Lark Master Distiller Chris Thomson to Step Down After 20 Years

Lark Distilling Co master distiller Chris Thomson will leave the Tasmanian whisky maker at the end of 2026 after nearly two decades. He plans to launch his own spirits venture.

His exit follows a financial year in which the Pontville-based distiller lifted international export sales 69 per cent to AU$1.8 million. Global travel retail revenue rose 43 per cent to AU$2.2 million.

Thomson joined Lark in February 2007 and became master blender and distiller in 2010 after training under founder Bill Lark. He finishes his tenure in late December. He will take several months off with family before launching the new whisky project.

Export expansion and production scale

Net sales grew 15.1 per cent for the financial year ending June 30, 2026. Gains came from expanding beyond domestic bottle shops into regional duty-free hubs and offshore export channels across Asia-Pacific.

Primary distillation and cask storage shifted to the expanded Pontville site north of Hobart, building an inventory reserve for larger commercial runs. Thomson oversaw the formulation and rollout of the luxury single malt range earlier this year. He established standard production recipes to maintain barrel consistency as volume expands.

Leadership changes at Pontville

Former Four Pillars gin co-founder Stuart Gregor took over as Lark chief executive and managing director in late 2025. He praised Thomson’s contribution across the past two decades.

“Chris has been much more than an integral member of our team; he has been our beating heart and soul for more than half of our existence and one of the world’s great distillers,” Gregor said.

This leadership handover tests whether a craft spirits label can maintain its liquid profile without its longtime blender. For liquor retailers and regional distributors, the challenge is whether brand equity survives the exit of the personality behind the product.

Industry recognition and market shifts

Thomson collected the Rest of the World title for Master Distiller and Master Blender of the Year at the 2026 World Whiskies Awards Icons of Whisky. The Spirits Business Awards also named him runner-up Blender of the Year in 2025.

Tasmanian single malts face tougher shelf competition in Asian travel retail corridors from Japanese, Taiwanese and Scottish distillers. Lark has relied on limited-cask releases and luxury pricing to protect margins against higher local excise rates and rising logistics overheads.

Operational handover ahead of 2027

Production staff at Pontville will handle distillation and blending once Thomson departs at year-end. Lark has not named an external successor for the master distiller post.

Investors and retail buyers will watch the distillery’s half-year trading update in early 2027 to see whether export momentum across Asian duty-free accounts holds under Gregor.