Glenfiddich and Glenlivet are the "standard" introductory scotches. Macallan is very tasty, and pretty good for a beginner as well, as is Balvenie (although it's generally slightly more expensive). Once your palate gets used to scotch, venture into the Islays, as Lagavulin and Talisker have a heavenly combination of flavors going on with an abundance of peat (technically Talisker is from the Isle of Skye and doesn't qualify as an Islay, but the taste profile has a lot more in common with Lagavulin and Laphroaig than the Highland scotches). The point of scotch is a whisky with a lot of complexity stemming from the balance and interplay between peat, wood, grains and salt, which means that a lot of "high end" scotches are going to taste pretty nasty until you get used to the flavor (hence avoiding the Islay scotches until your palate is ready). I'm a big fan of Islay scotches personally, although I hated them when I first tried them; my fiancee still insists they taste like bog water.