References
A review from the Michiel Wigman and Marcel van Gils tasting at our whisky club in Stavanger, 2018.
Our club in Stavanger was approaching its 10 year anniversary. We knew we had to do something special.
Several members of out club already knew Michiel from several visits to the Limburg Festival in Germany. My first encounter with Michiel was at the first Old & Rare Whiskyshow in Glasgow, back in February 2017. And what a nice guy. Always time to discuss his passion for whisky. And he was not afraid to share a lot of knowledge for excellent single casks from his stand and similar / comparable releases in general. And boy, did we enjoy several superb drams from his whisky stand.
After meeting up with Michiel the following year at the Old & Rare Whiskyshow in February 2018, we initiated the discussions regarding his potential visit to out club in Stavanger for our 10 year anniversary at our club in Stavanger, Norway.
And Voila. 7 months later, after several e-mails and so on, Michiel found himself at Stavanger Airport, after flying in on a very stormy September night. He also brought along a mystery friend for the event. Namely Marcel van Gils 😊.
After a dinner that night and a guided tour for the dutchmen the following day, it was time for the tasting event.
Michiel brought along some lovely bottles from his collection to include in the tasting. And what a lineup that was. Ben Nevis, Balmenach, Ardbeg, Longmorn, Caol Ila, all from the 1970’s, to name some. The tasting lasted for over 3 hours with superb drams and excellent stories and a lot of insight information as well as trivia, of course. We were also lucky enough to have Marcel to chip in from time to time during this legendary tasting.
If you are wondering if you want a special occasion with your whisky club, no need to search any further. Contact Michiel. His funny and interesting stories, his profound knowledge and passion for whisky and his great personality is hard to compare in the industry. He has promised to return at some point. And man, cannot wait for that to materialize.
Slainte!
Cato Hardy,
Chairman of the Norwegian Malt Whisky Society, Stavanger branch.
International Tasting for whisky lovers in Singapore organized by Kelvin Hoon from bar the Swaen Song
Sarah Thallon, one of the participants, wrote me the following afterwards:
Michiel, I’m on my way home from Swan Song, and that was one of my favourite tastings in a long time. Partly because it’s the first non work related tasting I’ve done at a bar since pre covid, partly because the whiskies were so unusual and interesting, but mostly because of you. I love a tasting session that’s like getting together with friends and telling stories, rather than a series of individual (meaningless) tasting notes. You managed the crowd wonderfully, you were the right balance of entertainment and humour, and if we were in the same space under different times you are definitely someone I’d love to give a thank you hug. I hope that I’ll get the opportunity to meet you when you come to Singapore, or it may be Europe where we meet. I look forward to our paths crossing again. Slainte.
Michiel is not only a great connoisseur of Whiskey but also an inspired and eloquent speaker who managed to captivate us for an entire evening with his sometimes hilarious anecdotes. He drew on his long experience as a connoisseur, taster, collector and world traveler and took us on a journey of discovery along distilleries, fairs and Whiskey fanatics. We got to taste some extraordinary Whiskeys from Michiel’s personal collection and got a unique opportunity to get acquainted with bottles that may sometimes be just out of reach for mere mortals. But after an evening with Michiel, you might want to adjust your Whiskey budget upwards… In short: very enjoyable, cozy and instructive!
On behalf of Beteor Advisory Organization
Diem Wolff
My first acquaintance with Michiel dates back to 2005, when I was newly infected with the whiskey microbe and decided to attend the Lindores whiskey festival in Ostend.
There was the Dutch Connection (Michiel and Bert Vuik) with a table full of goodies. Over the next few years, I regularly met Michiel at whiskey festivals, and each time the festival ended at Michiel’s table. The opportunity to discover famous and infamous whiskeys turned out to be an irresistible attraction to me.
The sociability and good explanation of Michiel also contributed to this ;-).
I was invariably welcomed with the question, Steven, have you tasted this yet? And Michiel always managed to surprise me with old or not old gems.
From those pleasant encounters the idea grew to ask Michiel to do a tasting for our whiskey club The Finest Notes.
Michiel agreed, and the rest is history…
Michiel’s visit became an annual tradition that our members eagerly awaited.
We tasted fantastic whiskeys and the drams were accompanied by expert explanations and fine anecdotes from the whiskey world.
In more recent years Michiel also managed to surprise us with new bottles, the ‘Future classics’ as he calls them. Michael always knows where to find them!
Michiel is a guarantee for a tasty and fine whiskey activity!