So, never? Never ever? Hmm. Well, I was into Jack Daniels in my 20s. I'm very partial to Jameson Irish Whiskey now. Not very worldly, I know 
but I like what I like.
Yep never ever.
Loch Lomond. It's real.
Can't go wrong with most types of Canadian rye, so like Wisers or Crown Royal.
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Gentleman Jack is a good safe bet. Its smoother than regular Jack Daniels and most other whiskey for that matter, though not prohibitively expensive like most higher end whiskies. It has a nice balanced flavor too. It's a little oaky, and just a bit on the sweet side, but not too much. Crown Royal is a nice choice too for pretty much the same reason. Definitely don't go cheap. Whiskey is definitely a liquor where you can taste the quality. And drink it with one ice cube. That will release the aroma, and will tone it down just a notch, and as a first time whiskey drinker that's probably good for you. No more than one cube though.
If you want to wuss out just a little bit, there's a Maple Crown Royal. If you like maple syrup, this stuff is wonderful. It's like whiskey and pancakes. The purists don't like it, but it's good stuff. Total guilty pleasure of mine.
Like Robio said, don't go cheap. It will taste cheap... and awful. On the other hand you don't have to break the bank to get something which tastes good. Personal advice: Avoid "blends" and opt for "single malt" whisky. You have no idea how rough most blends taste until you try a single malt whisky.
A few popular brands which you can find everywhere but which are good are: Glennfiddich, Macallan, Glennmorangie etc. Generally speaking, the more "aged" the whisky the better (and more expensive). But once again, you don't have to spend too much. (The most expensive and oldest I had was a glass of 30 year old Glennfidich on my 30th birthday.) Any 12 year old single malt generally tastes good. Some have a very "smoky" taste which can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on one's personal taste. I would generally avoid ones like Laphroig which are very smoky.
If you can't find anything but the most generic blends, try something like Famous Grouse or Johnny Walker's Black Label. Not great, but servicable. I have friends who like to "shoot" whisky, so I have Famous Grouse for that purpose. But generally speaking, avoid blends.
If you think you might like bourbon or sourmash, the best I have personally had was Maker's Mark and Woodford Reserve. Gentleman Jack's is also decent as Robio has said.
Other things to keep in mind: There are only two ways to drink whisky. Neat. Or with a small splash of water (room temperature). If you add anything else, you've ruined it, so it sort of defeats the purpose of buying a good whisky with which to do that kind of thing. No ice (not even a single ice cube), coke, sprite, soda, nothing... Don't ruin your whisky.
And as they say, enjoy responsibly.
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Okay, thanks gentlemen.
I will try a single malted... probably crown royal or glennfiddich with one ice cube and see how it goes.
Okay. So the choice was made today.
GlenGrant single malt scoth whiskey, "The Major's Reserve".
http://www.glengrant.com/int/en/whiskies/the-major-s-reserve/
I have not tried it yet. Maybe on the next podcast I'll give it my first go if Foolz approves.
Only if your impressions are done in the style of the alcohol descriptions in Yakuza.
The whiskey, and associated glasses, remain virgin. No appearancein episode 89. Perhaps in episode 90...
While wiskey doesn't go bad, it doesn't necessarily improve with age.
Well I finally did it. At the start of our next podcast which is publishing now.
http://gameunder.net/http/gameunderlibsyncom/rss/2018/8/13/game-under-podcast-104
robio said:... what the hell am I going to do with you? I'm going to listen to the rest of the podcast later, but right now I'm just going to shake my head in a disapproving manner after listening to the first five minutes.
Yeah I broke all your rules, I used ice and I went with a blended instead of a single malt. Also, perhaps the marguerita's I had prior to the show affected my pallete. Apparently also the 17 year Ballantines is better than the 21 year old stuff I have.
I do have a single malt on hand, still to try.
I have some new whiskey glasses, never drank it before. Any ideas?