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Lark Distillery

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Lark Distilling Co. Ltd
FormerlyAustralian Whisky Holdings
Company typePublic
ASX: LRK
Founded1992; 32 years ago (1992)
Founder
  • Bill Lark
  • Lyn Lark
Key people
Satya Sharma (CEO)
Websitelarkdistillery.com

Lark Distilling Co. Ltd is a producer of Australian whisky and liqueurs in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.[1][2]

History

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Lark Distillery was founded in 1992 by Bill and Lyn Lark.[3] The couple sold the business in June 2013, retaining a 25% stake.[4] In January 2014, Lark Distillery acquired Old Hobart Distillery, owner of the Overeem whisky brand.[5] Montec International Limited, a private equity company listed on the ASX in 2003, was primarily focused on the marketing and licensing of dairy technology.[4] Montec entered the whisky business in February 2014 when it acquired a 32% stake in Lark Distillery.[6] In late 2015, Montec changed its name to Australian Whisky Holdings Limited (AWH).[7]

In March 2016, AWH purchased a 12% stake in Redlands Estate Distillery.[8] In March 2019, activist investor Bruce Neill set in motion events which resulted in the entire board's resignation or voting off and the resignation of Brendan Waights, the company's acting chief executive and chief financial officer.[9] Lark Distillery Single Malt Whiskey won a Gold Medal at the 2019 London Spirits Competition.[10]

Australian Whisky Holdings was renamed Lark Distilling Co. in May 2020.[11] The following month, Lark completed the sale of the Overeem business to Sawford Distillery.[12] Lark Distillery became the first distillery in Australia to become carbon neutral in April 2021.[13][14] In October 2021, Lark Distilling announced it would acquire Kernke Family Shene Estate, owner of the Pontville Distillery and Estate.[15] In February 2022, CEO Geoff Bainbridge resigned after a video of him purportedly smoking methamphetamine was published.[16] Laura McBain took over as interim CEO until the appointment of Satya Sharma in May 2023.[17][18]

References

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  1. ^ "Why The Most Exciting Whisky Right Now Is Coming From Tasmania". GQ. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  2. ^ "AWH plans to make Lark Whisky what 'Penfolds is to Australian wine'". The Shout. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  3. ^ Allen, Max (28 January 2021). "At Lark, the whisky sets the agenda, even if the timing's awkward". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b McCarthy, Luke (23 August 2022). "On Lark: The untold story of Tasmania's foundational whisky brand". Oz Whisky Review. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  5. ^ Paskin, Becky (14 January 2014). "Australia's Overeem whisky sold to Lark Distillery". The Spirits Business. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Business Update March 2018" (PDF). March 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Annual General Meeting Held on 30 November 2015" (PDF). Montec International Limited. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  8. ^ Young, Andy (18 March 2016). "Australian Whisky Holdings acquires equity in Redlands Estate Distillery". The Shout. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  9. ^ Battersby, Lucy; Sakkal, Paul (24 May 2019). "Nothing neat about whisky brawl that put board on the rocks". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Competition Results". londonspiritscompetition.com. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  11. ^ Atkinson, James (1 May 2020). "Lark Distilling Co starts new era for Tasmanian whisky on ASX". Drinks Adventures Podcast. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  12. ^ McCarthy, Luke (8 July 2020). "Overeem Whisky relaunches under family ownership". Oz Whisky Review. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Lark Distilling Co. | Climate Active".
  14. ^ "Tasmania's Lark Distilling Co. Is the first certified carbon neutral distillery in Australia". 11 May 2021.
  15. ^ Kiely, Melita (19 October 2021). "Lark Distilling buys Pontville owner for AU$40m". The Spirits Business. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  16. ^ Knaus, Christopher (16 February 2022). "Grill'd co-founder Geoff Bainbridge quits Lark Distilling board over alleged drug use video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  17. ^ Doherty, Ioni (16 February 2022). "Lark Distilling CEO steps down after video emerges. Laura McBain to replace Geoff Bainbridge whose resignation is effective immediately". Drinks Trade. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  18. ^ Atkinson, James (3 November 2022). "Satya Sharma appointed Lark Distilling CEO". Drinks Adventures Podcast. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
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