buggs: yummy. We can't get that at the LCBO here in Ontario anymore, unfortunately. Very smooth, very tasty stuff.
It is discontinued at Glenlivet, so what's around is it. As the Scotch world continues to trend towards NAS whisky, I become somewhat disconsolate. I also tend to stock up. In general getting older sucks but if you've managed your finances along the way, you can do silly things like stock up on whisky. I have four sealed bottles in addition to the open one. But like LCBO the MLCC is running short, there are maybe 10 bottles left in Winnipeg and even my budget has limitations. I share if you're ever interested.
I normally shy away from scotch because every glass of it I've been offered tastes like I'm drinking bonfire smoke.
I used to be the same way, though my thought was it was like licking an ashtray. You've probably had the same experience where you've come across an Islay style Scotch, which is typically heavy with smoke and peat, like the one GJF pictured. Islay drinkers tend to think anything but that style doesn't count. And it's the worst possible way to get into drinking Scotch because you're basically going to the far end of the earth. There are much, much milder Scotches out there and probably the best style to start with is a Speyside. Way, way less smoke, little peat in most of them. I tend to refer to some of them as breakfast whiskies because I could (but don't) drink them at breakfast. Glenfarclas 12 year old, Cardhu 12 year old are two easy drinking types. But that's only if you already drink liquor straight, be it rye, bourbon or even rum. Otherwise it might be wise to try a rusty nail - scotch and drambuie - the drambuie is quite a bit sweeter and typically it is served on the rocks so it mellows things out quite a bit.
Scotch is an acquired taste, no question. It's kind of like drinking in general. If you have any brains at all, after your first taste, you'll stop. I never had any brains so I always took things as a challenge and tried to get "better" at it. Like all things in life, practice pays off.