Three taste wins and one design award recognised bottles sold online
LARK Distilling Co. Won four Gold Medals at the 2026 Australian International Spirits Awards, with judges recognising both taste and design across the Tasmanian whisky maker’s range.
Three releases took Gold for taste: Mizunara Oak Rare Cask (Batch 4), No.294 Ember Eclipse and No.285 Ruby Abyss. No.183 Devil’s Storm won Gold for design.
Mizunara Oak Rare Cask (Batch 4) is available online and carries a recommended retail price of $1,000. Ember Eclipse sells for $680, or SGD590, and LARK offers it only through Global Travel Retail at Sydney International Airport and Changi International Airport.
Ruby Abyss has an RRP of $400. Buyers can find it online, through trade, in Global Travel Retail and at LARK venues. Devil’s Storm sells for $200 through the same channels.
Chris Thomson on four golds
LARK Master Distiller Chris Thomson called the result important because the awards are judged in Australia by specialists in local spirits. He also pointed to recognition across the full range, from Mizunara Oak Rare Cask to Ember Eclipse, Ruby Abyss and Devil’s Storm.
“Four Gold Medals at the Australian International Spirits Awards means a lot, because this is home turf, judged by people who know Australian spirits better than anyone,” Thomson said.
Melbourne Royal organises the Australian International Spirits Awards. The competition began in 2015 and ranks among Australia’s longest-running spirits contests. In 2025, organisers opened it to international entries for the first time.
According to the awards rules, judges assess entries blind. They score each spirit on commercial excellence, technical quality and authenticity of style. After that first stage, every Gold medal winner goes into another judging round for category trophies.
LARK said the medals covered both liquid quality and presentation. As a result, the company picked up three taste golds and one design gold in the same awards programme.
The whisky range is available now through larkdistilling.com, trade partners, Global Travel Retail and LARK venues in Hobart. Meanwhile, the four medal-winning bottles are spread across different sales channels, including online retail, airport duty free and venue sales.
