[Eugene]

If you don't like spirits, you don't like 'em. Whiskies, Scotches in particular are highly varied in taste so there might be one you'd find palatable I guess. In general if you want something without extra flavors imparted, I would stick to bourbon, Canadian whiskey and Irish whiskey.

Jack Daniels in particular has that burnt wood taste and a rather noticeable phenolic character to it.

Bottles of Jameson Original aren't going to be much more expensive than JD. Most distilleries have stuff between $20-$100 per 750mL, and then special reserves that go up from there.

For scotches, someone looking to try their first single-malt might want to try something like Glenkinchie, Glenlivet or Glenfiddich. Even safer are blended scotches like Johnnie Walker that won't really have overpowering flavors at all (I would pass on Red Label though.)