I'm a whiskey fan. I went to college in TN which meant good whiskey (bourbon) was easier to find and cheaper than, relatively, good beer and other spirits. While in TN, bourbon worked just fine for me. I could enjoy it as a hobby without breaking the bank. So while in college and just of out college I got a decent sense for good budget bourbons. Enough so that I feel comfortable talking about mash bills, rye vs. wheat, and proof with local liquor store owners (more to come on this later).
However, once I left TN for Chicago, bourbon was not an economical hobby anymore. Craft beer became a more budget friendly hobby, and other spirits were comparable to bourbon pricing. Being a person who never got into the rare and expensive bourbon releases, I shifted my general hobby to beer and starting trying different whiskies whenever I would buy a new bottle (since decent bourbon and decent scotch weren't too far apart in price any longer). Over time I sampled many rye whiskies, bourbons, scotch whiskies, irish whiskies, and a few japanese. Below are my thoughts with some rationale on intro drinks, hope it helps someone.
For a true beginner, someone who hasn't really tried on the rocks or neat whiskey, I recommend a couple classes: sherried scotch, wheated bourbon, and irish whisky. Rye (spice), Peat (smoke), and higher proof (higher alcohol) all have their place, but for someone new, especially someone who "doesn't like whiskey," I would stay away from those categories to start.
Sherried scotch (without peat) will have a nice fruit flavor to it. Try Macallan 12 at a bar. Macallan is a big sherry brand and 12 year is their intro. If you like it (remember it is the intro line) then try a longer aged Macallan. Sherried scotch plays a foil to peated (smoky) and bourbon aged (spicier, more vanilla) scotch.
Bourbon at the beginning comes down to wheat vs rye and percentages of corn. A higher percentage of rye will yield a spicy rye character in the bourbon. Wheated bourbons tend to be smoother which is why I would recommend those to start. Maker's Mark is the baseline wheated bourbon - smooth and sweet.
Final recommendation is irish whisky. Most irish whisky play right in the middle of things. They tend to never get too strong or too weak, too spicy or too sweet, too nuanced or too bland. Many have tried Jameson, which is okay, but I would recommend Redbreast 12 year. Based on my tastes Jameson is watered down Redbreast 12 (Jameson is fine in a shot glass but a bit disappointing on the rocks or neat).
Anyway, those are my intro recs for those just starting. Happy this thread was created and looking forward to sharing my thoughts on some specific bottles in the future. Cheers!