My favorites through the years, in no particular order and keep in mind I have to pay off single malts over at least 3 months on my credit card
Ardbeg 17 yo
Lagavullin 16 yo
Caol Isla 18 yo
Glenlivet 21 yo
Might have missed one or two, but mostly I find that I enjoy the stuff from Isle of Islay most. Hope I got all the spelling right on those...
They're all goodies and I agree with you on all the Islay malts, (which includes Dalwhinnie), and yes too on costs ... with our illustrious country managements "sin taxes" , I feel your pain .... as they unfortunately do require the sale of a kidney