The House of Lark officially celebrated 30 years of distilling last week, with more than 200 guests from across Australia gathering at the new whisky village in Pontville to mark the occasion.
After the Welcome to Country and traditional smoking ceremony by Ochre Rain, guests enjoyed music, dinner and two new single malts from Lark released as part of its 30 year anniversary.
The Rara Cask Series Glenfarclas and Origins Single Malt Whisky represent Lark’s history and pay homage to the Glenfarclas whisky distillery which help Bill Lark in his very early days.
Rare Cask Series Glenfarclas release is finished in casks that once held Glenfarclas 20-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Scottish Highlands. It was over a dram of Glenfarclas 15, many years ago, that Bill and Lyn Lark remarked that if they were ever to make a single malt, they would hope to have it resemble what they were enjoying at that moment. Then came a phone call that helped shape the industry that is today, with John Grant, of Glenfarclas, calling Bill and Lyn to offer some words of wisdom. That was the start of a friendship that establish an unbreakable bond between the Glenfarclas and The House of Lark names.
Origins, a single malt shaped by the Tasmanian elements, is crafted with the same water from where the Lark whisky journey began. After a fishing trip at Lake Sorell, Bill and father-in-law Max were enjoying their fish, when Bill turned to Max and asked why no one was making whisky in the greatest place in the world. This was the origin of the House of Lark. With the purest Tasmanian water, this whisky represents the birth of Lark with the water from Lake Sorrel used to cut this whisky aged in Australian fortified casks.
Speaking about the status of Lark today, Bill said: “From humble beginnings on a kitchen table 30 years ago, curiosity and courage bore Tasmania’s very first licensed whisky. Glenfarclas and Origins Single Malt Whisky are both a unique tribute to the significance of whisky-making not only for Lark but for Australia. Both are a celebration of Tasmanian whisky and rich in character and heavy with history. On behalf of the entire team, Lark raises a glass to what has become a world recognised whisky, a taste of Tassie’s tiny island.”