?best single malt scotch whiskey & why?

Reasonably priced Scotches are Glendfiddich 15, or 12, or The Glenlivet 12 or 15. Those two seem to be good, the 15 of either being more preferable. They are widely available too, most larger supermarkets. Sam's club carries the Glenfiddich.

I'm not a huge fan of scotch. I've found a couple that I enjoy, but I prefer to sip on bourbon.

I had the Lagavulin that was at Costco. It was the worst alcohol I've ever had. It tasted like I drank charcoal. I read the reviews about it and read people say the same thing. I thought it was maybe a hint of charcoal. No. It's like crumbling it up and mixing it into your drink. Maybe charcoal is wrong. It was like adding liquid smoke into my drink, or scraping the bottom of my bbq of all that chard old meat and throwing that into a scotch. I don't know, WAY too much peat for my tastes, but again, I prefer a nice bourbon, which is completely different. The reviews on it are fantastic though and really with any alcohol (especially bourbon and whiskey) it is all preference, so if you're buying it for a gift, you might find out what that person prefers.

I would have to say that the Macallan 18 year is quite nice and the Glenlivet 18 year is really good too and a fraction of the price for Macallan which I think is a similar 18 yr. Those are the 2 I would drink if I were to be offered scotch, or if I wanted to be fancy at a nice bar.

Oban Highland Single Malt the reason is because it great to chill out with a glass off. its mellow with some rich dried fruit characters

Depends on your preference. I'm partial to speyside and highland, but a friend of mine has a thing for Lagavulin. I'd go with Macallan's 18-yr, if I had the money.