Women in Whisky (part 4)

If you grow up with a whisky still outside your bedroom window, whisky is bound to get into your blood. That’s just what happened with Kristy Lark of the Lark Distillery in Tasmania, Australia.

When she was about 12, her dad, Bill Lark, took Lark Distillery through its first steps as a fledgling single malt distillery, distilling whisky just outside their house. That was 18 years ago and in the mean time Kristy and the Lark Distillery have all grown up.

Lark was the first legal whisky distillery in Tasmania in 150 years. Today, there are more whisky distilleries

in Australia, than there are in Ireland…by a long shot. At this point there are about 13 compared to

Ireland’s three.

Tasmania is an Australian island state with a population of about 500,000, just off the southernmost tip of the Australian continent.

Nowadays, 30-year old Kristy, who was the head distiller for three-years is the general manager, although she continues to oversee the distilling section.

Fortunately, I got a chance to pose some questions to Kristy about her career.

What do you see as the essential elements of experience and personality that have brought you to where you are now?

“I don’t think there are necessarily ESSENTIAL elements of experience needed. Experience in the distilling industry certainly helps but it’s more about your own personality and if you have drive and determination and a huge interest in the industry. Having an understanding of the science behind brewing and distilling is useful, though I had neither. I learnt on the job and was also lucky enough to be given a scholarship by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) to go to Scotland and learn more which I did in 2005. I think a big part of what got me to where I am today is having my parents believe in my skills and help me to obtain more skills when and where I needed them.”

I know the Lark Distillery is very much a family business, but what has been your biggest professional challenge so far, personally?

“Managing my parents!

“No, really! I think for me the biggest challenge was to decide what I actually wanted to do as a profession. For a long time I really wanted to be an Air Traffic Controller (ATC) and everything I did at school was working towards that goal. I ended up getting one of the highly prized spaces at the ATC academy

(3500 applied, 10 were accepted) and was packing my bags ready to go when I realized that I really did like the distilling industry and it was somewhere that I did want to work. So I approached may parents and asked if I could start learning how to make whisky and to be a part of their business. From then on it wasn’t a challenge as such as I really enjoyed learning all the parts of the business, I started at the very bottom and worked my way up as I gained more and more experience.

“At his point, my biggest challenge has been since assuming the position of general manager, not so much the work, but getting people to see me as the GM and not Dad [Bill Lark]. Also getting Dad to let go of a few things has been difficult as well!”

Lark produces a very well respected line of single malts and produces only single cask bottlings with no chill filtering or coloring. Lark Single Malt Whisky is now available in the US at Binny’s in Chicago and Royal Mile Whiskies in Europe.

In addition to Single Malt Whisky, Lark Distillery also produces Rum, Gin, Vodka, Apple Schnapps, Brandy, Apple Brandy and Liqueur.

Lark Whiskies have won these awards: 2009 World Whisky Awards “Best Other Single Malt Whisky (no age).” Lark’s Single Cask release barrel number LD39 has been voted BEST AUSTRALIAN WHISKY by the Malt Whisky Society of Australia. Lark, No Age Statement, “Distillers Selection” won a Bronze Medal in the 2009 Malt Maniacs awards with a score of 82.

Bill Lark, founder of Lark Distillery, along with others, is also involved in bringing to life a new distillery on an old site, East Newhall Farm

Steading, near St. Andrews in Scotland to be called Kingsbarns Distillery. They intend for this to be a small craft distillery.

Making Lark Distillery Single Malts

Cascade Brewery supplies about 45 tons of Australian malted barley used by Lark to make their whisky,

but there’s a twist. Even though the barley comes ready to be ground into grist for the distilling process,

Lark goes through an additional step to make their whiskey into a slightly smoky dram. They wet the dried malted barley again and re-dry it over Tasmanian peat fires. The Larks own a peat bog in the center of Tasmania where they have a license to “mine” the peat that is actually dug from the surface with a special spade. They figure they have enough for about 500 years.

In Scotland when a whisky company wants to make a peaty whisky, they specify to their maltster the parts per million of phenols from the peat they want infused into their malted barley and it is dried over a peat fire to their specifications at the malting facility. No extra step’s needed when it arrives at the distillery before grinding into grist. But, of course, peat from Scotland is not peat from Tasmania.

I asked Kristy how she would describe the difference between an Islay peat aroma and a Tasmanian peat aroma, both as the burning peat itself and the aroma/flavor in the

finished whisky?

“Islay peat is mostly made up of decomposed seaweed and other plant matter that is found close to the ocean and so it produces quite a pungent smell while burning and has a unique taste in a whisky profile.

“On the other hand our peat bog is in the center of Tasmania and nowhere near the coast so it has no

salty/iodine taste as Islay peat can get. Instead it is made up of native plant matter that is subtly sweet, with a hint of spice and can smell like a rain forest after the rain. In the end flavor profile of our whisky the peat is very subtle and has a slight floral aroma/taste.

“Burning Islay Peat has a dry savory smell whereas Tasmanian peat has a slightly sweet smell.”

In distilling Lark uses the usual two step process of pot distilling the whisky to about 70%ABV, using a wash still and a spirit still and add distilled water to the raw spirit to bring it down to 63% before casking the whisky for 5-7 years in 100 liter barrels.

