Single Malt Scotch Drinkers Help!

Any single malt scotch drinkers?

What's your favourite scotch?

I'm looking to buy a nice bottle for someone but I don't drink scotch and don't know anything about it. Any suggestions? Price range between 70-130.

I think so far, I'm thinking between

Ardbeg Uigeadail
Caol Ila Distillers Edition

Any opinions on the 2 or other favourites I should look at?

I don't drink it with any sort of regularity, but we have Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. I don't know if it's a "good" single malt or not. I think we have it because my husband's coworker suggested it as a good single malt at a good price point. *shrug* not really any help.

Laphroaig is a Scotch drinker's Scotch, as in they need to already really enjoy Scotch. If you're not sure what they like, you can't go wrong with a bottle of Dalwhinnie, Balvenie (12 or 15), Highland Park 12 or Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban.

Zoom gave good advice, similar to the brands I might have recommended. Do you know what's already in their cupboard? The other half has a bottle of the Uigeadail and it's a stellar Islay IMO, but the regular Ardbeg 10 is also awesome.

Depending on price, Lagavulin 16 is a great gifting scotch for someone too, but I know its price can vary widely.

This is my biggest problem..

There about about 10 bottles already in his cupboard! I think I've seen Glenlivet, laphroaig, Balvenie and Highlands park.. It's hard to creep someone else's cupboard!

He's a biiig scotch drinker but I don't recall ever hearing him talk about Ardbeg or the other one. But even then I'm not sure. :/

If you can somehow hunt down a bottle of Clynelish, get that. It's rather hard to find and might make for a good unique bottle to add to his collection. Possibly also Talisker.

D*mmit, I am so thirsty now, LOL.

Is it Clynelish Distillers Edition? We have that in the city, I can track one down.

Can you guys tell me if Ardbeg Uigeadail is really common in bars and pubs or not? I know he's tried a lot of them.. I want to get him something he hasn't had

Here in Canada the Uigeadail is NOT common in the liquor stores or drinking establishments. We found it by chance at a scotch-centric bar in Montreal, and then he had to hunt down a bottle just outside the city.

Thanks. Hahaha this is even worse! He's from Quebec! I wonder if they have more Ardbeg there! I have never seen the name before (but I don't look too much for scotch to begin with). Decisions decisions!

Does he have any buddies or anyone around he drinks scotch with or talks about it you could ask??

I doubt it, if that helps! We couldn't find it in any SAQs in Quebec near us in Ottawa, and we just lucked out in finding a Scotch-centric bar in Montreal that had a ton of rarer scotches available to sip. They even had a 1991 Lagavulin. MMMMMmmm.