Australian distilling’s “Godfather” and Lark Distilling’s founder, Bill Lark, celebrated with 200 guests for the 30th birthday of a now world-renowned and uniquely Tasmanian whisky last Thursday evening. The festivities were held at Lark's new whisky village in Pontville with an evening under the stars, hosted by the Tasmanian Whisky and Spirits Association, Lark Distillery, and State Growth. Founding Fathers of Tasmanian Whisky, Bill Lark and Patrick Maguire, reflected on three decades of growth, challenge, and global success, while also using the milestone to honour the community and environment that has made the journey possible.
Guests came from across Australia to celebrate. The night started by honouring the Mumurimina Country that Lark at Pontville resides on, with a Welcome to Country and traditional smoking ceremony followed by a wild Tasmanian dinner, with entrees curated by renowned local chefs Analiese Gregory and Jamie Yates, as well as Aboriginal kitchen Palawa Kipli. Lark poured a never seen before Rare Cask Series Glenfarclas Single Malt Whisky, to toast the occasion.
The celebrations mark three decades of growth, struggles, successes, and changes, while also using the milestone to honour the community and environment that has made the journey possible.
In 1992, Bill and Lynn Lark received the first Tasmanian distiller’s licence granted in over 150 years. They set about a quiet pursuit of the exceptional with a makeshift still set up on the kitchen table.
Looking back at the kitchen table set up, Mr Lark recalled, "It was another seven or eight years (after receiving the license in 1992) before we decided to take it more seriously and started to see where it would take us.
"In 1999 we had a visit from a couple of gentlemen from Canberra, which resulted in the purchase of the Tasmania Distillery.
"They came to see me and said, 'Bill, if we buy it will you give us a year? We want to produce 500 barrels a year. Can it be done with the equipment you have?'. I looked at it, did some numbers, and said: 'Yeah, sure…I think we can do that.'"
From these humble beginnings, Lark has now grown to become one of the most celebrated and recognised distilleries in the country and was one of four distillers nominated for Worldwide Whisky Producer of the Year at the 2020 International Wine & Spirit Competition. Symphony No 1 was named Best Blended Malt in the same contest in 2022 and Lark was named Sustainable Distillery of the Year at the Icons of Whisky Awards this year.
In 2015, Mr Lark was inducted into the Whisky Hall of Fame, the seventh person outside of Scotland or Ireland to be inducted, and the first distiller in the southern hemisphere to be recognised.
“To be able to celebrate 30 years of Lark is a huge achievement for the whole Lark team. It’s a remarkable milestone, and we are very proud of the hard work and dedication that has been put in to produce such quality whiskies,” he said.
When Lark acquired Pontville Distillery last October, it lifted Lark's production capacity to 500,000-litres per annum.
The industry is still in its youth, and a new chapter is being written. There are lots of new players, many of whom are reading from the Lark playbook thanks to Mr Lark's generous, industry-building attitude.
He was inducted into the Australian Distillers Association’s newly established Hall of Fame earlier this year, along with Raymond “Spike” Dessert The Third, Bill Lark, Patrick Maguire and Cameron Syme.
At the induction, ADA President Stu Gregor, and founder of Four Pillars, said: “The industry is now at a point where we believe it can replicate the remarkable ‘wine boom’ of the 1980s and 90s, when Australian winemakers began to win global acclaim and created an exporting powerhouse.
“So we think it’s time to acknowledge and celebrate the significant contributions of the members who were there at the beginning of this revitalisation, who can take so much credit for what the Australian spirits industry is today.”
Find more on the Lark Distillery 30th Anniversary plus an in-depth interview with founder, Bill Lark in the Drinks Trade Magazine’s Winter Edition out June 2022.
