We recently connected with Jeff Schwartz and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeff, thanks for joining us today. Everyone has crazy stuff happen to them, but often small business owners and creatives, artists and others who are doing something off the beaten path are often hit with things (positive or negative) that are so out there, so unpredictable and unexpected. Can you share a crazy story from your journey?

Most of my visibility comes from publishing whiskey reviews. I remember a time about three years ago when a reader disagreed with my rating and went so far as to say I have no idea what I’m doing. Those kinds of comments come with the territory, and they’re easy to brush off.

My ratings take several factors into account, including value. In this particular case, it was a premium-priced whiskey that I had determined was well worth buying. The reader challenged me to justify my rating.

Now, my reviews aren’t a couple of sentences. They’re long and in-depth. I explain my ratings in detail.

When I asked him what he found confusing, he said I was a lazy reviewer. He explained that anyone worth their salt would determine, step by step, how much it actually costs a brand to produce a bottle of whiskey and justify the price they charge consumers.

I remember thinking this request was both insane and ridiculous. I couldn’t determine if he was serious or trolling me. I assumed he was serious, and as such, it required a response.

I told him that I am a whiskey reviewer and that what he was looking for was a forensic accountant. I explained that much of the information he expects me to have on hand is proprietary, and no distiller will simply hand it over to just anyone. I said that nobody except accounting fans would want to read about it, and as far as I knew, nobody aside from him was perusing my whiskey reviews for my bookkeeping skills.

I went on to say that I may be misjudging things, and that perhaps he had found a niche market within the whiskey community, and invited him to be a whiskey reviewer specializing in forensic accounting, and to please let me know when his first one is published.

I never heard back from him. But I’ll also never forget him.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Whiskeyfellow is, and always has been, a passion project. I write detailed whiskey reviews, I host tasting events, I’m a spirits competition judge and a whiskey educator, and I engage in copywriting for brands, bars, and stores. Some activities generate income. Others don’t.

Reviews never do.

I link all of my reviews and articles to Whiskeyfellow.net. Some people claim that I do it for clicks, others say it is for ad revenue. I accept no income for clicks, and I refuse to accept any ads. It would call into question my integrity and impartiality, and without my integrity, I have nothing.

But who am I?

I’ve been dabbling in whiskey for many years, although I was a latecomer. Early in my marriage, my wife suggested I find an adult beverage to help me “fit in” and be less socially awkward. I chose a small bottle of Dewar’s White Label, and suddenly, I was into Scotch.

We had been living in Colorado and relocated to Florida, where my wife was hired by a friend who owned a high-end liquor store. He tried to get me to expand my horizons. Being a Scotch Snob, there was no way that I was going to degrade myself by drinking Bourbon. Call it peer pressure, call it wanting our friend (and my wife’s boss) to stop bugging me, I reluctantly tried it and fell in love – so much so that while I still enjoyed Scotch, Bourbon became my go-to. He then got me into American Rye, Irish whiskeys, and even Indian Single Malts.

While we were in Florida, most of my free time was spent at the liquor store. I could spend time with my wife while things got slow, and I could pretty much taste whatever was open. Pretty soon, I was being invited to taste samples from brand reps looking to get their products in the store. I assisted the store hosting Ardbeg Day events. I frequently accompanied my wife and our friend to trade events.

And then, we moved to Wisconsin. I had an Instagram account that I had no idea what to do with. I believe I started with a photo of our Springer Spaniel and left it at that. Out of curiosity, I posted a photo of what was in my glass that evening. It garnered interest. With subsequent posts, I started adding tasting notes, then made posts into reviews. I continued to work on my content. I renamed my account Whiskeyfellow.

Not long afterward, Bourbon & Banter was looking for new content contributors. Interested contestants had to submit a review of anything that wasn’t already in Bourbon & Banter’s somewhat vast catalog. I went with J. Henry & Sons Wisconsin Straight Bourbon as the Henrys were, at that time, an unknown entity. My review garnered enough attention, and I was invited to participate in the finalist round. I wrote about the basics of whiskey glassware, and that was enough to have me earn my permanent spot.

I wrote for Bourbon & Banter for several years and concurrently started self-publishing other whiskey reviews. Eventually, we parted ways (but on good terms). I had a friend, Perry Ritter (of This Is My Bourbon Podcast), design a whimsical logo, registered my business with the IRS and state, and, well, here we are. By the way, Perry is great if you want a graphic artist.
Anyway, I’m Jeff, a/k/a Whiskeyfellow, and now you know much of who I am and what I do. Cheers!

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

Building a social media presence can be daunting. There are fast ways to do it, and then there are the right ways.

The fast way involves buying followers. I get pummelled with emails promising me 10,000 or more followers in a few short days, and how they have tens of thousands of satisfied customers, all for a low-low price of whatever. Those offers should raise about 10,000 red flags. You’re going to get bots, not people. Those aren’t followers. Those are numbers.

Another option is to flaunt what you have. I know some women competitors whose assets are on display in every post. Of course, those will attract a lot of followers, mostly men, who really don’t care what you’re talking about so long as the photos keep coming.

Others will just follow everyone in hopes of getting in-kind follows.

The way I did it took many years. I got to know industry leaders and my competitors. I learned from them and gained their respect. I write high-quality posts that are informative for those seeking serious purchasing advice. Those people (yes, even my competitors) speak highly of me and suggest my socials to others.

At the same time, I market the heck out of myself. If I’m out in public, I’m wearing my logo’d hat. I leave business cards at bars and distilleries. I volunteer my time and donate bottles for charity raffles (and have a sticker that covers the UPC codes with my socials on it). I even have a small magnetic sign on the tailgate of my SUV. Basically, I take every opportunity I can to get my name out there.

It is a slow process. But, my followers are real.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being stopped in public by a random person, thanked for the work I do, and told how much they appreciate my opinions and advice. It happens a lot at industry events, but I was once stopped in the middle of Atlanta’s airport while I was walking to catch a flight!

It isn’t about feeling like a celebrity; it’s about knowing that what I do has enough impact that people care enough to tell me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://whiskeyfellow.net
• Instagram: @whiskeyfellow
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWhiskeyfellow
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreymschwartz/
• Twitter: @whiskeyfellow
• Other: https://bio.site/whiskeyfellow