In a bourbon landscape overflowing with heritage labels and high-dollar hype, New Era Whiskey and Spirits is carving out its own lane—one barrel at a time. Founded on a commitment to quality, transparency, and a fresh perspective, New Era has quickly gained traction among serious collectors and secondary market watchers alike. We sat down with Zane Brammell, co-founder of New Era, to explore their origin story and why their releases are already making waves in the world of bourbon.
The year was 2022. Zane Brammell and Matt Hobbs, each ran their own barrel pick clubs - selecting a barrel here or there for a growing base of like-minded enthusiasts. Zane’s very first barrel pick he made ended up being a split with Matt’s group. That collaboration led to more conversations over the years, eventually sparking a deeper partnership.
In April 2024, after a joint pick in Las Vegas, they had a lightbulb moment on the flight home: “We’re already picking the barrels – why not make it ours? Zane recalls.
But building a bourbon brand from scratch isn’t easy. Capital was tight, and early conversations with traditional financiers didn’t go far. So, they turned to family and friends, creating a grassroots fundraising effort that reflected the community spirit of their bourbon journey. Zane even sold off about half his personal collection to help fund the vision.
The original plan was to go the full DSP route (a Distilled Spirits Plant, federally licensed to produce, bottle, or store alcohol), but pragmatism prevailed. Instead, they decided to “walk before they ran,” starting with a handful of barrels—nine or ten—that would become known in enthusiast circles as “Buff Turkey.” They went the NDP route (Non-Distiller Producer), purchasing and bottling existing spirits under their own label.
With that, New Era Whiskey and Spirits was born.
And what about that "and Spirits" in the name? Zane laughs:
"It was really just a convenient way to make the acronym NEWS work. The brand was inspired by old-school newspapers."
From the very first releases, New Era hit the ground running. Every barrel has been a hit—“bangers,” as the community calls them—and bottles are already commanding impressive prices on the secondary market.
One standout is “The Heart,” a short barrel that Zane describes as its own thing. One bottle recently fetched nearly $3,000 on the secondary. “When we saw our first bottle hit the Bourbon Blue Book,” Zane admits, “that’s when it really felt like we’d made it.”
Recent releases via an online retailer even crashed the website—twice. It's only a matter of time before more bottles start surfacing in the secondary market.
Still, Zane is conscious of the challenge ahead:
“When you have something special like our first releases, the question becomes—how do you follow that up?”
As fate would have it, the answer arrived just a week before our interview. Hot off the press—New Era Whiskey and Spirits officially received their DSP license.
They’ve secured a downtown Lexington location, where Zane plans to spend several days a week experimenting with barrels and finishes creating innovative new pours. “We want to craft creative stuff,” he says.
Big things are coming, including some special releases and some news that we can’t yet share. And yes—you might even be able to get New Era delivered to your door, just like a newspaper. (Though it'll probably arrive with a bit more class than being flung onto your lawn by a kid on a bike.)
In the meantime, they’re also looking at ways to reuse their empty Buff Turkey barrels for double-barreled expressions, which are already generating excitement. Plus, the single barrel program is expanding fast, with a growing waitlist of interested groups.
Q: Favorite whiskey that’s not your own?
A: Russell’s. Hands down. My first bottle kill was Russell’s Reserve 10 Year. You can’t beat the price—and I’m a big Turkey fan. That’s part of why we grabbed those Buff Turkey barrels. I think they leaned more Buffalo Trace in profile, but I’ll always love Turkey. Matt, though—he’d say Heaven Hill. He’s a big fan.
If we’re talking mid-tier secondary? Probably a Taylor Single Barrel. Most I’ve had have been great.
Absolute dream bottle? Michter’s 20.
Q: If you could share a dram with anyone, who would it be—and what would you pour?
A: My grandfather. He quit drinking in 1976, but he’s been one of New Era’s biggest supporters. I tried to give him a bottle of The Heart, but he wouldn’t take it, so we had an empty made up for him. The barrel code for that release was 606—that’s the area code for Grayson, where I’m from. So yeah, it would be him, and the pour would be The Heart.
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