I had a similar experience when tasting Laphroaig for the first time. As a teenager I sometimes drank whisky. As so many other people I drank it with loads of ice. Drinking to much and getting sick at a few occasions made me hate whisky for many years. I couldn't even stand the smell of it. When I was at the age of 22 I got to know a couple of friends that were very fond of malt whisky. I told them my opinion: that whisky is something that you might use to remove paint with. More as a joke they offered me a dram of Laphroaigh to make me change my mind. To their surprise I loved it. Since then I have tasted lots of other malts. I even sometimes drink blended whisky (without ice nowadays). My favourites are still among the Islay malts though.