By Andy Young
The accolades keep coming for the godfather of Australian whisky, as Bill Lark has been inducted into the Whisky Hall of Fame.
Lark is just the seventh person outside of Scotland or Ireland to be inducted and the first from the southern hemisphere. The other six non-Celt inductees all hail from America.
The induction recognises not only the work Lark has done with his own distillery but also his "humble and generous philosophy". Lark has assisted more than nine start-up distilleries in Tasmania, saying that "a rising tide lifts all boats."
Speaking of his induction, Lark said: "I thought people might think we were trying to teach the Scots how to suck eggs and they would think 'what are you doing you silly colonial? We make whisky, you make beer.'
"But in fact it's been exactly the opposite. We have had tremendous support from the single malt industry worldwide, and from consumers.
"They were always a little nervous at the start, but it really didn't take long for the market to truly grab hold of the fact that Tasmania can produce stunning single malt whisky."
The induction ceremony took place in London on Thursday, 19 March at the Waldorf Hilton and carries on the good fortune for Australian whisky after Sullivan's Cove were handed the award for the World's Best Whisky in 2014.