If you like Sherry, I would suggest you start with a Speyside like The Macallan 12. It is a Sherry cask whisky that has a bit if Sherry sweetness to it, without any noticeable smoke. It's hard to go wrong with any offering from Aberlour either. If you want a bit of smoke, without it overpowering the whisky, Try Highland Park 12. Ardmore Traditional Cask is also an excellent peated Speyside that is sweet, along with the smoke.
As mentioned by a few already, JWB is a very good blend. I'm not much for blends myself, but I do really like the Teacher's quite a bit. It is a blend, but it contains 40% pure malt... most of it from Ardmore.
There is such a wide range of flavor profiles to be found in Scotch; you really have to just try a few different ones, and see what taste profiles you prefer. If you decide that you really like a smokey whisky... the Isay whiskies are what you want... Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Bowmore, Ardbeg, Caol Ila. Speyside whiskies are more on the sweet side, with a lot less noticeable peat (smoke)... Macallan, Benrioch, Cragganmore, Balvenie, Glenlivet, Glenfiddich. Then there are all the other regions; Highlands, Lowlands, Campbeltown, Orkny, Skye... with falvors ranging from earthy grass to sea salt. Scotch is truly a beautiful thing!