Can I learn to enjoy Scotch?

So a few years ago, I decided on a whim to purchase some Scotch. Mind you that then as now I knew nothing about choosing good Scotch, including whatever impact pricetag has on the taste.

I got home, cracked open the bottle, and I was immediately assaulted by the smell of what seemed to be cooked meat. My sip of the Scotch tasted exactly the same way. I hated it. It was a liter bottle, as I recall - large and triangular. Cheap, too, probably $20. I later bought a bottle of Johnny Walker Red Label in a second attempt to enjoy it but had the same problem.

My question is this: As someone who likes whiskey overall (Wild Turkey and Knob Creek being my favorites), can I ever learn to love Scotch? Is price a big indicator in how it tastes, and is that very strong, smokey and meaty flavor par for the course? I really feel like I'm missing out on a whole other dimension of the whiskey world.