The First Cask Collection: A Missed Opportunity? 

Direct Wines commissioned the First Cask bottlings for their exclusive members’ club. 

The First Cask collection is something of an enigma in the whisky world; high age statement, vintage releases, but at a fraction of the cost of most modern releases. They are often overlooked on the secondary market too. But what on earth are they?

Direct Wines created the First Cask Collection in order to distribute vintage whiskies to their members on a quarterly basis. The members were part of the First Cask Whisky Circle, entitling them to some impressive bottlings throughout the year. The series includes whisky from the likes of Caol Ila, Balvenie, Highland Park, and Macallan.

Direct Wines Ltd are a Berkshire-based wine merchant company which has an impressive outreach, with operations in Europe, the USA, and Australia. Although mainly dealing in wine, Direct Wines Ltd have also bottled numerous single malt whiskies and well over 500 casks since this venture first began in the early 1990s.

The First Cask Collection began in the 1990s and continued until the late-2000s. There is a very impressive range of whiskies in the collection, with 60s and 70s vintages and high-age statements (the oldest being a 41 year old Strathclyde released in 2007). As the collection was released exclusively to First Cask Whisky Circle members, it was not highly publicised, meaning that many of these bottlings have been flying under the radar on the secondary market.

First Cask is a generally undervalued series, with some fine examples of well-aged whiskies from renowned distilleries going for relatively low prices compared to similar ages and vintages from other independent bottlers or official releases.

With an incredible range of bottles to collect, the First Cask Collection is a great venture for any whisky enthusiast or collector.

Just some of the bottlings available on the Mark Littler Shop are a Caol Ila 1981 21 Year Old (£510), a Highland Park 1975 22 Year Old (£345), a Glenlivet 1968 27 Year Old (£498), and a Glen Grant 1976 24 Year Old (£615).

Browse the full collection on the Mark Littler Shop.

About Mark Littler Limited

Mark Littler is an independent whisky broker, market analyst and consultant with over a decade of experience in the industry. Each week he publishes new videos on his YouTube channel about topics such as cask investment fraud (and how to avoid it), the history of distilleries and bottles, debunking whisky investment myths and much more. For more information visit www.marklittler.com

If you are interested in the First Cask bottles or would like to chat with one of the team about our other services, please get in touch.

Email: whisky@marklittler.com

Telephone: 01260 218 718