Winemaker
Chris Thompson
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Hobart, Australia
i. Biography
Chris Thompson is Head Distiller at Lark Distillery in Hobart, Australia, where Tasmanian whisky sits under his current distilling remit. The work reads as a disciplined passage from cellar to still: technical training translated into repeatable judgment, with the focus on structure, timing, and the demands of making liquid that holds together in the glass.
The Path
Training at Brock, UC Davis, and Somm Factory gave Chris Thompson a base that spans wine and spirits without collapsing into either field. The sequence matters: study, then application, then the slower work of converting knowledge into practice. From there, the path moved through Lighthall Vineyards in Prince Edward County, Canada, first as Assistant Winemaker and then as winemaker. That progression marks a shift from support to responsibility, but it stays rooted in the same place and the same attention to craft. Hosting like that asks for plain fluency: enough command to explain process without flattening it. Today, Chris Thompson holds both the Head Distiller role at Lark Distillery and the winemaker role at Volta Estate Winery. The combination points to a practice built around balance, texture, and the controlled change that defines both wine and spirits.
The Work Today
At Lark Distillery, the Head Distiller role is a daily exercise in temperature, time, and judgment. Chris Thompson’s current work keeps whisky at the center of the brief, with the still as the place where decisions are made and tested rather than simply executed. It is ongoing craft, not a finished chapter. Tasmanian whisky is the specialty attached to Chris Thompson’s current distilling role at Lark Distillery. The assignment ties the work to place without separating it from process: the island identity is part of the product, but the craft remains the point.
Career - Head Distiller — Lark Distillery, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia - Winemaker — Volta Estate Winery, Prince Edward County, Canada - Assistant Winemaker — Lighthall Vineyards, Prince Edward County, Canada - Winemaker — Lighthall Vineyards, Prince Edward County, Canada - Host — Lark Revolution Release Masterclass (2017) Education: Brock; UC Davis; Somm Factory
Signature
Chris Thompson's signature wines include Devil’s Storm and Revolution Series. The names sit within a body of work that spans wine and distilling, and they point to a practice with range rather than repetition.
In Their Words “My name is Chris Thompson, I'm the Lark Distillery Head Distiller.”
FAQ Where did Chris Thompson train or study? Chris Thompson trained at Brock and UC Davis. What is Chris Thompson known for? Tasmanian whisky.
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