After 20 years at one of Australia’s founding distilleries, Master Distiller Chris Thomson announced last week he will leave Lark Distilling Co at the end of 2026 to pursue a long-held ambition to establish a whisky brand of his own.
After 20 years at one of Australia’s founding distilleries, Master Distiller Chris Thomson announced last week he will leave Lark Distilling Co at the end of 2026 to pursue a long-held ambition to establish a whisky brand of his own.
The Whisky Club has collaborated with Chris, Bill and the team to create ten exclusive releases made just for the Whisky Club, including the hugely popular Head Distiller's Releases and the Rare Seppeltsfield series.
In a video for The Whisky Club, Chris said that some of his favourite releases are those that he made for the Club.
“Some of my favourite whiskies I've ever created have been collaborations with The Whisky Club,” Thomson said. ”And some of my best friends I've ever met in this industry have been Members just like you.”
“Some of my favourite whiskies I've ever created have been collaborations with The Whisky Club”
A former musician, Chris Thomson joined Lark in his early 20s, learning the craft from Bill and Lyn Lark, eventually taking the lead in 2010.
Thomson received global recognition when he was named Australia's Distiller/Producer of the Year in 2022 and receiving global recognition as Master Distiller/Blender of the Year – Rest of World at the World Whiskies Awards in 2026.
“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,” says Lark’s CEO and Managing Director Stu Gregor.
“Almost 20 years ago, I set out with a pretty audacious ambition for what LARK could become,” Thomson says. Today, I feel like I’m standing on top of the mountain I set out to climb all those years ago.
“For almost as long, I’ve dreamed of creating a whisky brand of my own.”
Chris recorded a message just for Members to raise a dram to the incredible whiskies we’ve created along with the Lark team together. You can check it out here.
Cheers, Chris!
. 
