Seen the Light

Hi all,

Love this forum. I'm just a novice at the moment and want to bounce some questions about.

About me... never did like the scotch that Mum & Dad drank (cheap blends)and never understood why. Then at the wake for the father of a very good friend we shared a bottle of Glennfiddich 18yo. You know the little beams of light that shine down through the clouds some days, well one of those was shining on that glass of single malt. Fast forward 2 years and I'm sitting here with an unopened bottle of Laphroaig 15yo in front of me about to embark on a new past time.

Questions...
This might seem like heresy but are any of the expensive blends worth drinking? At AU$100+ I'm not into throwing away cash NOR at the same time want to poo-poo something I've never tried.

I know this is subjective but what would be a good number of whiskys to have on the go at any one time?

Are there any tips you guys can give as why tasting and enjoying single malts is a legitimate pastime? I've got some more convincing to do with the wife that this is in fact a worthwhile hobby.

Finally, and this might be a long stretch, but are there any folk here around the Redcliffe, QLD, Australia area that might like to start some sort of unofficial tasting/appreciation group?

Thanks for reading this far - talk soon.