Kentucky Bourbon Personalities Come Together to Compose New Marquee Exclusive Bourbon

Small Batch Bourbon Debuts at less than $50

Image Credit: New Era Distillery

LEXINGTON, KY (Oct 15, 2026) – New Era Distillery is unveiling a new bourbon they didn’t even come up with themselves, sort of. The new distillery in Lexington asked bourbon experts for help tasting and selecting barrels to comprise the first batch. Together, they selected the first batch of Marquee Bourbon, comprised of eleven Kentucky Bourbon barrels ranging from 5 to 9 years of age and seven different mash bills. The suggested retail price is $49.99. 

Not every distillery has centuries of history and heritage, but in spite of this, Marquee Bourbon does have its own story, as it was selected by some of the top bourbon tasters in Kentucky, including a top bartender, two head buyers of liquor stores, three bourbon media personalities and three bourbon society members, a veritable who’s who in the bourbon industry. 

“The tastemakers that blended this first batch of Marquee had a blast and created a stellar whiskey,” said Zane Brammell, the founder of New Era Whiskey, a rare, cask-strength, single barrel brand.  “I love cask strength bourbon. All of our New Era single barrel releases are cask strength. But I recognize sometimes people don’t always want a super strong, high-priced bottle. Some cocktails and social occasions call for a bourbon like Marquee,” said Brammell.  

 With fun, colorful labels ranging from vintage inspired artwork to futuristic mashups, Marquee Bourbon is designed to spark a story and give people a reason to talk. “People seem to love the variety of creative labels on our newspaper style New Era bottles. We wanted to continue the fun with these colorful Marquee Exclusive labels,” added Brammell. 

Each batch of Marquee Exclusive Bourbon will be chosen by a rotating cast of characters, bartenders, tastemakers, whiskey and enthusiasts, who are brought together to taste, compare notes, argue about which barrel is best, and have a true discussion about top notes, flavor profiles, and how blends come together. 

For the inaugural Marquee Small Batch Bourbon, nine bourbon professionals came together to taste 30 barrels ranging in age from 5 to 9 years.  The professionals were split into three teams and given time to taste through each sample and develop their top blend of the barrels as a team.  The three teams then voted on the three blends to select the winning batch for the inaugural release of Marquee.  Members of the selection committee for batch #1 were:

• Edward Callico, Bourbon Brotherhood

• Felicia Chism, Kentucky Black Bourbon Guild

• Maggie Kimberl, Content Editor, American Whiskey Magazine and spirits judge

• Himanshu Mallick, General Manager and Bourbon Barrel Pick Specialist, The Pour House

• Kenny Mills, Co-host, the Mash Up Bourbon Podcast

• Chris Rose, Lexington Bourbon Society

• Mark Rucker, Co-host, The Bourbon Life Podcast

• Tom Wilburn, Creative Bar Lead, Watch Hill Proper

• Brad Williams, Senior Category Manager, Liquor Barn 

“New Era has embarked on a new chapter, one which I thoroughly enjoyed participating in. I was invited to a roundtable-style blending session, during which we broke out into teams to create blends we would all later vote on. We worked hard on this first Marquee Bourbon blend and I hope everyone enjoys the fruits of our labor!” said Maggie Kimberl, one of the panelists who composed this first batch. 

Marquee Bourbon is available for $49.99 for a 750ml bottle at the New Era Whiskey Distillery, online, and some Kentucky retailers soon. Future releases of Marquee Exclusive will involve a new cast of characters, with plans to involve bourbon tastemakers from across the United States. 

About Marquee Exclusive Small Batch Bourbon 

Marquee Exclusive Small Batch Bourbon is brought to you by the creators of New Era Whiskey and founded on the premise that good bourbon doesn’t have to be expensive, boring, or steeped in history.  Created instead with color, character, and conversation, each batch of Marquee Exclusive is selected by a rotating cast of characters, ranging from bartenders, chefs, journalists, and whiskey enthusiasts, who gathered to enjoy the ritual of choosing something great together. After debating, discussing, and sometimes defending their choices, they united to bring you this unique blend of Marquee Bourbon, where every bottle is filled with color, character and conversation. For more information about Marquee Exclusive Small Batch Bourbon, visit marqueebourbon.com