episode 0095- building a whiskey brand in the middle of a market crash with olde raleigh distillery founder brandon mccraney

Brandon McCraney left a corporate VP track to become the master blender behind Old Raleigh Distillery. And the road there involved getting rejected by 12 different banks, liquidating his own 401(k) days before Christmas, and personally chiseling plaster off an 80-foot wall by hand because he couldn't afford to pay someone else to do it. In this episode, Brandon breaks down how he turned a "crazy whiskey collector" hobby into a blending operation that's released over 180 unique whiskeys in a single year, why he thinks the bourbon industry's biggest brands are all making the same strategic mistake, and how a flooded market and a wave of hedge-fund speculation quietly reshaped the whole business. Plus the SBA loan story that'll make you rethink what "qualified" even means.

Show Highlights:
1- We discuss Brandon’s background prior to Olde Raleigh. (7:15)
2- How did you develop flavor profiles for your whiskeys? (13:45)
3- We discuss the art behind the profession. (21:45)
4- Brandon outlines why he doesn’t currently distill his own whiskey, and where he gets his barrels. (25:15)
5- Brandon discloses the monetary investment to get his business off the ground. (31:30)
6- We discuss the SBA loan experience, which included 12 rejections. (33:15)
7- Brandon talks about his membership offerings. (40:15)
8- We discuss profit margins. (43:00)
9- Where can we find more from Brandon? (50:00)
10- WHAT IN THE WORLD? We talk about the recent layoffs in the liquor distribution space. (51:00)

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