Tasmanian whisky pioneer Bill Lark, widely regarded as the Godfather of Australian Whisky, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2026 Australia Day Honours List, recognising his extraordinary contribution to the Australian distilling industry and Tasmanian community.
Lark is the founder of Lark Distillery, which he established with his wife Lyn in Hobart in 1992, and the figure most credited with igniting Australia’s modern whisky movement. His work not only transformed Tasmania into a globally recognised whisky region but reshaped the entire Australian spirits landscape.
Driven by a passion to explore, question and reimagine what whisky could be, Lark’s journey began in the late 1980s after a now-legendary fishing trip with his Scottish father-in-law, who recognised echoes of Scotland in Tasmania’s landscape. That moment led Bill and Lyn to challenge a 150-year-old law that restricted distillation in Tasmania – a campaign that ultimately changed the future of Australian whisky.
Today, Lark stands as the original distillery of modern Tasmania and a cornerstone of the country’s distilled spirits industry.
“I am genuinely humbled by receiving this award and feel immensely honoured to be recognised as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the sharing and collegiality offered to me by the Scottish industry, a sentiment which is largely shared today throughout the industry in Australia,” Lark said.
Reflecting on the growth of the sector he helped create, Lark added: “Today our craft encompasses manufacturing, hospitality and tourism employing many people. I would also like to thank the many people across Australia who have helped make an amazing industry a reality.”
Lark’s influence extends well beyond his own distillery. He was the first Australian inducted into the World Whisky Hall of Fame in 2015, an inaugural inductee of the Australian Distillers Hall of Fame, and the founding president of the Australian Distillers Association in 2004 – helping shape the structure, advocacy and identity of the modern Australian distilling sector.
Despite his legacy status, Lark remains actively involved in the business. This past week he travelled to Asia to launch the new Lark Single Malt Whisky range in Malaysia and Singapore, underscoring the brand’s growing global footprint.
Lark CEO Stuart Gregor said the honour reflects the scale of Lark’s impact across the entire industry.
“Australian whisky owes almost everything to Bill Lark and this recognition could not be more richly deserved. Bill has not only made the most incredible contribution to Tasmanian whisky but to the distilled spirits industry across Australia.
“His name is synonymous with great quality, integrity and imagination, and for what the New World of Whisky, with Tasmania at the forefront, can become. The whole of the industry thanks Bill from the bottom of our glass,” Gregor said.
From overturning colonial-era legislation to building one of the country’s most respected luxury spirits brands, Bill Lark’s career mirrors the rise of Australian whisky itself – from curiosity to category, and from local experiment to global recognition.
For the bar industry, distillers and drinks professionals across the country, the AM award formally recognises what the trade has long known: that without Bill Lark, Australian whisky – and much of the modern Australian spirits landscape – would look very different today.
