
The Late Night Restaurant Podcast Show · 2026-06-25 · 53 min
What does it take to walk away from a successful corporate career and risk everything to build your dream? This week on The Late Night Restaurant Podcast, Jay Ashton and Domenic Pedulla sit down with Brandon McCraney, Owner and Master Blender of Old Raleigh Distillery in North Carolina. Brandon shares the incredible story behind launching a distillery during the height of COVID, surviving construction setbacks, nearly losing everything, and building an award-winning whiskey brand through grit, creativity, and relentless determination. The conversation explores entrepreneurship, hospitality, customer experience, government regulations, distillery operations, importing whiskey, and why telling your story matters as much as the product you create. Whether you're a restaurateur, beverage professional, entrepreneur, or someone thinking about taking the leap into business ownership, this episode delivers honest lessons from someone who's lived every challenge. Listen now and hear why persistence often becomes an entrepreneur's greatest asset. The Late Night Restaurant Podcast Brandon.