kansas and Missouri that creatively powers our hometown of Kansas City. It’s in the process of our spirits, combining the best locally sourced ingredients. You’ll notice a unifying force throughout all aspects of our product: from the water to the grain, to the spirit and the barrel; from our location in a metro that straddles Kansas and Missouri, to the family team and business partners that create the product. We're living, breathing proof that tenacity outplays experience - and we know millions of people abide by the same belief, working day in and day out to create their own legacy.

Our family invites you to experience our handcrafted spirits, we know you’ll taste our difference in every sip. Union Horse Distilling Co. spirits are available for purchase at local retailers in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Colorado, Oklahoma, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California (San Francisco and Los Angeles), Georgia, and Tennessee.