RED RESERVE - Barrel Aged Grain Spirit

Unique & refined.

Red Reserve is crafted with premium German malts & matured for a smooth, distingushed character. Rich notes of caramel, toasted grain & gentle oak lead into a rounded palate, lifted by a subtle citrus kick & clean finish. Balanced, elegant & quietly complex, a spirit to be savoured by whisky lovers.

45% ABV

The Story:

Back in the aftermath of COVID, like many independent breweries around the country, we saw wholesale sales slow dramatically. Around that same time, we had brewed a large batch of Double Red IPA — a bold, hop-saturated beer that quickly became a favourite amongst those who got their hands on it.

The problem? It had reached the ceiling of where we could realistically sell a beer of that style and strength.

Rather than discount the beer into oblivion or see it destroyed, we decided to do something far more interesting.

Together with our friends at That Spirited Lot, we set out to give the beer a second life.

What followed was one of the more unconventional days in Banks history — cracking cans, emptying kegs into IBC tanks by hand, loading them into vans and driving the beer up the road to be distilled.

But the story didn’t finish there.

After passing through the still, the spirit was laid to rest in a unique barrel that had previously housed Australian red wine before later being used to mature whisky. From there, it sat patiently ageing for three years, slowly developing into what you see today — Banks Red Reserve.

An extremely unique Australian-made spirit. Never to be made again. A true one-of-one barrel-aged hopped grain spirit.

At 45% ABV, it’s bold, layered and built for sipping. Equally at home in a Negroni, a twist on an Old Fashioned, or simply enjoyed neat or over ice.

What started as a beer loved by so many became something entirely different — refined, complex and deeply special. A product born from creativity, resilience and a refusal to waste something great.

If selecting Pickup at brewery. Orders are available for pickup as soon as beer is release within our trading hours. 

We ship from our online store on Monday - Thursdays (except if a public holiday falls on the above listed day). We ship on these specific days to minimise the time your beer spends out of refrigeration. Orders Must be Placed by 3pm on Monday or Tuesday to ensure your order is shipped that week.