I'm looking for suggestions on what may be the best whiskey to buy a buddy who has decided he has developed a taste for the stuff. He's got a birthday coming up in a couple of weeks and mentioned to me that he is sort of getting away from beer for a little bit (damn near pulled a Fred Sanford when he told me that one).

He's been drinking Jack & Coke but it sounds like he's more interested in finding a sipping whiskey than a mixer, which is what I've always thought of Jack to be. I know he doesn't like single malt scotch so I'm not going to throw money away on that for him even though I'm sure I'd end up drinking the majority of it for him.

Any suggestions on what may be a good place to start? I'm more of a gin guy myself so I need some help on this one. I know that when we were teenagers we both enjoyed the bottle of Southern Comfort we stole from his old man's liquor cabinet and we did the occasional Wild Turkey shots when we could get into a bar without getting carded. I've heard there's a Wild Turkey 101 proof that's pretty good. Not looking to break the bank with this purchase, just looking for the everyday kind of stuff that some of you may like.