Which of Lark's New Tasmanian Single Malts Is Worth Bringing Home?

If you love a good story, Lark is one of those Australian whisky names that tends to come up in conversations you weren't expecting. Picking up 3 Double Gold medals at the 2025 World Spirits Competition in San Francisco, it put Tasmania firmly on the radar for drinkers who usually look to Scotland or Japan.

Now, new Lark single malt whisky releases have landed in travel retail, each with its own take on the island's whisky style. The best part? You can find all three at Lotte Duty Free in Terminal 2 and online on Laneway, Melbourne Airport’s online duty free shopping platform. Whether you’re heading overseas or flying into Australia through Melbourne Airport, you can have your order sorted before you even fly.

Lark Tasmanian whisky is worth buying because it was made on Tasmanian terms from the start. In 1992, Bill Lark and Lyn Lark registered their distillery on Killara Street in Hobart and helped bring commercial distilling back to Tasmania after more than 150 years. The idea was never to copy Scotland but to make whisky that could only come from Tasmania.

Here’s why that matters when you’re choosing a bottle:

• It has a clear sense of place. Tasmania gives Lark cool conditions, clean water and local barley to work with. Today, Lark’s production is centred around Pontville and the Coal River Valley, where the whisky can build depth without losing its bright fruit and malt character.
• It helped restart a whole whisky industry. Lark helped open the door for modern Tasmanian whisky and gave Australian whisky drinkers a serious local single malt to talk about.
• It’s made with patience. Lark’s whisky makers taste the spirit up to 70 times through the whisky-making process, so each release only moves forward when it’s ready.
• It has a cask story worth knowing. Lark matures whisky in rare fortified wine casks from Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley, including casks with more than 100 years of liquid history. That helps explain the richness, sweetness and warmth people often look for in Lark.
• It has the awards to back up its reputation. Lark picked up three Double Gold medals at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Master Distiller Chris Thomson was also named Master Blender and Master Distiller of the Year (Rest of the World) at the 2026 World Whiskies Awards in London.

The new Lark single malts available duty free are Cinder Forest, Wild Haven and Ember Eclipse, all travel retail exclusives on Laneway and at Lotte Duty Free in Terminal 2. These Tasmanian single malt releases have different cask stories, different flavour moods and enough detail to make choosing one feel worth your time.

• Cinder Forest Single Malt – Shaped by Port and sherry casks, then finished in American Oak, this single malt brings together sweet vanilla, honey, citrus, chocolate and spiced dates, so you get richness without losing lift. It sits at 41.8% ABV, which makes it the most approachable of the 3 new releases.
• Wild Haven Single Malt – Starts with Seppeltsfield Port and Sherry influence, then adds a rum cask finish. That gives it a warmer, rounder profile, with candied pecan, caramelised banana, spiced fruit cake and a wisp of Tasmanian peat. It sits at 45% ABV, so it has a little more weight while still feeling easy to enjoy.
• Ember Eclipse Single Malt – The most refined of the three. It brings together Port and Sherry cask influence with a Cognac cask finish, creating notes of pear tart, praline chocolate, quince paste, nougat, Madeira pudding, maple butter and tea. At 46% ABV, it has the structure to carry those richer dessert notes while keeping the finish polished.

If you already know the Lark range, you can think of these as a step beyond Lark Classic Cask Strength and below the top-end Rare Cask series. They give you a travel-exclusive way into Lark Distillery’s limited releases without moving straight to the highest shelf. You may also see other duty free expressions such as Chinotto Citrus Cask and Devils Storm.

Choose Cinder Forest if you want the easiest bottle to open and share, Wild Haven if you want the most adventurous dram, and Ember Eclipse if you want the bottle that feels most special. All three carry Lark’s Tasmanian character, but each one suits a different kind of whisky drinker.

• Want the safest crowd pleaser? Cinder Forest is the bottle to pick when you want something familiar and easy to enjoy. Its Port, Sherry and American Oak profile makes sense if you like a rounder Scotch whisky style with sweetness, spice and a smooth finish.
• Want something with more movement? Wild Haven is the pick for the drinker who likes a whisky with a bit of wildness. The rum cask finish gives it warmth and lift, while the light peat note adds interest without taking over.
• Want the gift bottle? Ember Eclipse is the most occasion-ready of the three. It has the depth and price point to sit in a premium gift pack, even if you’re gifting the bottle on its own. Choose this for a milestone, a collector or someone who appreciates a whisky that feels layered from the first pour.

Pre-ordering Lark whisky duty free on Laneway means you can choose your bottle early, pay duty free prices and have it waiting for pick up when you travel through Melbourne Airport. You do not need to make a trip to a Hobart cellar door or visit Pontville to bring home a Tasmanian bottle with a real story behind it.

• You can sort it before you fly. Laneway lets you order up to 60 days before your flight and no later than 24 hours before you travel, so you can make your choice while you have time to think.
• You get duty free value. Lark whisky on Laneway is sold without GST, so you can see the duty free price before you hit checkout.
• You can earn Qantas Points. Qantas Frequent Flyer members can earn 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on eligible online purchases. Add your membership number at checkout so the points can be linked to your order.
• You can collect when it suits your travel. Laneway offers 24/7 collection at Terminal 2, including the international arrivals counter, which makes it useful if you are landing early, late or after a long flight.

You can also shop at Lotte Duty Free in Terminal 2 if you prefer to browse in person. But if you already know which Lark bottle you want, Laneway helps you lock it in before you travel.

A good bottle can change what you expect from a place, and that’s the appeal of Lark’s new travel retail range. It gives you a taste of where Australia now sits in the conversation, with single malt whisky that feels confident, local and worth making room for.

You can find the new Lark single malts at Lotte Duty Free in Terminal 2 or order online on Laneway, Melbourne Airport’s official duty free shopping platform, before you fly. To keep up with new duty free arrivals, offers and product news, subscribe to Melbourne Airport’s Shopping News newsletter and follow Melbourne Airport on social media.

Disclaimer: Only passengers travelling internationally from/to Melbourne Airport can purchase goods via the Laneway. Please note that some goods may have minimum age requirements (for example, alcoholic beverages/tobacco products) and ID will need to be provided at the time you collect the goods from the relevant collection point. Purchases of alcohol and tobacco via the Laneway must not be made by any person who is under 18 years of age.