Do you Like Scotch? Started with blended and ready to move onto the good stuff? Here's the skinny:

 

You have to find what you like, what's you 1, 2,3 choice for single malt? You'll need them if you start drinking single malt. Very few places even have them, when they do you'll need to know what you like.

How to start:

Start by tasting Speysides, there are more speysides single malts, so start by looking at the Belvenies,etc. Try the 12 yr, if its good but not perfect move to 15, 18 and 21 year. Find a bench mark and then move on to lowland, isley, and highland.

Keep comparing to your benchmark.  Make sure to retaste, add water, over ice, with soda. Find the ONE that is yours. I've found scotches on the 3rd tasting (laphrpoig) got better and better and now I'm just serching for the right aging and model.

Rememeber this is an Aquired Taste and the master distillers know that. They are making scotch with different woods, aging, malts to please many tastes. If it dosen't measure up then off to the blenders.

For a change try Irish whisky or bourbon now and again. A good Bushmills or a Jim Beam will remind you just how good single malt really is.