Lark

Type: Distillery and brand

Lark's first commercial single malt amounted to just 150 bottles. Released in December 1998, it sold out almost immediately; the second batch sold out before bottling, according to ABC.[10] Behind those small releases stood Bill and Lyn Lark, who founded their Tasmanian whisky business in 1992. What began in the family home became part of modern Tasmanian whisky's development. Today, Lark is run from Hobart, with production at Pontville, north of the city.[2][4][5][9]

What Lark is known for

Neither founder arrived with distilling experience. Bill was a land surveyor and Lyn a survey draftsman, but whisky became a lasting commitment. In 2000, Bill sold his surveying practice and both founders began working in the business full time.[5]

The producer describes two choices that connect its whisky to Tasmania and Australia: peat from its own bog in the Tasmanian Highlands, used to smoke barley, and oak casks selected from Australian fortified wine producers.[2] These are specific details about materials and cask selection, distinct from tasting evidence about individual releases.

Single malt is only part of the range. Symphony No.1 and KURIO are identified as blended malts. Other named releases include Cask Strength, DARK LARK, Fresh IPA Cask, the Rare & Remarkable Collection and the Wilderness Single Cask Program.[2][4]

Bill and Lyn Lark's beginnings

For small-scale producers, the legal barrier was measured in litres. The Distillation Act 1901 required a minimum still size of about 2,700 litres. That requirement was removed in 1992 after Bill Lark campaigned for small producers, with help from federal politicians.[2][5][10]

The early operation was modest. The producer places those early days at home, “on a kitchen table”. The Spirits Business records that Bill obtained wash, the fermented liquid used for distillation, from the nearby Cascade Brewery and bought a copper pot still at a local auction.[3][5]

Then came a late-night telephone call. In Bill's account to The Spirits Business, John Grant of Glenfarclas rang within two weeks of the licence being issued, at ten o'clock at night, to offer assistance.[5]

Story box: An idea before a licence

• Founding story: Bill and Lyn Lark founded the business in 1992, receiving their general spirit makers licence in May, as recorded by Whisky Magazine.[5][6]
• Turning point: Production moved from the family home to a distillery and visitor centre at Richmond, near Hobart, in 1997.[5]
• Documented record: The first commercial batch was 150 bottles, released in December 1998.[10]
• Sources and claim mapping: Founders and Richmond move; licence date; first batch.
• Last checked: November 2026; exact day not reliably established.

Origin story verdict

Claim: Lark's founding idea arose during a fishing trip in 1989.

Verdict: Disputed

What the record shows: The producer gives a 1989 fishing trip, but places the conversation at either Lake Sorell or a park in Bothwell.[1][2]

Evidence against or gap: Whisky Magazine dates the idea to the mid-1980s. The date and setting remain inconsistent.[6]

Earliest known source: Not established from the sources checked.

Sources and claim mapping: Producer's fishing-trip account; alternative producer setting; Whisky Magazine's earlier dating.

Last checked: November 2026; exact day not reliably established.

A production timeline

The licence, the move beyond the family home and the first commercial release mark distinct stages in Lark's development.[2][6][10]

Pontville and production today

Pontville brought more than a distillery into Lark's business. The acquisition included whisky stocks, bond stores and a cooperage, according to Oz Whisky Review.[7] In its February 2025 announcement, the company called the site its “long-term production and Brand home”.[4]

The same announcement put Pontville's developing capacity at around half a million litres at 43% ABV.[4] That is the company's stated capacity basis, not a figure for annual litres of pure alcohol or proof of actual output. Comparisons with other distilleries need figures reported on the same basis.

Lark also publishes specifications for a 1,800-litre wash still and a 500-litre spirit still. The supplied record does not establish whether these are the stills currently installed at Pontville, so they remain published equipment figures rather than a confirmed current inventory.[2]

Chris Thomson's work runs through this period of expansion. The producer dates his appointment as Master Distiller to 2010. Oz Whisky Review records a particularly distinctive project: the 2017 Revolution Release marked Lark's twenty-fifth anniversary with 25 experimental 20-litre casks made by Thomson.[1][7]

From family business to listed company

Bill and Lyn sold around 75 per cent of their shares in June 2013. A new board took control of Lark Distillery Pty Ltd the following month, according to Oz Whisky Review.[7]

Ownership later passed to a listed company. In 2016, Montec International became Australian Whisky Holdings, or AWH, and built a controlling interest in Lark. AWH took full ownership in May 2018, according to the same trade history.[7]

The parent company then adopted the Lark name. On 1 May 2020, Australian Whisky Holdings was renamed Lark Distilling Co.[8] This was a change of company name, not a fresh founding of the whisky business.

