HARRY IN THE SPIRIT
TOWNSVILLE- GROWN foodie and MasterChef 2016 finalist Harry Foster is making a mark on the Australian distilling industry.
Foster, who now lives in Tasmania, has set up the new 7K Distillery in Brighton with his best mate, Tyler Clark.
Before making his mark on the small screen, Foster was a bartender at Shaw and Co in Townsville, where he created their signature Fairy Floss Windmill cocktail.
“Tyler and I became sort of best mates a year ago,” he said.
“This was his project and he was starting to build the still ... I was working at a distillery and then I came on board in early January.”
The distillery is based in converted shipping containers and the duo will be making whiskey, gin and other spirits.
Foster, who grew up at Rollingstone and moved away after his MasterChef stint, is keeping his plating skills up to scratch by running his own catering company.
While it’s still early days for the distillery, it already has social media presence and the duo are set to launch their first product this month, a gin.
“We sort of came up with the recipe after a lot of testing,” he said.
“We found that a lot of Australian gins are more traditional and heavy.
“We wanted to create something a little bit modern and fresh.
And hopefully it’s not too long before the drink makes its way to Townsville.
“My old bosses at Shaw & Co and City Lane ... they’ve shown an interest,” he said.
“It’d be like coming full circle ... from serving drinks to now coming down to Tasmania and making our own spirits.”