Without giving away trade secrets is it possible

to describe the process of coming up with a

new release?

“When we feel a barrel is ready to decant we take a small sample. Back at the distillery a number of us (usually 2-6) will sit down and will break the sample down to various strengths (by adding a measured amount of filtered water) to see if A) it is ready to bottle or needs further maturation or and B) what strength it shines at. We bottle at 4 different strengths: 40%, 43%, 46% and cask strength 58%.

“We have found over the years that some whiskies really shine at a certain strength and while they are still good at other strengths there is normally one that stands out. That is why I would always recommend that people taste the whisky as it is, straight from the bottle, and not to add any water or ice until after they have tasted it.

“All distilleries and bottling houses go to great lengths to bring you a fantastic whisky and that is what you will find in the bottle. Having said that there are whiskies and times where I have added a few drops of water as it can certainly open up some whiskies, but always try it as the distiller has bottled it first!

“Nowadays we have increased production and can produce the whisky to a flavor profile we like (which is what our current whisky is). Though we also have a few different things to throw into the mix every now and then like a few heavily peated whiskies that will be available in

3-years time (watch out for these as they are going to be great!).

“There are a few people involved in upcoming releases, myself, Ross Dinsmoor our sales manager, Bill

[Larkin, her father] our managing director (he gets the final say!!) and our distiller Chris Thompson. ”

How long from conception to bottling does it usually take to bring a new whisky to fruition?

“Around 6-8 years. We will first trial something new like new yeast, new barrel type, new cooper, etc in a 20 liter barrel, this will give us a fairly good indication as to what the whisky will turn out like in a relatively short period of time (2 years!) we monitor the 20 liter barrel every month to see how it is progressing and if it is going well we will then lay down some 100 liter barrels which take 5-7 years to mature.

“We decided on the 100 liter barrels because they reach their peak maturation in 5-7 years instead of 200 liter barrels which take 10-15 years to mature or 300 liter barrels which take 15-20 years to mature.

[Quarter casks used by Laphroaig and others are about 125 liters, Bourbon barrels are about 190 liters, Hogsheads are 250 liters and Butts are 500 liters]

“The reason 100 liter barrels takes less time is that there is a greater surface area of wood per liter of liquid. This means that age is really irrelevant for us and we can produce a whisky that is outstanding in less time. So for comparison’s sake we can get a whisky that is fully matured and winning awards in 5-7 years because our barrels are smaller, than say those used in Scotland which need 10-18 years to reach peak maturation. So age should really be relevant to the size barrel the whisky has been matured in.”

What can you tell me about your wood policy

for aging?

“We never use ‘virgin’ wood. We have always used 100 liter cut down ex Australian port barrels, a few bourbon barrels and a few sherry barrels (always 100 liter). At the moment we are really liking the whisky that we are getting from ex port barrels and we have just managed to secure a deal with Seppeltsfield Winery so that we get all their ex port barrels which are then cut down to 100 liters, shaved of the pink color and then charred, ready for us to fill with new make whisky spirit.”

Beyond the Whisky Making

In your meetings with the public are there any common misconceptions that you encounter?

“Whisky age is a big one (see above for explanation about age). People thinking that whisky has to be a certain age for it to be ‘good’ is a very common misconception. I am forever trying to educate people on this topic!

“Many think of Whisky/distilling as being a ‘Boys Club’. I don’t think it is. I’ve always had lots of support and help from many people in the industry (male and female) both here in Australia and in Scotland. Also women make the best blenders, as we are able to distinguish smells and flavors better than men. Sorry boys that’s just the way it goes!!”

I’m assuming your father mentored you as you were coming up in the business. Are you mentoring anyone in particular as your ‘right hand man/woman’?

“Yes, my father was and still is a great mentor to me. I learned lots of things from him, not just about whisky production but also how to manage a business and all the people in it. While I don’t have a specific person I mentor I certainly help various people in the business from our shop manager to our current distiller.”

Can you describe what you do on a day-to-day basis?

“A lot of paper work! Selecting and tasting barrels for bottling is a big part of my job and it’s part of my job that most people I talk to would love to have! Now that I have moved away from the more hands on side of the business a lot of my day revolves around paper work, and other ‘boring’ things. I miss the hands on part of distilling, being right there where all the action happens, deciding on cuts, filling barrels, breaking nails!”

Recently Kristy started Australia’s first whisky magazine called Tumbler. I asked her to tell me a little bit about this quarterly publication.

“Tumbler is a print magazine that I started up a year ago. At the time I decided that the Australian whisky industry was big enough that the consumers needed to know more about what was going on. It has been

well received.

“Tumbler comes out quarterly and has lots of information about the Australian industry and what’s happening in the industry around the world. The website is www.tumblermagazine.com

“There have been articles on different Australian and Scottish distilleries, events that happen here in Australia and over seas. There are also sections on whisky and food matching, how to start up your own whisky club as well as news and information on new releases.”

Where, professionally do you see yourself in five to ten years?

“Can anyone really answer that? I’m pregnant at the moment so in 18 years time maybe I’ll be mentoring the new distiller in the family?!”

People are definitely making noise about Lark Distillery. Maybe you’ll get a taste soon and add your voice to those who are talking-up this Tasmanian whisky.

Cheers!