For around £25-£30. The relative in question likes fine whiskey, but it is a regular birthday not a special one so not going OTT. Anything other than Glenfiddich/GlenMorangie, something a bit different perhaps?
There's no such thing as a bad Scottish single malt, but one of my favourites - though rarely heard of - is Glendronach. It may well be an eye-opener for your relative as it was originally for me.
Monkey Shoulder is another nice one, it also has the benefit of being in a quite unusual bottle. It is a triple malt though, not a single.
http://www.thedrinksh...etail.php?prodid=2600
I agree with others that Highland Park is a nice dram. As much as I like Islay malts they are very distinctive and not the everyone's taste, it could be a risky strategy unless you know you Uncle likes them. Having said that I fully support MarkRae's comment about Laphroaig Quarter Cask!