Jack Daniels and Nikka Black are the best ones. They mix so well with cola :D

I've been buying mid- to high-priced whisky for my brother for quite a few years, and use it as an excuse to sample pretty much every whisky I can. I'm no expert taster, but here's what little I've learned:

That strong smoky flavor is probably peat. If you're not liking peat, then for now stay away from most of the Scotch single-malt stuff, but especially the Speyside whiskys. Those are like drinking brine while standing over a campfire.

Purists may wail, but there's nothing wrong with blended whisky. The best blended whisky for the dollar may be the Crown Royal Reserve Black. You're posting from the UK, so you should be able to get it from thewhiskyexchange.com without trouble. If you really like it, you may consider JW Blue Label, but that's not cheap.

Since you don't seem to be a huge fan of peat, you may want to consider Japanese whisky (again, the purists will grind their teeth in frustration). Not a hint of peat to be found in any of the offerings from the Suntory distillery, and the Yamazaki 18 year, or the Hibiki 17 year, are both show-winning offerings. I like the Yamazaki, myself.

If you've never tried good bourbon whiskey, it won't hurt you to try to get a bottle or two. Look, for example, for Very Old Barton's, or the Ridgemont Reserve. Not too expensive, and very quality.

Whisky drinking is not a cheap luxury, once you start to broaden your horizons. But there's an awful lot of good stuff out there.

EDIT: And, according to everyone I've spoken to, if you can afford it, get a bottle of the Talisker 18 year. It's maybe the best whisky you can buy at any price, I'm told - again, and again. ^_^

"Sitting in a sycamore in St. John's Wood
Soaking' day old bread in kerosene"

-Gun Street Girl, Tom Waits

That's where I learned the trick. Here's to not drinkin' no more!

I had a little chat with Lifthrasil some time ago I think, he told me to try Talisker.

I love me some good scotch, and tend to prefer Speyside and Highland single malts. Not such a fan of Irish whiskies, as I've found them to be quite a bit rougher going down, which isn't something I care for all that much. I'd recommend The Macallan (12 year) as a good starter scotch. Easy to find, reasonably priced (as far as good scotch goes), and is quite smooth and easy to drink. If you find you like the more peaty scotches then you might try some Islay whiskies, such as Laphroaig, although those can definitely be more of an acquired taste (and one I haven't managed to acquire). Other personal favorites of mine are Aberlour (I'd consider this my favorite), and The Balvenie Doublewood (this one is a bit sweeter, almost like a cross between scotch and bourbon).

I was thinking the same thing, keep it original! :P

I've heard some people get this also from beer and red wine, but I don't.

Then again, by "beer" I mean lager, usually light (not dark). I hardly ever drink stouts or other porridges, but I don't recall having a problem with them.

Then again, I never liked the taste either. :) I dislike brandy (taste) even more. Maybe it is an acquired taste, like "salmiakki".

I guess my friends are happy as I pass them the Laphroaig single malt whiskey bottles and such I've gotten as a present from work. No worries, there are lots of other kinds of alcohol to get my head spinning.

I drink fairly little whisk(e)y, so when I do, I drift towards stuff that I know to be good - namely, Talisker and Glenfiddich.

I don't drink anymore, but the only kind of whiskey I could drink regularly was iirc a scotch called Glenmorangie. Good stuff.

Nothing beats the sweet water of my country you cant beat a 12 year old single malt (no ice or water please you have to drink this as nature intended)

Thanks for all the great info and recommendations so far everyone, very helpful. Well, I bought a bottle of Tullimore Dew. I'm going to try it when I'm home later tonight. It will mark the first Irish whiskey I've ever had so I hope it's good.

I've been hearing Talisker pop up again and again, so I'll give that a try at some point. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that peat taste of certain whiskeys yet. If I find that I really don't like it, then I guess single malts will never be my thing?

Also, Japanese whiskeys apparently not having even a hint of peat taste intrigues me. I will give them a try.

Talisker is a nice drink i would recommend it.

When it comes to Irish whiskeys, Bushmill 10 year-old single malt is 1 of my favorites.

I got Tullamore Dew recommended to me too. It will be opened sometimes this year. First I have to finish a bottle of Glenfiddich.

It's funny, but I never really developed a taste for Scotch. I've always preferred Irish (preferably Bushmills or Jamesons) or Bourbon.

For some reason, the Scotches I've tried always taste too sweet for my palate. Normally, I tend to like more earthy, peaty flavours.

If the problem is the wooden taste, you might want to try a "double cask" matured whisky. They are matured in a used wooden cask ( which, by contrast with new wood leaves less residual taste, especially compared to american oak barrels that leave that menthol taste ) and finished in an old port, sherry or wine cask, that sweetens or deepens the aromatics..Glenkinchie (Lowlands) 's 14 yeras old is one example amongst others. Other than that, you may prefer triple distillation to the double usually used in Scotland. That's what makes some Irish brands so attractive. There is one alternative though : http://www.auchentoshan.com .

As for me, I prefer rum ( although not really the basic brands and origins) and armagnac ( nothing like a 50 years old something spirit to put you in touch with your inner self ) .