I'm new here, and EXTREMELY cautious about shooting my mouth off about anything pipe related because I'm a complete pipe rookie and I'm here to lurk and learn.
Whisk(e)y however... That happens to be my profession.
Some of the above posters are 100 percent right, a single malt doesn't need to cost an arm and a leg. I think the best bang for the buck single malt on the market is Deanston Virgin Oak. I don't remember if it has an age statement on the bottle or not, but it's a single malt that will run you in the neighborhood of 35 bucks. And it has the added benefit of being absolutely delicious.
If blended is how you want to go however, then I would love to steer you towards a very small segment of the market that are called "pure malts" or "vatted malts." Without getting way too nerdy for anyone's good, these are one hundred percent blended malt whiskies, and are super delicious. Two that come to mind are called Hogshead and Sheepdip. There aren't a lot of vatted malts on the market, and they're not the easiest to find, but a little bit of legwork on your end will be greatly rewarded.
Basically it's the same advice that I have seen the pipe community give to new pipe smokers, find a great brick-and-mortar (booze) shop with people who know what they're talking about. They will either have these gems in stock, or be willing and able to find them for you.
Be sure to add an ice cube or a little bit of water, sit back, and enjoy!
Cheers!