Lark Distillery

The distillery that started Tasmanian whisky in 1992 — cellar door tastings on the waterfront

Address 14 Davey Street, Hobart
Opening Hours Daily 11:00–18:00; tours Wed–Sun 14:00
Admission Tasting flights AU$25; distillery tour AU$45

The cellar door of the distillery that single-handedly revived Australian whisky, in a converted warehouse on Davey Street directly across from the waterfront. The bar serves flights of Lark's own single malts — the Cask Strength, the Symphony No 1, and a constantly-rotating series of cask-aged limited releases — and visiting whiskies from other Tasmanian producers. The flagship single malt won the World Whisky of the Year title in 2014 (the first Australian whisky to do so).

The distillery itself is now in suburban Cambridge, but the city cellar door has the full range, friendly knowledgeable staff, and good cheese and charcuterie boards. Whisky tours of the working distillery (45 minutes out of town) book directly with Lark. The cocktail bar after 17:00 is a smart pre-dinner option.

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A story
Tasmanian whisky distillation had been illegal since 1839, when an early colonial governor banned it to protect the wool industry's labour supply. In 1992 Bill Lark — a Hobart surveyor — successfully lobbied to have the law changed, and immediately founded what was the first new Australian whisky distillery in 153 years. Tasmania now has more than 30 distilleries; Lark is the original, and Bill Lark himself has been inducted into the Whisky Hall of Fame.

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