Other Tasmanian whisky businesses became part of the story, too. Lark bought Overeem in 2013 after Casey Overeem retired. The Overeem brand was then sold back to Jane and Mark Sawford in February 2020.[7] Older descriptions of the group's portfolio therefore capture a particular moment, not necessarily its current ownership.

Two claims to read carefully

“Australia's first single malt in over 150 years”

Claim: Lark was the first Australian distillery to produce single malt spirit in 154 years.

Verdict: Disputed

What the record shows: Lark makes the Australian claim in its own account. Whisky Magazine describes a narrower gap: 153 years without a licensed Tasmanian distillery.[2][6]

Evidence against or gap: Oz Whisky Review challenges the Australian claim, pointing to Australian malt whisky brands from the 1840s.[7]

Earliest known source: Not established from the sources checked.

Sources and claim mapping: Lark's account; Whisky Magazine's Tasmanian account; Oz Whisky Review's challenge.

Last checked: November 2026; exact day not reliably established.

Tasmania and Australia are not interchangeable here. A gap in licensed Tasmanian distilling does not establish the same gap across the country. Lark's documented founding, licence and first release give its beginnings a firmer footing.

“Tasmanian distilling began with Lark”

Tasmania's distilling history reaches well before the Larks. The producer's own account records the Sorell Distillery opening on the Hobart rivulet in 1822, followed by 16 other legal distilleries.[2]

Lark's place is in the renewal of distilling on the island, not its invention. To explore more of Tasmania's whisky producers, continue with Sullivans Cove and Hellyers Road.

Planning a visit

The listed distillery tour is the LARK Distillery Tour at Pontville; Hobart's listed venues are the Hobart Cellar Door and The Still whisky bar.[4][9] Check the producer's current information for your intended location. Current access is unconfirmed.

Before travelling, confirm booking requirements, accessibility and age rules directly with the venue. A listing here does not establish current tour availability.

Where to go next

• Starward: continue exploring Australian whisky.
• Sullivans Cove: read another Tasmanian producer's story.
• Hellyers Road: extend your reading across Tasmania.
• Archie Rose: explore another Australian distillery.

Sources

1. Lark Distillery, producer's account. Our History. Undated web page, checked November 2026. https://larkdistillery.com/pages/our-history
2. Lark Distillery, producer's account. Discover. Undated web page, checked November 2026. https://larkdistillery.com/pages/about
3. Lark Distillery, producer's account. Lark raises a glass to celebrate 30 years of distilling. Anniversary article, checked November 2026. https://larkdistillery.com/blogs/journal/lark-distilling-co-raises-a-glass-in-celebration-of-30-years
4. Lark Distilling Co. Ltd. Half-year announcement, February 2025. Company announcement to ASX, 2025. https://company-announcements.afr.com/asx/lrk/a6299df1-f2f3-11ef-b9a4-9a8239d49a91.pdf
5. The Spirits Business. The big interview: Bill Lark. November 2022. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2022/11/the-big-interview-bill-lark-lark-distillery/
6. Whisky Magazine. Spirit from the South Seas. Publication date not supplied in the fact sheet; checked November 2026. https://www.whiskymag.com/articles/spirit-from-the-south-seas/
7. Oz Whisky Review. On Lark: The untold story of Tasmania's foundational whisky brand. Publication date not supplied in the fact sheet; checked November 2026. https://ozwhiskyreview.com.au/on-lark-the-untold-story-of-tasmanias-foundational-whisky-brand/
8. Drinks Adventures. Lark Distilling Co starts new era for Tasmanian whisky on ASX. 1 May 2020. https://drinksadventures.com.au/2020/05/01/lark-distilling-co-starts-new-era-for-tasmanian-whisky-on-asx/
9. Discover Tasmania, state tourism body. The rise of Tasmanian whisky. Undated web page, checked November 2026. https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/experiences/stories/the-rise-of-tasmanian-whisky
10. ABC News. The worldwide whisky downturn is putting Tasmania's top shelf industry on edge. 18 October 2026. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-18/global-whisky-downturn-distillery-impact-tasmania-industry/107237870

This article is desk research based on the supplied verified fact sheet, distinguishing producer accounts, company announcements and trade reporting.

Last checked: November 2026