Whisky drinkers? Which is best?

HMHB

I do prefer the peaty ones but I would never buy someone a peaty malt unless I know that they do like them. Of the non-peaty ones my favourite is The Macallan.

Iccz

From what you say here it sounds like they are casual whisky drinkers and still haven't ventured too much away from the popular brands as you mention. For that reason I'd be very careful in how you select your bottle, as HMHB says:

I absolutely agree with this, I love the peat monsters myself but they are not something everyone can just dive straight in to. Highland Park has been mentioned a few times and I would be tempted to agree with this suggestion, especially the 12 y/o - it's a nice middle of the road single malt and not a bad step up from Bells/Grants, the 15 is a step in the sweet/fruity direction while the 18 is a little more peaty.
You could also get a bit more peaty and go for something like the Ardmore Traditional Cask or even a little peatier again the Caol Ila 12- the Caol Ila is pushing more towards a Laphroaig 10 in terms of peatiness, but it's not too heavy and it's a nice balanced malt. But the reason I suggest it is that Caol Ila is used in the Bells blend (although that's along with 30 or so others), that along with the fact that it's generally one of the best second steps for whisky drinkers who want to slowly progress and find their tastes.
There is also the Talisker 10 which is also a nice rounded peat.

If £40 is your budget, get a £30 or so bottle and also get a couple of glencairns, they make a difference in the drinking experience.

Whisky drinkers will have their own tastes, some like the sweeter (christmas cake) whiskys, others like the peat monsters, some just find themselves somewhere in between. There's only one way to find out where your tastes lie and that's to sample a variety of different ones. I would suggest getting a wee tasting range, but the prices probably don't work out the best value.
But you could have a look at the selection on Masters of Malts to see what you think:
Tasting Sets  - Master of Malt

Seems we have similar tastes, Laphroaig is my favourite and last Christmas I was lucky enough to get a bottle of 18 as opposed to my usual 10, a lovely drink for sure. Which Talisker do you have on the go?

bencummins1983

Nikka from the barrel is a good japanese blend. Think it's about £30 at the moment or £40 for a gift set. For me that's the best "budget" Japanese whiskey on the market

adammorgan232

I like single malt whiskeys... On the rocks

alan280170

God no, and not a Whisky.

jenam93

You could always give English Whisky a try.  The Chapter 6 might go down well as it is non-peated.

If they are anywhere near Roudham, Norfolk, you could even get them on the distillery tour.

HMHB

Personally I prefer them in my mouth

DrWise

It is a whiskey

Sonic67

It's a ten year old. Bought when I left Cyprus.

Visited there a few years ago when they had just started. There's also the Welsh one. Penderyn.

Iccz

Lovely is the 10, if you're enjoying that and haven't already, you should try the Caol Ila 12, very similar but I find it to be a lot nicer and worth the slight price difference