Direct Wines Ltd First Cask whisky series - verdict?

[Tom W]

Hi,

I am new to this forum and am relatively new to the world of whisky. Basically, direct wines (who own laithwaites wine) are an independent bottler and they release whiskies under the 'first cask' label at 46% ABV. You can buy individual bottles but they also offer a planned subscription where you recieve 1 bottle every 3 months. My uncle has been doing this for over a decade and he got me into whisky and I am unsure whether I too should become a part of this 'club'.

I am just wondering if anyone can give me a view to the quality of these whiskies and whether I should go for it or should stick to distillery bottlings.

Sorry if none of this makes much sense, any feedback on the first cask or independent bottling experiences would be invaluable.

cheers,

Tom

[Crane]

Hi Tom and welcome to the SMW forum.

Being new to the world of whisky i would recommend trying the original distillery bottlings first before joining a whisky club with a very limited selection of whisky. There are hundreds of original distillery bottlings to keep you interested and if you do find a distillery which you particularly like then you may find First Cask offer their own bottling from that distillery.

[Mark]

Welcome to the forum Tom

There are a few very good independent bottlers out there who offer some great alternatives to the original distillery bottlings. There is a good section on independent whisky bottlers on this site, which covers all the top bottlers.
www.scotchmaltwhisky.co.uk/independentbottlers.htm

The independents can offer you an alternative expression of a whisky you already enjoy, sometimes better, sometimes not.

Like Crane says, i would recommend getting to know distillery bottlings before looking at alternatives, especially joining a club.

[Alastair]

I didnt know that laithwaites still did these First Cask bottlings, never had any myself. Looking in The Whisky Exchange some of their earlier releases seem to fetch a fair bit.

Tom, i take it that the first cask members club still on the go?

I think it used to be called the "First Cask Malt Circle"

[soundmangt4]

I am a member of the Scotch Malt Whiskey Society, and they sell single cask wjisky from a variety of distillers in the form of their own bottlings.
There is a membership fee, but then you can try and buy whatever you like, at reasonable prices. I am unsure I would be happy to have bottles sent to me without choosing them, as they are so individual.
I say ask your Uncle what feels about being a member and the quality of the whisky he received, and make the decision on that 1st hand experience!
Just for reference the SMWS charge £100 to join then £52/year to renew, and their whisky is on average £55/bottle and is of exceptional quality thanks to their tasting panel, who reject almost 80% of whisky they taste.
I hope this gives you some comparison to help base your decision!
_________________
Rob Hughes
Scotch Malt Whisky Society member
www.smws.co.uk

[Samson]

If you are going to join a whisky club then i would also recommend the SMWS who will offer you a lot bigger choice, and i dare say often better quality whisky due to their vetting process. Although if you are quite new to whisky there are plenty of decent original distillery bottlings to keep you interested for a while and i would say it is a good idea to get an idea of the distilleries styles of whisky before joining a club.

[Big Mac]

If you are new toi the world of whisky i wouldnt recommend a whisky club until you are more familiar with what the whisky distilleries offer.

[Tom W]

thanks for all the feedback guys