What happens when nine bourbon personalities, 30 barrels and a little friendly competition get together? Apparently, a pretty interesting bottle of whiskey.

Most bourbon brands have a master distiller or blender who decides what goes into the bottle. Marquee Exclusive Bourbon decided to take a different route. Instead of leaving the job to one person, the folks behind the new Kentucky bourbon invited nine industry personalities to roll up their sleeves, taste some whiskey and help create the inaugural release.

And just like that, a bourbon committee was born.

The new Marquee Small Batch Bourbon comes from New Era Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky, but its creation was very much a group effort. Nine bourbon professionals, representing everything from bartending and retail to whiskey media and bourbon societies, gathered to taste 30 barrels of Kentucky bourbon ranging from five to nine years old.

They weren’t just there to sample a few whiskeys and offer an opinion, either. They were there to do some actual blending.

The group was divided into three teams, with each team tasked with tasting the samples, comparing notes and putting together its own preferred blend. Once the teams had their creations, everyone voted on the finalists to determine which blend would become the first batch of Marquee.

The winning recipe brings together 11 Kentucky bourbon barrels, seven different mash bills and a range of ages from five to nine years.

That’s a lot of opinions going into one bottle, but apparently the committee managed to get along long enough to produce something worth sharing.

The inaugural tasting panel included Edward Callico of Bourbon Brotherhood, Felicia Chism of the Kentucky Black Bourbon Guild, Maggie Kimberl of American Whiskey Magazine, Himanshu Mallick of The Pour House, Kenny Mills of the Mash Up Bourbon Podcast, Chris Rose of Lexington Bourbon Society, Mark Rucker of The Bourbon Life Podcast, Tom Wilburn of Watch Hill Proper and Brad Williams of Liquor Barn.

Kimberl described the experience as a roundtable-style blending session where the participants broke into teams, worked on their own blends and eventually voted on the winner. It was a hands-on approach that gave everyone a chance to contribute something to the finished product.

And that’s really the idea behind Marquee. Each new batch will bring together a different collection of bartenders, chefs, whiskey writers, retailers and enthusiasts to taste, debate and select the barrels that make the cut. Future panels are expected to include bourbon personalities from around the country.

It’s a little bit of bourbon tasting, a little bit of friendly competition and perhaps a reminder that getting nine whiskey people to agree on anything is an accomplishment all by itself.

The folks at New Era recognize that not everyone is looking for a barrel-proof whiskey that requires a little water, a little patience and perhaps a designated driver. Founder Zane Brammell, whose New Era Whiskey brand is known for its rare, cask-strength single barrels, wanted something a little more approachable.

“Some cocktails and social occasions call for a bourbon like Marquee,” Brammell explained.

The result is a small-batch bourbon with a suggested retail price of $49.99 for a 750ml bottle. That’s a pretty reasonable entry fee for a whiskey that has nine industry insiders behind its selection.

Marquee also takes a less traditional approach to its packaging. The colorful labels feature everything from vintage-inspired artwork to more futuristic designs. The idea is to give each bottle a little personality and, hopefully, something to talk about beyond what’s in the glass.

Marquee’s philosophy is that good bourbon doesn’t have to be expensive, boring or backed by a couple hundred years of family history. Sometimes a good group of people, a room full of whiskey samples and a willingness to argue about flavor profiles can get the job done.

The first Marquee Exclusive Small Batch Bourbon is available for $49.99 at the New Era Whiskey Distillery in Lexington, through the brand’s online shop and at select Kentucky retailers.

It will be interesting to see who gets invited to the next blending session and what they come up with. After all, bourbon is full of opinions, and Marquee has found a pretty entertaining way to put some of them to work.

For more information, check out marqueebourbon.com.