Sounds like your pal likes to keep it Irish..if thats the case there are a lot of very good ones...from 20 to 300 bucks a bottle...in the lower range you might try " The Tyrconnel" Named after a famous race horse. If you really want to impress him... (Hey, he should be damned pleased with the "Big T", ) the spend a buck and get a bottle of Middleton Rare for about 130$. Both of these are "single malts" I , myseld always prefferred the blended ones, and for my money ya cant beat Tullymore Dew, about 25$. A little less pricey, and almost as good is John Powers...Jameson? Ha! thats the swill that the Irish wont drink, so they ship it over here!