Meet Jeff Bayer | The Colorado Whiskey Guy, Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeff Bayer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeff, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
In the Spring of this year, I decided I wanted to create or do something that was my own. My wife and I explored different options, but never fully settled on anything we liked. After listening to a Podcast on small business, it talked about the idea of Following your Passion. They said that if you are unsure on your passion, explore what interests you. That made me think of Whiskey. I was having fun exploring different whiskeys since May of 2020. I was really interested in whiskey, how it is made, and all the different varieties. Since I live in Colorado, I started wondering how many distilleries were here locally. I was only aware of 3. I found out there were over 100 different distilleries in Colorado and that the vast majority made Whiskey. I had no idea. Since I loved watching YouTube videos of different reviews, I wondered if anyone was talking about it. No One. No one was talking about everything going on here in Colorado with Craft Spirits. I decided to start a YouTube Channel whose focus was entirely about Colorado Whiskey and Colorado craft spirits.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am still early on in my journey. Right now it is very challenging working full time (not talking about whiskey…yet), being an active husband and father to 2 wonderful little girls, and getting a YouTube Channel and Internet Business off the ground. I work on it as I can, when I can. But I keep in mind the season of life I am in right now. Right now I am excited to be still making videos and gaining traction. My purpose is to share Colorado Whiskey with the World and things are starting to move along. I am proud of the small steps I have made so far.

I have learned that I need to work on things when I can. That might mean writing a script at 6am before I wake my girls, posting a quick IG story every morning before I walk into work, editing a video during my lunch break, replying to comments at night, or filming with my wife after the kids are in bed. It is all about staying focused, almost irrationally so.

What I want everyone to know is not about me, but about Colorado Whiskey. Colorado has over 100 different distilleries and a lot of them are small and just starting out. But I feel like I know something that everyone else doesn’t yet. The Colorado Whiskey scene is small, still young, but growing fast. I think that Colorado can be it’s own unique type of American Whiskey. I want to introduce everyone to the different whiskies, distilleries, and distillers that we have to offer. I would love to be the one to be able to inform someone who is about to make a purchase about something tasty and local that they could not only enjoy, but go visit the distillery on their own and have fun.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Wow, just a week. Well, in Colorado Springs I would say a visit to Axe and the Oak Whiskey House would be a great stop. Then a tour of Distillery 291 and their digs. A great hole in the wall would be a dram at Shame & Regret. But, there are a few different spots to go locally including Cask and Cork or the new bar Neat on the east side.

Overall though Colorado is not about being inside. A drive up to the mountains with a bottle of whiskey would be nice. Drive through the passes and over to Buena Vista and visit the tasting room at Deerhammer Distillery. Then north to have a dip at the hot springs of Glenwood Springs. (Ohh, I having a moment just thinking of that. Ok I’m back).

Then back to Denver to explore some of the many different places to grab a bite. There is just so much to do.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The one person who really inspires me the most is Gary Vaynerchuk. I read his book “Crush It” and it really inspired me. I started listening to his Podcast and I read “Crushing It”. He really helped shape my outlook on starting a business as a Content Creator. Because of his advice through his books and his podcast, I have leaned into being open about everything, just recording content, and spreading love and encouragement to others. One person who came to me early and unexpected for support was a man named Bradley Beck. He came to me early just offering any help he could give and any advice. I had a great conversation with him and his friend Graeme about different Colorado Whiskey when I was early in my Journey. I keep up with Bradley from time to time but overall I loved that brief support and connection. I try to give that kind of support whenever I can, without thinking of what can I get from it.

Overall, I have really gotten a lot of support from a number of influencers in the whiskey scene. All the creators I have come upon have been so supportive and really awesome! Everyone is really good about lifting up the whole scene! I try to support who I can, when I can.

Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMW7acPlAD-3TpXhRyl7Qfw

Instagram: @Colorado.Whiskey.Guy

Twitter: @COWhiskeyGuy

Facebook: facebook.com/TheColoradoWhiskeyGuy

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMW7acPlAD-3TpXhRyl7Qfw

Other: Feel free to email me at co.whiskeyguy@gmail.com I love a good conversation

Image Credits
Jamie Bayer