Brandon McCraney at Olde Raleigh Distillery doesn’t run a typical family distillery. He’s partnered with Lionsgate on a John Wick-themed bourbon release, collaborated on a Scream 7 bottle, and keeps six taps of craft beer in his tasting room because he wants to have something for everyone.
In this conversation, Brandon breaks down how he thinks about storytelling, experience, and community in a way that translates directly to the taproom world. He runs bottle club classes built around getting to know his customers, books events, and has figured out how to make every interaction feel personal at scale.
We get into the parallels between brewing and distilling, what it actually looks like to run a family operation, and how chasing the right partnerships can open doors you didn’t know existed.
Join us for a conversation on what we can learn from our peers in the spirits world.
Join us in person for CBP Connects Chicago
June 15-17, 2026
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What This Session Covers
This session explores the unique challenges and opportunities of launching and operating a craft distillery in a suburban setting, with insights that taproom operators and brewery owners can apply to their own businesses. Key topics include building community engagement through immersive guest experiences, developing a collaborative and growth-oriented team culture, leveraging legislation changes for business expansion, and creating strategic partnerships for increased visibility and revenue. The conversation also highlights the importance of authentic storytelling and staff empowerment to deepen customer loyalty and boost sales, especially in competitive, regulation-heavy alcohol markets.
Key Talking Points
- [00:01 → 05:52] Starting a distillery requires navigating significant regulatory hurdles and finding the right location that balances character, foot traffic, and local government support—Old Raleigh Distillery’s choice of a growing suburb over an industrial park was critical to its success.
- [03:25 → 05:52] Legislation changes in North Carolina allowed distilleries to operate tasting rooms with mixed beverage permits, fundamentally shifting revenue potential by enabling full-service bars and removing bottle purchase limits from customers.
- [15:13 → 17:28] Company culture at Old Raleigh is grounded in three core values: respect, integrity, and teamwork. These principles foster autonomy, accountability, and cross-role flexibility, critical for a bootstrapped operation with limited staff.
- [17:58 → 20:52] The distilling industry faces an oversaturated market exacerbated by COVID-driven demand spikes, with a long product turnaround time (four to six years), so differentiation via customer experience and brand story is essential.
- [21:18 → 27:26] The tasting room experience is carefully crafted to immerse guests visually and experientially (e.g., stills prominently displayed, unique bottle design, cocktail menus). The “Thousand Blends Challenge” engages regular patrons with experimental blends, backed by detailed tasting notes distributed via QR codes to inform and excite.
- [27:58 → 31:45] Sales staff are recruited primarily for storytelling ability and cultural fit rather than prior bartending skills. Empowering staff to share their own experiences and have creative freedom builds authenticity and customer connection, which also directly impacts sales and staff retention.
- [39:35 → 42:50] Collaborations with local breweries and offering craft beer taps broaden audience appeal and foster community support, allowing the distillery to serve customers who may not prefer spirits and creating local cross-promotional opportunities.
- [45:18 → 52:16] Strategic partnerships with film studios (e.g., Lionsgate for “Ballerina” and “Scream 7”) demonstrate how openness, solution-oriented thinking, and readiness can yield unique marketing and morale-boosting opportunities, even if they arise unexpectedly.
- [54:00 → 57:20] Lessons from the brewing industry emphasize the importance of producing consistent quality, owning your brand story, and using social media to foster genuine relationships through behind-the-scenes transparency rather than polished marketing alone.
Action Items
- Assess your taproom or brewery location’s role in community development and build relationships with local officials, chambers of commerce, and neighboring businesses to position your venue as an anchor for growth.
- Review state and local alcohol laws to identify any recent or upcoming regulatory changes that could expand your tasting room capabilities or product sales, such as mixed beverage permits or to-go bottle limits.
- Define and communicate core values with your team that emphasize respect, integrity, and teamwork; encourage flexibility across roles and empower staff with autonomy to enhance employee engagement and customer service.
- Develop regular product engagement programs (e.g., limited release blends, rotating experimental beers) connected with educational tools like tasting notes or QR code surveys to build customer loyalty and repeat visits.
