Good scotch for $150ish for Hub's birthday
 

My husband's 30th birthday is in late Sept, and since we can get him a nice Bourbon when he goes home to Kentucky, I would like to get him a nice bottle of scotch, because it's something he enjoys but is less familiar with.

I am not a whisky drinker, so I can only advise of the following:
He loves fine bourbon, especially the ones that never get exported or sold out-of-state.
When visiting a friend (now out of the country) who loves scotch and regularly buys $100+ bottles, they got along like fire over their similar taste preferences in whisky.
Peaty is good.
My budget is around $150, with some leeway up to nearly $200.

So, er, help please?

I would recommend something along the lines of Springbank 18 or Highland Park 18. Both are rich and flavorful, certainly more toward the rich side, and are reasonably smoky and oaky -- my Bourbon-loving friends have excellent things to say about both.

Good luck!

Spend another $30 and get him Balvenie 21. Not really peaty, just perfect;)

All three of those are in my price range, thank you for the suggestions!

I know he's commented on the maillard reaction in the oak barrels affecting the flavour of bourbon, etc etc so "smoky" and "oaky" sound like promising descriptors.

May I ask what is the flavour profile of Balvenie 21?

The Balvenie 21 is portwood finished. It is smooth, honeyed, and fruity with hints of sweet port. It is not smokey, there is oak in there from its initial oak barrel maturation though. I'm not a gigantic fan of wine finishes, but it's a good scotch.