wow! Really appreciate it.
Dont be affraid to go with bottles that people havent heard of. (there is more to the scotch world than Livet, Fidduch, Balvenie and Macallan)
Look for smaller brands like: glengoyne, glen scotia, Benriach, Glen Moray, Tormore and tullibardine that give you great bang for your buck. Dont be afraid of Gordon & Macphail or Signatory either.
You can get macallan 18 for $250ish or both Tullibardine 20 and Glenfarclas 17 for the same price.
Scotch is a never ending education - dont get into a rut of having the same 3-4 popular brands just because thats whats served everywhere...