Quote Originally Posted by The Soup Dragon View Post
I would like to start enjoying Scotch as I have only heard great things...
You can make quite a study of it. I have heard the Glenlivet described as a good "starter" single-malt Scotch along with Glenfiddich and MacAllan. Not that they are particularly gentle, but they are fairly commonly available and most people are likely to have seen them.

The distinguishing characteristic of Scotch is the use of burning peat to dry the malt.

One of the difficulties of finding your favourite Scotch is that you may be buying a lot of expensive stuff looking for the perfect one. You can minimize this a bit by making friends with people who will invite you over to taste their favourites. Seriously! Scotch drinkers are evangelists.

Go at it systematically, asking them what it is about *this* one that they like, what factors influence their choice, and so on. Do a bit of reading in a good book about single malts to learn the regions and the general characteristics of Scotches from each region. Hopefully your friends will encourage you to share your observations, with no overt investment in whether you're using the "right" terminology. Of such experiments do you refine your taste and expectations.

What you're trying to do is develop your taste, and then discover what matches your taste.

My taste is for Islay malts, which to some other tastes might be execrable. I like the rough and blustery character, the salt sea and the screaming wind, the peat smoke breaking off sharp against the tongue.

I started on Glenfiddich's basic 12 year old, which you may find a useful starting point yourself. Lately, I've added Grant's Ale Cask Reserve (a blended Scotch) to my sideboard. I find it to be a pleasant, complex, and convivial tipple, and I still cherish the taste of Lagavulin 16 and Laphroaig 15 for those times when I really want to give the tastebuds a tickle.