Beyond the Pour: How Fog City Social is Reimagining the Whiskey Festival

In this episode of the Rolex Whiskey Passion Project , co-founders Marcelo Grande and Roland Ng pull back the curtain on Fog City Social , a San Francisco-based event designed to fix the "broken" spirit of corporate whiskey festivals. Moving away from crowded ballrooms and frantic VIP lines, they explain their "everyone is a VIP" philosophy, where every ticket includes a high-end festival bottle and access to rare vintage libraries—like the entire Glendronach lineup—poured generously without red tape. The duo discusses their transition from a humble 240-person gathering to a massive "Whiskey Week" featuring fourteen masterclasses, a charity gala, and unique retail partnerships that allow guests to purchase the rare spirits they taste.