When it comes to essential items these days, hand sanitiser and top-shelf liquor rank pretty high in terms of ways to keep us healthy and sane. And while a few of Sydney’s more established distilleries like Archie Rose and Manly Spirits have been churning out bottles of both for nearly a month, there’s now a new player on the scene tackling quality booze and personal hygiene.
Finders Distillery is the brainchild of Kyle Ford and Georgia Cann, and the latest gin and vodka producer to join the Sydney ranks. In 2016, the couple quit their jobs, sold almost everything they owned and set off on a two-year trip around the world. The highlight? Visiting local wineries, breweries and distilleries in places like Peru, Japan, Kentucky, Oregon, Ireland and Scotland.
“The craftsmanship and the stories behind the distilleries we visited really captivated us,” Ford says. “We loved the industry and the long history associated with it and decided we needed to be a part of it.”
Upon their return, the duo set up shop in St Leonards where they've been perfecting an Australian dry gin and vodka, both infused with native gum and wattleseed. The spirits are made in single batches in a 300-litre copper still, and all the bottling, sealing, labelling and packing is done by hand.
Plans to open the distillery and tasting room have been temporarily put on hold, but the pair is hard at work on upcoming releases, which will feature botanicals unique to specific regions across the country and hero the local ingredients and towns they come from. In the meantime, they’ve also released a hand sanitiser, so you can stay clean while you stay tuned for what they bottle up next.
To find out more about Finders Distillery, click here.