- Invest in recruiting staff with strong interpersonal and storytelling skills, even if they lack prior bartending experience, and provide ongoing coaching to help them develop product knowledge and personal connection with guests.
- Explore collaborations with other local craft producers (breweries, distilleries, cideries) to diversify offerings in your tasting room and cross-promote products to expand your customer base.
- Stay alert for unexpected partnership opportunities (e.g., media, events) and respond with a solutions mindset—prepare your team and marketing assets in advance to maximize their impact when such chances arise.
- [00:01 → 05:52] Brandon McCrainy of Old Raleigh Distillery shared the story of opening a distillery in a suburban area near Raleigh, NC, emphasizing the importance of location. Traditional industrial parks lacked character and foot traffic, so choosing the growing suburb of Zebulun positioned the distillery as a key part of downtown revitalization. Early regulatory hurdles included strict limits on sampling and bottle sales, requiring persistence and government engagement to navigate. Key legislative changes allowing mixed beverage permits in tasting rooms enabled a full bar experience that drastically increased revenue potential.
- [15:13 → 17:28] The culture at Old Raleigh is built on respect (mutual appreciation without micromanagement), integrity (autonomy with accountability), and teamwork (shared responsibility across roles). Brandon bootstrapped the opening, including doing all demo work himself, fostering a strong work ethic and buy-in from employees. His approach results in low turnover, with some staff present since day one and over 500 five-star reviews highlighting both the brand and staff.
- [17:58 → 20:52] The pandemic fueled double-digit growth in spirits demand but also led to overproduction. Because whiskey takes 4 to 6 years to mature, many entrants made supply for a market that is now cooling off. Competing requires differentiating through customer experience and authentic brand narratives. Social media marketing should emphasize real stories and daily operations rather than polished, impersonal posts.
- [21:18 → 27:26] The tasting room experience is striking and intentional: large stills visible immediately, minimalist decor, and prominently displayed, uniquely designed bottles. The “Thousand Blends Challenge” involves producing small-batch, one-of-a-kind blends weekly, with detailed tasting notes accessible via QR codes. This creates an interactive, educational experience that deepens customer engagement and encourages repeat visits without requiring customers to buy full bottles of many single blends.
- [27:58 → 31:45] Erieow staff recruitment prioritizes cultural alignment and storytelling aptitudes over prior bartending experience. The team is actively coached to personalize their role, with autonomy to tell their story and put their spin on tours and tastings. This approach has cultivated confident staff (e.g., an introverted tour guide “Pooh Bear”) who earn rave guest reviews. Additionally, career path discussions and weekly paychecks address employee growth desires and retention needs distinct from typical corporate structures.
- [39:35 → 42:50] Offering six craft beer taps creates access for guests who don’t prefer bourbon and facilitates partnerships through collaborations like bourbon barrel-aged beers. Starting with educating themselves about local beers and sharing those stories helps Old Raleigh convert initial skeptics into regular beer customers, strengthening community ties and diversifying revenue streams.
- [45:18 → 52:16] Unexpectedly connecting with Lionsgate for film tie-ins offered major marketing and morale boosts. Brandon’s solution-focused responses and readiness to adapt processes, such as fast-tracking photography assets and planning events, maximized these opportunities. His experience shows how having an open mindset, cultivating goodwill, and maintaining operational excellence enable craft operators to capitalize on unique partnership chances.
- [54:00 → 57:20] From brewing, the distilled spirits world learns the necessity of consistent quality and product differentiation amid a crowded marketplace. Storytelling and social media engagement focused on genuine, behind-the-scenes content build lasting brand loyalty. It’s crucial to communicate daily work and personality beyond perfect imagery to cultivate strong customer relationships.
- [56:33 → 57:45] Brandon’s final closing advice stresses visiting the distillery firsthand to experience the community vibe they’ve built. For ongoing connection, social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) and direct content from the founder offer authentic insight into their daily grind and successes.
This session is a rich blueprint for craft operators seeking practical strategies for launching, growing, and differentiating their taprooms or tasting rooms through culture, customer experience, and community integration.