I have never tried a single malt wisky before 1995. In Mexico, where I am from, wisky is not a very popular drink and we mostly can only get obtain localy the typical blended scotchs widely advertised in worlwide TV - many of them just unsatisfactory (don't want to spell brands here :-). People drink those with lots of water in Mexico perhaps to hide their real taste.... Laphroaig was the first single malt I tried and I was surprised to find such a strong character drink with a very powerful, strong taste. Adding too much water would be a waste. After that I have tried several other single malts, but I always return to Laphroaig. Do you think that Laphroaig was a good choice to start tasting single malt wisky? I am sure that it is its unique taste what converted me into a Laphroaig afficionado, and not only the great company of the scotish girl who introduced (and keeps me) into scotch wisky.