LARK Distilling Co.’s Wilderness Collection: SEA, Chapter 08 - Antarctic Edge has swept four trophies at the inaugural Royal Tasmanian Whisky & Spirits Awards, taking Best Single Malt Whisky, Best Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky, Best Tasmanian Whisky and Best in Show, the competition’s overall award.
The trophy follows a Gold medal for SEA 08 in the Single Malt Whisky category, where it was recognised alongside LARK’s Wil No.294 Ember Eclipse Single Malt, which also received Gold.
The Royal Tasmanian Whisky & Spirits Awards are run by the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania in partnership with the Tasmanian Whisky & Spirits Association. Entries are judged blind by panels of distillers, journalists, hospitality professionals and industry experts against set criteria. The 2026 competition attracted 248 entries from 44 exhibitors across whisky and spirits categories.
As the winner of Best in Show, LARK receives a $10,000 prize, which the distillery will direct towards two initiatives close to the spirit of the Wilderness Collection: Antarctic research and the continued education of Tasmania’s whisky makers.
LARK will allocate $5,000 towards Antarctic research, supporting work that helps deepen our understanding of one of the world’s most remote and fragile environments.
A further $5,000 will establish a professional development bursary for one of LARK’s whisky makers, supporting the opportunity to travel and study some of the great whiskies and whisky-making traditions of the world.
For LARK, the decision reflects the thinking behind the Wilderness Collection itself: using whisky as a way to explore Tasmania’s wild places, while continuing to learn from the wider world of whisky.
LARK CEO, Stuart Gregor says:
“To win the top trophy at a competition judged here in Tasmania, by an international panel, in its first year, is about as good as it gets for us. Tasmania is making whisky that stands up anywhere in the world, and these awards finally give it a stage at home.”
Wilderness Collection: SEA, Chapter 08 - Antarctic Edge is a tribute to the frozen frontier beyond - a celebration of Tasmania's elemental spirit and its enduring connection to Antarctica. Yielding just 235 bottles, it is the eighth release in LARK's Wilderness Collection, a series of rare single cask whiskies inspired by Tasmania's landscapes, species and environments.
SEA 08 is available exclusively online at larkdistilling.com and through LARK’s Hobart venues, with an RRP of $650 – limited stock still available.
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About LARK Distilling Co.
Founded in 1992 by pioneers Bill and Lyn Lark, LARK Distilling Co. is the original distillery of modern Tasmania, igniting the island's whisky movement, overturning a 150-year-old distilling ban and establishing Tasmania as one of the world's most distinctive whisky regions. Today, LARK is Australia's No.1 Luxury Single Malt Whisky brand and a recognised leader of the global New World whisky category.
Crafted at the historic Pontville Distillery in Tasmania, LARK whiskies are defined by fortified depth, silky complexity and a flavour-forward style shaped by the island's extraordinary super-climate.
Guided by curiosity rather than convention, LARK continues to push boundaries through innovation in cask maturation, locally sourced ingredients and creative experimentation.
LARK whiskies are recognised locally and globally for their quality, earning numerous international accolades over more than three decades. Most recently, LARK won nine medals at the World Whisky Masters 2026 - three Master medals and six Gold medals, with every whisky entered receiving recognition. The distillery also won three Double Gold medals and two Gold medals at the 2025 World Spirits Competition in San Francisco, and Master Distiller Chris Thomson was awarded Master Distiller/Blender of the Year at the 2026 World Whiskies Awards. In 2026, LARK unveiled a bold new Single Malt signature collection which was awarded World's Best Design and Best Range Design at the World Whiskies Awards.
LARK can be experienced at the Hobart Cellar Door, whisky bar GOTHAM at The Still, LARK Distillery in Pontville, and through premium bars, retailers and Global Travel Retail around the world.
