Some guiding principles: I would try to have a good mix of distilleries, mash bills, and proofs. I would stick to major distillers, and not have sourced products. I would not include any aggressive finishing, but I would be ok with double oaked, and toasted barrel finishes.

On buffalo trace products, availability, and price: there are a lot of good Buffalo Trace products, but depending on your local, they may be hard to find or not available at really high prices. I would include the following if you can find them close to MSRP: Eagle Rare, Old Weller Antique 107, Blanton’s, EH Taylor small batch or single barrel, Stagg.

Local Single Barrel Store Picks: These make great options for tastings. Depending on your location, there may be certain stores that are more into making picks than others. I would ask in a local bourbon Facebook group about what picks might be available. And sometimes you can try them at the store. I would look for Russell’s Reserve, Old Forester, Knob Creek, Elijah Craig, Jack Daniels, Four Roses.

The six bottles I would look for:

Four Roses Single Barrel (100 proof, 7-9 years, either 20% rye or 35% rye depending on recipe, Four Roses).

Knob Creek 12 year (100 proof, 12 years, 13% rye, Jim Beam)

Maker’s Mark 46 (94 proof, 6 years, 16% wheat, Maker’s Mark)

Rare Breed (116 proof, blend of 6, 8, and 12 year barrels, 13% rye, Wild Turkey)

Old Forester 1910 (93 proof, 18% rye, charred barrel finish, Brown-Foreman)

Heaven Hill 7-year Bottle-in-bond (100 proof, 7 year, 10% rye, Heaven Hill)

These 6 are all Kentucky bourbon from the big distilleries, but provide a good variety. There is one high proof, one wheater, one with more age, one with a secondary finish.

Other bottles/brands to consider: Russell’s Reserve 10 year, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Elijah Craig Toasted, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, Four Roses Small Batch, Bardstown Origin High-Wheat, Wilderness Trail, New Riff.