From Corporate VP to Bourbon Blender with Brandon McCraney

What happens when the business you planned is not the business you actually build?

In this episode, I talk with Brandon McCraney, owner of Old Raleigh Distillery, about leaving corporate life, chasing whiskey, and opening a distillery during COVID.

Brandon shares how Old Raleigh started as a blending vision, how a change in North Carolina law turned him into a bar owner, and what it was like opening before he could even sell his own whiskey.

We also get into whiskey blending, one-off batches, cask finishes, and why building a bourbon brand takes more than a good product.

If you’ve ever had to pivot because reality wrecked your original plan, this one is worth listening to.

Sometimes the business you survive is the business you were supposed to build.

📌Connect with Brandon McCraney and Olde Raleigh Distillery:📌

Visit: Olde Raleigh Distillery website
Shop: Buy Olde Raleigh whiskey online
Join: Olde Raleigh Whiskey Society
Visit in person: Tasting room in Zebulon, North Carolina
Book: Distillery tour or event space
Follow Brandon: @brandonmccraney on Instagram
Follow Olde Raleigh: @olderaleighdistillery on Instagram

📌Start Here
🔴If this is something you’re dealing with in your bar, don’t figure it out alone.
 
Join Bar Business Nation — the free Facebook group for bar owners talking through staff, slow nights, profit leaks, and better ways to run the business.
→ https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation

📌Additional resources
🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here:
→ https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/