I prefer smooth Islay or Highland whiskys that aren't smokey or peaty, that already eliminates a number of them for me. But bringing commercial low grade drinks into the drinkscussion and claiming they're "smooth" is just plain disingenuous. They're not smooth. Far from it.

The only drinkable Jack is Gentlemen's Jack, or the single barrel select, but even those are just pish for mixing cocktails. Tanqueray is similarly a gin I'd never drink in a "pure" cocktail (G+T and kinds, where the focus is on the gin flavour), but it's fine for, say, a Long Island.