I’m 3-4 years into a Scotch journey. I joined Flaviar a few years back and it’s helped me learn some things. I wish I preferred Bourbon, it’d save me a lot of money, but I’ve tried and I just can’t get that into it. I find the flavor note and overall taste impressiveness ranges of Bourbon to be more limited than Scotch. To me, Scotch can be bad but can also make me feel amazed that liquids can taste so good. To each their own.
I like the smoky/peaty Islay Scotches — Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Bruichladdich, etc. — people usually love them or hate them. I might round out your selection with an Ardbeg 10 or Laphroaig 10 if you’re interested in peat. Then maybe a sherry cask finished scotch — Macallan 12 Sherry Oak is good but is overpriced some places. I’ve liked the Tullibardine 500 recently and it’s usually not as pricey.
Enjoy. It’s a deep rabbit hole of you choose to go down.