Haven't had platinum. Double black isn't that bad either. But I feel like blue is the type of scotch that even not scotch drinkers can appreciate. I've given laphraoig a shot but is way too peaty for my taste.
Try Caol Ila 12 if you can, it's peaty but smoother than Laphraoig 10. Bottle of it is more expensive though.
Oban is good stuff, I need to pick that up and some macallan 12. Glenmorangie is a nice cheap gift too, nice Segway into the world of scotch. got a gift set of that with two whiskey glasses for ~30 bucks.
If I were to gift a scotch to a scotch drinker, it would be macallan 18.
I have a bottle of Glenmorangie 10 in my crib, good value at about $40 for a bottle. Where are you located that you can get it for $30?
If you guys are looking for whiskey glasses, look into Glencairn whisky glasses. Official. you can get them from Amazon.