Originally Posted by
gfunkdave
If you know the recipient likes scotch, then you should get him his preferred brand. If you're not sure whether the person likes scotch but want to give scotch, a blend is appropriate because they tend to have more mass appeal.
Before you give a single malt, be sure that the person likes its flavor profile! I hate Laphroaig, for example - it tastes like you retrieved the bottle from the burned out wreckage of your house.
Quite - my mother likes Glenmorangie, but shares a similar hatred of Laphroaig. But also, she wouldn't thank you for (ok, she would, she is very polite, she just wouldn't drink) a blended malt - not her thing either. They all taste very different.