Tasmanian whisky maker Lark Distilling is aiming to be the ‘Penfolds’ of Australian whisky as it steps up an export program from 2023 after a $40 million buyout of another Tasmanian distiller accompanied by a $53 million capital raising.

Lark managing director Geoff Bainbridge said on Monday the acquisition of Kernke Family Shene Estate, operator of the Pontville Distillery and Estate north of Hobart, would allow Lark to aggressively accelerate an export drive built on the high-quality “clean and green” provenance of Tasmanian whisky.