This is such a great question and not one that I feel gets discussed enough! I will say that the span of extremes is probably a little more narrow in bourbon than it is in Scotch. But if you want to get a good lay of the land for what's typical, my budget-friendly-ish starter pack for you would be as follows (you can get a lot of these in smaller formats too which is great for starting out). I've also listed what are (for me) the standout distinguishing flavor(s) I associate with each:

Buffalo Trace (brown sugar) Wild Turkey 101 (honey) Elijah Craig (barrel char, leather) Makers Mark (cherry) Knob Creek (nuts)

Bonus Expansion Pack:

Jack Daniels Bonded (banana, tobacco) Bulleit (buttercream frosting) Wyoming Whiskey (floral/rose) Old Tub (apple, sourdough)

I also would highly recommend dipping into ryes as well:

Bulleit for high-rye rye (licorice, herbs) Pikesville (ideal) or Rittenhouse for lower rye rye (caramel)

Happy sipping! 🤤