What’s up, guys? This is Bourbon, Bass, and Barbells.

As promised, I wanted to give you a quick update on how things are going with the social channels — and honestly, now’s a good time.

About 10 days ago, I was sitting around 4,800 followers on Instagram. I figured I’d cross the 5K mark over the weekend. Sure enough, last Monday, I hit 5,000… and then something weird happened. I picked up another 800 followers in just a few days. Right now, I’m sitting at around 5,800.

Whenever I see that kind of sudden jump, I get a little skeptical. You can weaponize follows, and I’m always a little cautious when growth spikes out of nowhere. But this time, it looks legit. More blue checkmarks have been liking, sharing, and commenting on my stuff than ever before, which definitely helps.

A lot of you who follow the channel know I like to put a funny spin on my reviews. Sometimes, that comes back to bite me. Here’s the usual pattern:

• A brand reaches out to me.
• I don’t see their message right away because Instagram throws it into message requests.
• They get impatient (even though my email is literally in my bio).
• They disappear.

It’s frustrating because I actually want to work with these brands. I’ve even had companies promise to send product after I gave them my address — only to ghost me afterward. One distiller out of Virginia did that recently.

When you build your brand around roasting bourbon, people get a little nervous. I get it. They’re afraid they’re going to send me something and get roasted. But the truth is, when someone sends me a product, I ask them upfront:

“Do you want me to have some fun with this, or do you want a straight review?”

Most are cool with jokes. Bartoastco, for example, was totally down when I said I had some funny ideas. But even when I go the serious route, I give honest, mature reviews. If your product is good, you’ve got nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately, some brands (and influencers) have gotten into this bad habit of believing that no one can ever say anything negative about a product. That’s ridiculous. You should want an honest review — and influencers should be willing to give them. If your product isn’t ready or isn’t good, you should expect to get called out for it.

A quick story:
Early on, a local liquor store tried to pass off a private barrel as their own distillate by slapping a cheap label on it. I started asking questions about where the bourbon came from. The store owner got pissed and even tried to get someone I knew to tell me to shut up. Pretty funny. But it’s a perfect example of why transparency and honest reviews matter — and why I’ll keep doing them.

Right now, people are being a lot more careful with their money. Inflation, tariffs, and a shaky economy mean you can’t just sell overpriced swill and expect it to move. Even some Weller store picks are struggling to sell locally. If you’re going to charge a premium, the product has to be worth it.

So where are things at now?

It’s been about a year since I rebooted the channel seriously.

• Instagram is at 5,800 followers.
• YouTube is sitting at 2,200 subscribers.

Funny thing: I have around 6,800 returning viewers on YouTube… but only 2,200 have actually hit subscribe. Now I get why creators always say “like and subscribe.” It’s crazy to think how much larger the channel could be if those returning viewers clicked one extra button.

On YouTube, I hit 2,000 subs fairly quickly, but it’s been a slower trickle since. Growth is steady — but it’s definitely work. Finding time to film, edit, and post isn’t easy, especially with work and personal life. My wife and I are trying for a baby, too, which will make time even tighter.

My original goal was to hit 10K by the end of last year. I didn’t get there, but realistically, I’ll probably hit that mark by the end of this year.

A few final thoughts:

If you’re trying to grow a channel, consistency beats virality every time.
A lot of people think going viral = success. It doesn’t.

• You can post a random video, get hundreds of thousands of views, and have zero real audience afterward.
• It’s about building something people come back for week after week.

I’m playing the long game. Bourbon is a niche audience. If you’re just starting now, you’re already behind compared to people who have been grinding for years. I know if I had been serious when I first started in 2021, I’d probably be much bigger by now. Lesson learned.

Even now, monetization is tough. I’ve maybe sold 10 shirts. I haven’t seen major product sales from my smoker or topper videos. The free bottles and occasional gear are cool perks — but no, I’m not getting rich off this.

At the end of the day, I got into this for the love of bourbon, storytelling, and maybe snagging a free bottle here and there. That’s still the mission.

Hard work pays off.
Consistency matters.
And always — always — watch out for idiots who park like absolute clowns.

Catch you guys soon.

– Bourbon, Bass, and Barbells