When Bill established Lark Distillery in May 1992 with his wife, Lyn, it was the first such licence issued in Tasmania since 1839.
In 2008, he became a founding director of Starward Distillery (then known as Victoria Valley Distillery) and in 2012, he co-founded Old Kempton Distillery (then known as Redlands Distillery) in the Derwent Valley.
At the Tasmanian Tourism Awards 2013, Bill was named ‘Minister’s Champion’.
In 2014, Lark Distillery was awarded Telstra Tasmanian and Australian Small Business of the Year.
In 2015 he was personally awarded the Hospitality Minister’s Award for Excellence for ‘Contribution to the Industry’. Also in 2015, he was named the 28th inductee of the World Whisky Awards Hall of Fame in the United Kingdom. Bill was the first Australian to be bestowed such an honour.
He has acted as a judge in several Australian Spirit Awards and in February 2019, was appointed Head Judge for the inaugural Australian Gin Awards and Head Judge for the Tasting Australia Spirit Awards in South Australia.
Bill continues to consult to distilleries across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and is also Global Brand Ambassador for Lark Distilling Company.
A founding member of the Australian Distillers Association and The Tasmanian Whisky Producers Association, Bill has mentored many throughout their craft distilling adventures.
His generosity of spirit in sharing his advice and wisdom with newcomers to the industry has inspired a truly collegiate environment which has thrived on continuous improvement and knowledge exchange.