A benchmark set of bottles that maps to the course's styles block — one clean example of each major style, built so a few bottles teach the whole category map. Anchored on retail-available whiskey, deliberately avoiding allocated "unicorns" (that's the Session 19 lesson). ~13 items, most $25–55.
0 of 13 bought
How this is sourced — different from the wine & cheese lists.
1 · Bourbon is nationally distributed, so there's no specialist or local-maker angle. Nearly every bottle here is on the shelf at any well-stocked liquor store. The buttons below point to Total Wine (nationwide, online reserve + in-store pickup, Bay Area locations) and K&L Wines (your wine shop — strong NorCal spirits selection too).
2 · Buy for the glass, not the label. Everything here is chosen because it's an honest, in-stock example of its style at a fair price — not because it's rare. The whole point of Session 19 is that these out-drink most allocated bottles selling for 5–10x more.
3 · Prices are approximate (mid-2026) and rise in the bourbon boom — confirm at checkout. Where a bottle is occasionally allocated, there's a widely-available alternative listed.
4 · Please taste responsibly — half-ounce pours, especially across a flight.
Most of these are also at BevMo, Costco (surprisingly good bourbon prices), and any solid neighborhood liquor store. Tap the store's In-Stock / store-pickup filter for your location.
The styles spine — one clean example of each
High-corn / classic bourbon~$25–35
The baseline — fix this profile first
Buffalo Trace. The definitive accessible classic: corn-sweet, caramel-vanilla, signature red-fruit/cherry note. If it's out of stock (it's occasionally scarce), Jim Beam Black, Wild Turkey 101, or Evan Williams Small Batch all anchor the classic profile just as well.
S8 · classic bourbonS2 · instrument baseline
High-rye bourbon~$30–40
Corn base, seasoned hard with rye spice
Four Roses Small Batch. Textbook high-rye: pepper, clove, and baking spice over the corn sweetness. Alternatives: Bulleit Bourbon or Old Grand-Dad 100 (both high-rye, both easy to find).
S9 · high-rye bourbon
Wheated bourbon~$25–35
Wheat instead of rye — soft, rounded, sweet
Maker's Mark. The most available wheater, and a genuinely good one — soft, gentle, corn-and-caramel forward. If you want to taste the celebrated (and pricier, sometimes allocated) side, Weller Special Reserve — but don't chase Weller/Pappy at secondary prices; that's the exact Session 10 & 19 lesson.
S10 · wheated bourbon
Rye whiskey~$25–30
Cross the line — majority rye, not corn
Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-in-Bond. Does double duty — a benchmark rye whiskey (spicy, dry, herbal) and a Bottled-in-Bond example at 100 proof. Superb value. Alternatives: Sazerac Rye or Wild Turkey 101 Rye.
S11 · rye whiskeyS13 · bottled-in-bond
Tennessee whiskey~$25–30
Bourbon + the Lincoln County Process
George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond (excellent, and often a genuine bargain for the age stated) or Jack Daniel's Bonded. Taste the charcoal-mellowing effect against your straight bourbons. Standard Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 also works if you want the most familiar reference.
S12 · Tennessee whiskey
A value Bottled-in-Bond~$20–27
The Session 13 value lesson, in a bottle
Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond ("White Label") or Old Grand-Dad Bonded. Both prove the point that a legally-guaranteed 100-proof, 4-year, single-season bourbon can be one of the best pours per dollar on the shelf — routinely beating far pricier bottles in blind tastings. OGD Bonded is the high-rye option; Evan Williams the classic-profile one.
S13 · bottled-in-bond value
Proof & the special tiers
A cask / barrel-strength bourbon~$45–70
Where the Session 3 water lesson matters most
Wild Turkey Rare Breed (~$50, widely available, barrel proof ~116) or Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. Taste neat, then add water drop by drop and watch it crack open — this is the bottle to run the water experiment on. Booker's is the pricier Beam option if you want another data point.
S3 · the water questionS13 · cask strengthS15 · proof ladder
A single barrel~$40–55
Tasting one specific spot in one rickhouse
Four Roses Single Barrel (~$45) or a store-pick single barrel (Total Wine and K&L both do their own barrel selections — ask). Compare it against the Four Roses Small Batch to feel what single-barrel variation means. Knob Creek Single Barrel is another reliable, available option.
S7 · warehouse positionS13 · single barrel
The market lesson — taste the source (Session 18)
An MGP / Ross & Squibb bottle~$30–45
Taste the "sourced whiskey" story directly
George Remus Bourbon or Rossville Union Rye — MGP's own labels from the Ross & Squibb distillery in Indiana that quietly supplies hundreds of "craft" brands. Tasting the source itself makes the whole NDP lesson concrete. Any rye labeled "distilled in Indiana" is likely the same 95/5 MGP mash bill under a different name — that's the tell.
S18 · sourced whiskey & NDP
Tools, pairing & an optional spend-up
A Glencairn glass (or two)~$10–25/set
The single cheapest upgrade to your tasting
Glencairn Crystal Whisky Glass. The tulip shape concentrates aroma at the rim — it genuinely changes what you can nose versus a rocks glass or tumbler. Get two so you can compare pours side by side (Session 14). Any liquor store, Amazon, or the shops above.
S2 · glasswareS14 · flightsS17 · serving
Angostura bitters + a sugar source~$8–12
For the Old Fashioned diagnostic (Session 16)
Angostura aromatic bitters and either simple syrup or sugar cubes. That's all you need to build the Old Fashioned that tests a bourbon's purity — use your high-corn or high-rye bottle. Add sweet vermouth (e.g. Carpano Antica) if you want to run the Manhattan test with your rye.
S16 · cocktails as a lens
An age-stated bourbon (optional spend-up)~$40–60
See what a real age statement delivers
Knob Creek 12 Year or Eagle Rare 10 Year (if you can find Eagle Rare near MSRP — it's occasionally allocated; don't overpay). Taste against a young no-age-statement bourbon to read the oak/age arc from Session 15. Knob Creek 12 is the reliably-available, non-allocated pick — better to actually own than to chase Eagle Rare.
S15 · age ladderS19 · age statements
A second classic bourbon (for flights)~$25–35
So you can always run a proper comparison
Any second high-corn or high-rye bourbon at a different proof or age from your w1/w2 picks — the point is to always have two comparable bottles open so a flight (Session 14) is one pour away. A Bottled-in-Bond next to an 80–90 proof version of a similar style is the cleanest proof-ladder comparison (Session 15).
S14 · comparative techniqueS15 · proof & age ladders
Session-by-session map
SessionCovered by
S1 · What bourbon isAny bottle — read the label against the legal definition