Oban is peated, however.
Many good suggestions above therefore I will +1 on a few… (I primarily drink scotch)
Glenlivet 12-Best value, party scotch (For well under $100 you get the 1.75 L)
Balvenie 12 yr Double Wood
Chivas Regal 18 yr. (I agree with Dan)
Agree on many of these, my preference for Irish is Green Spot (I’m sure Yellow is also excellent), as far as Scotch, a balanced and easy to drink Scotch is Highland Park 12. It’s fruity and pleasant but does not have the overt sherry character of Macallan. Another level of complexity (with some contained smokiness would be Springbank 10.
An interesting Bourbon I’ve had recently was the Michter’s Toasted Barrel finish. Almost has a cognac quality to it, and while I don’t particularly care for cognac, it’s rather appealing. For a reliable, go to Bourbon, I would also choose Elijah 12 yr or Four Roses Single Barrel (sub $40 version - I know there are many incarnations of this label). As far as Rye, I believe you are not guaranteed more quality based on how much you spend in this category. A friend recently recommended a new “California Rye” but the name escapes me.
Irish: Bushmill’s 16 or Redbreast 12 (Green Spot hasn’t impressed me.)
Scotch: Highland Park 15, or something interesting like the private barrel Mortlach from K&L (caveat, I mainly drink peated Scotch so my take on the non-peated may be suspect)
Bourbon: 4 Roses Single Barrel, Old Scout 10, Eagle Rare, in that order for me, though my current bottle of my #2 has been very good.
Rye: Sazerac or Rittenhouse for mixing, if you want a sipper then maybe Lot 40 or Michter’s. And though I haven’t tried I’m intrigued by the Old Scout 7 year rye.
Great suggestions…thanks…and will report back as I start filling my whiskey shelf!! And yes…prob need a couple of bottles of each!
If you’re a Macallan fan, seek out a bottle of Glendronach Revival or the 12 y/o bottling. Each will be under $100, but the profile is similar. The Revival is a 15 y/o if memory serves me correctly.
If you wanted something that had some peat to it but did not want to blow a guests or your own palate out, try Oban 14.
In the “none of the above” category, Hibiki, Yamakazi. 12 YO will have to do in the price category, and that is no problem.
Sophistication and balance make up for lack of terroir.
P Hickner
Pete means Yamazaki, Yamakazi is a whole different meaning. 
. Yama is well balanced albeit a bit overpriced now and flies off the shelf after Jim Murray declared the '13 Sherry Cask best whiskey in the world.
My three picks (excluding limited releases) would be:
Smooth Ambler 7 YO Rye–best MGP rye anywhere near its price range
Bushmills 21–might be north of $100, but worth the splurge
Benrinnes 20 (K&L cask selection)–an off the beaten path distillery, although Glendronach is more similar to Macallan
Late to the party but my everyday Scotch is Scapa 16 which comes in under $100.
Dont drink much liquor any more but I keep a bottle of McCallan 18 and even have a 25 I have yet to open. A bottle of the 18 last almost two years, I drink so little.
For bourbon, I don’t like what I perceive to be sweeter bourbons like blantons, i stay with Knob Creek, or Bookers depending on your price range (both well under your limit)
Jay C., I was in exactly your boat about 18 months ago and consulted this forum a lot. I drank a fair amount of bourbon but had limited knowledge of scotch and rye. I wanted 1 solid bottle of each (didn’t consider Irish Whiskey at the time) that is widely available that could be “house” standard, and I ended up being extremely happy with my choices (which were mostly recs from this forum):
Scotch: Highland Park 12
Bourbon: Blanton’s (which was already my favorite)
Rye: Whistle Pig
Since then, I’ve been on a big Whiskey kick, particularly Scotch, and my tastes have evolved. But the initial recommendations were so good that the above three remain standards in each category. I’ve since expanded to 4-5 varieties in each category across a few styles and price points, and this is what I currently stock:
Scotch: Highland Park 12, Highland Park 18, Talisker 10, Talisker 18, Lagavulin 16 (which I think has become my favorite spirit of any kind), Springbank 10, Cragganmore 12
Bourbon: Blanton’s, Four Roses Single Barrel, Four Roses Yellow Label, Elijah Craig 18, Evan Williams
Rye: Whistle Pig, Hudson Manhattan, Templeton, Bulleit
I have a few more exotic bottles around (special release Ardberg, an Old Pulteney 21 [which is awesome but pushing my price limit], and last year’s Four Roses LE1B, which was a gift that is sadly almost gone), but I’m pretty happy with the above selection for a home whiskey bar – except that I’m now interested in trying some Irish Whiskey.
Great suggestions by all. Its funny…just as wine is a hobby…obsession…you choose. I now see that whiskey might be falling into the same category!! I originally said one bottle of Irish, Scotch, Bourbon and Rye- can now see that this will be at least 2 or 3 of each!!
no expert here, but love Willet and Blanton’s bourbons, more than many mentioned herein.