New Era Distillery has unveiled Marquee Small Batch Bourbon, an inaugural release blended by a nine-strong panel of Kentucky bourbon professionals. The Lexington-based producer selected the first batch from 11 Kentucky bourbon barrels, aged between five and nine years across seven different mash bills, with a suggested retail price of $49.99 (£37).
The first batch was chosen through a roundtable-style blending session involving some of the state’s leading tasters.
Nine bourbon professionals came together to taste 30 barrels ranging in age from five to nine years. The group was split into three teams, with each developing its preferred blend before all three voted to select the winning batch.
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The selection committee for batch #1 included Maggie Kimberl, content editor at American Whiskey Magazine and a spirits judge; Himanshu Mallick, general manager and bourbon barrel pick specialist at The Pour House; and Kenny Mills, co-host of the Mash Up Bourbon Podcast.
The panel also featured Edward Callico of the Bourbon Brotherhood, Felicia Chism of the Kentucky Black Bourbon Guild, Chris Rose of the Lexington Bourbon Society, Mark Rucker of The Bourbon Life Podcast, Tom Wilburn, creative bar lead at Watch Hill Proper, and Brad Williams, senior category manager at Liquor Barn.
Marquee is the latest project from the team behind New Era Whiskey, a rare, cask-strength, single barrel brand.
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READ THE STORY“The tastemakers that blended this first batch of Marquee had a blast and created a stellar whiskey,” said Zane Brammell, founder of New Era Whiskey. “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.”
The brand said each release carries colorful labels ranging from vintage-inspired artwork to futuristic mashups, designed to “spark a story.”
“People seem to love the variety of creative labels on our newspaper style New Era bottles,” Brammell said. “We wanted to continue the fun with these colorful Marquee Exclusive labels.”
Kimberl, one of the panelists, said: “New Era has embarked on a new chapter, one which I thoroughly enjoyed participating in. We worked hard on this first Marquee Bourbon blend and I hope everyone enjoys the fruits of our labor!”
The 750ml bottle is available at the New Era Whiskey Distillery, online, and at select Kentucky retailers soon. Future releases will involve a rotating cast of tastemakers, with plans to include contributors from across the United States.
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