Thanks for all the input, it's been pretty educational.

I'll try to provide a bit more context... the recipient enjoys liquor but is not a scotch expert. This also involves a culture that values brand names quite a bit, so it's more about the label and less about what's inside. I think I'm going to try to find some Green, Gold, or Platinum. If not... Double Black at the minimum... or Blue, if I'm trying to knock 'em dead