We were lucky to catch up with Nicholas Nguyen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nicholas, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The First Responder Whiskey Society was formed in 2020 amid trying times. First responders from all over the world were facing unprecedented tragedies from illness, mental health issues, and lack of public support. An idea was formed to connect first responders of all disciplines through a shared love of whiskey. From police, fire, military, and medical staff, this group is a place where we can gather in camaraderie and support each other.

During FRWS’s first year, one of our founding members, Riverside County Sheriff’s K9 Sergeant Harry Cohen, tragically passed from an on-duty heart attack. Our group was devastated and left wondering, “what can we do?” Sergeant Cohen’s entire department was reeling from their loss while trying to take care of his wife and children. The group rallied behind the idea to purchase a barrel of whiskey, sell it, and raise money for his family. And thus, the group found its mission: to use whiskey to help first responders and their families in their time of need.

In 2022, the group changed from a social club to 501(c)(3) non-profit charity.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The First Responder Whiskey Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity with one mission: to support first responders and their families in times of need. The charity has a membership of 4800+ police, fire, military, medical, and family members from primarily the United States as well as other parts of the world. The values that guide our organization are camaraderie, loyalty, mental and physical wellness, and responsible consumption.

Our motto of “Service Through Spirits” is something we take seriously. We prioritize charity, our members, and then whiskey last. Whiskey is more than grain and water to our organization. It is a physical representation of a lost friend and family member. It is also tangible proof that there are complete strangers out there in the world that mourn with their families and friends when a first responder passes. The first responder may be gone, but they truly live on when we can raise a drink to them and share their stories.

The way we honor fallen first responders and help their families are through fundraisers, events, and custom memorial whiskey bottles.

We liaison with first responder departments that have experienced a loss to reach out to the family to ask permission to fundraise on behalf of them. Once we get that permission, only then do we start. We work with the family to create a very special and meaningful design for a custom bottle and then bring it to life. We create a general bottle that is released to the friends, and a special bottle that is only released to the family. The family bottle will typically message that the fallen officer wrote to their spouse. Once the bottle is sold we donate the proceeds back to the family.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

We built up our audience on social media through word-of-mouth referrals. We have an active Facebook group where members will go to discuss the whiskey they are drinking and the causes they are supporting. We work every day to foster the type of environment that we want: a place where members are constantly focused on helping others. We have been able to attract the right type of members from this and push forward of our mission to help first responders.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I am a strong believer in manifesting your destiny. I recently attended National Police Week in Washington DC in May. I was in awe of the scope of the events and the amount of impact and care that went into planning them. I wanted to be back at National Police Week next year but taking a huge role and working with the different charity groups. When I got back from my trip, I was unsure of where to start or even contact anyone from the different organizations. Rather than feel dejected I just started calling people down my phone tree until I found a contact that helped organize National Police Week. Within a month I was back in Washington DC and meeting with the organizers of National Police Week to talk about ways to fundraise and provide care and comfort to families of fallen first responders.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.firstresponderwhiskeysociety.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/firstresponderwhiskeysociety
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/firstresponderwhiskeysociety/