I won't be trying to win over my peat-newbie friend on this trip, I think; he tried Lagavulin 16 and didn't care for it, but if he comes to visit, I still have a bottle of Bowmore 12 that's worth a try, as you rightly suggest.
For now, I'll settle for finding an excellent scotch that can be enjoyed by all.
I see that the Glenfarclas 40 you recommend so warmly has indeed won quite a few awards, and descriptions of it have made me quite curious; unsurprisingly, it is the most expensive of my current options, and stretching my intended budget somewhat... but then again, not by much in the greater scheme!
So at the moment, the Glenfarclas is looking quite good, even though I'm still rather curious about the Alchemist Ben Nevis, as well as the Adelphi Bunnahabhain... I suppose we're getting somewhere, though