Happy Hour Hustle #135: Brandon McCraney

Happy Hour Hustle #135: Brandon McCraney

July 9, 2026 · 22 min · Episode 135

About this episode

Brandon McCraney shares his journey of founding Olde Raleigh Distillery and the challenges faced during its growth.

In this episode of Happy Hour Hustle, Maddie sits down with Brandon McCraney, Air Force veteran and founder and Master Blender behind Olde Raleigh Distillery in Zebulon, North Carolina. Brandon spent fifteen years just thinking about whiskey before he finally opened his doors, and even then it took four more years, a dozen rejections, construction delays, and a global pandemic to get there. Two years later, Olde Raleigh had already won Best Micro Distillery in the US. Brandon shares what it actually took to grow a business through COVID, the military discipline that kept him going when everything else said quit, and how working with people turned out to be the hardest part of the job. Connect with Brandon: Website: https://olderaleighdistillery.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonmccraney/ Instagram: @brandonmccraney and @olderaleighdistillery

People in this episode

Host: Maddie

Guest: Brandon McCraney

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Olde Raleigh Distillery

Places: Zebulon, North Carolina

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