I’ve been in Raleigh, North Carolina for about two years now, having transplanted from Austin, Texas. While Austin has a good number of local distilleries these days, the Raleigh crowd seems to have fewer options. But they do have a few gems – and one of the most visually appealing of those whiskey purveyors is Olde Raleigh Distillery. Today, we’re taking a look at their Batch #13 of blended bourbon whiskey.
History
Brandon McCraney spent fifteen years nursing a dream of making great whiskey before it finally became reality. After graduating from NC State and retiring from the Air Force as a captain, McCraney transitioned to civilian life and spent his career as a sales executive in the catering and food services industry. Ten years in corporate America had McCraney looking for an escape, and he found that in whiskey. He always had an interest in the way spirits were created and aged, and decided in January of 2017 to start focusing on learning as much as he could about the industry with the aim of opening his own distillery and escaping from the corporate rat race.
The result was Olde Raleigh Distillery, which opened its doors in January 2021. McCraney chose to set up shop in the small town of Zebulon, just outside Raleigh, restoring an abandoned 10,000-square-foot brick building with the same passion he pours into his spirits.
From the start, Olde Raleigh’s mission has been, in their own words, to make “unforgettable and damn good whiskey,” with a laser focus on the art of blending and distilling. Unlike many new craft operations that simply bottle sourced liquor from single locations, McCraney took a blender’s approach to stand out. He sources select whiskeys from across the country – spanning at least five states, from Kentucky and Indiana to Colorado and the Carolinas – and brings them home to Zebulon. There, the spirits typically mature a bit longer in oak barrels on-site before McCraney marries them together using 19th-century Scottish blending methods. The idea is to create unique flavor profiles greater than the sum of their parts, almost like a chef crafting a new dish from classic ingredients. Every couple of months, the distillery releases a new small-batch blend of about 1,500 bottles, often with creative finishes (think bourbon finished in honey casks or in Armagnac and Port wine barrels), each batch offering a one-of-a-kind twist for whiskey enthusiasts.
Walk into Olde Raleigh’s tasting room and you’ll find that it’s as much about community as it is about whiskey. The distillery’s venue isn’t just a production floor hidden in an industrial park; it’s a welcoming space on Zebulon’s main street that doubles as a tasting room and an event hub for the town. Visitors can sip on their lineup of bourbons and special releases while nibbling local treats (the menu famously features goodies like candied bacon and chocolate pecan pie designed to pair with the pours). McCraney and team host whiskey workshops and blending classes through their “Whiskey Society”, sharing a bit of education with the imbibing. They’ve even partnered with nearby artisans (for example, sourcing honey from a local apiary for a special honey-finished bourbon), underscoring their ethos of local collaboration and craft innovation. It’s a lively, family-run operation where live music nights and food truck rallies are common, making the distillery feel like the town’s living room that just so happens to have great whiskey on tap.
All that attention to detail and passion hasn’t gone unnoticed. Despite being a young brand, Olde Raleigh Distillery has already garnered national recognition, even beating out bigger names in blind tastings. In 2023, it was crowned “Best Micro Distillery for Whiskey” in the U.S. at the International Whisky Competition – a huge honor for a small-town operation. Several of its hand-blended bourbons took home awards that year as well, solidifying Olde Raleigh’s reputation for quality and creativity. “We’re family-owned, operated, and holding our own,” McCraney said proudly after those wins, noting that each small batch is crafted with care and that they’re thrilled to put North Carolina – and Zebulon – on the whiskey map. In a whiskey world crowded with source-and-sell brands, Olde Raleigh stands out by doing things the hard way (and the right way) – blending tradition, innovation, and a dose of Southern community spirit into every bottle.
Product
This specific spirit isn’t distilled by Olde Raleigh Distillery. Instead, this is a blend of six different batches of bourbon sourced from an undisclosed collection of distilleries in five different states. That’s what gives this specific version its nickname “Six Shooter” — the six individual strains of whiskey that come together to make this particular blend.
As a bourbon whiskey, all six different strains of spirits need to start with a grain bill that includes at least 51% corn as part of the mixture. Also included is barley, wheat, and rye… but to what degree and in what proportion isn’t disclosed. Those grains are milled, cooked, and fermented to create a mildly alcoholic liquid that is then distilled to concentrate the alcohol and selectively capture the intended flavors for each strain. Once distilled, the spirits are individually barreled in brand new charred American oak barrels for an undisclosed period of time before they are shipped to Zebulon, North Carolina (Olde Raleigh Distillery’s location) for blending and bottling.
There’s nothing here to indicate that Olde Raleigh does anything beyond simply combining the spirits together in the right proportions and dumping the resulting mixture into a bottle. According to the distillery, they do have some processes they use to try and “marry” the spirits together, so a little more detail about what exactly happened here would be appreciated.
Packaging
This might be the most ornate and decorative bottle of whiskey I’ve ever reviewed.
Overall, the bottle reminds me of a perfume bottle or something similar. It’s in the same general vibe and concept as the bottles from Artingstall’s or Coalition, but the aesthetic is little older than those more art deco designs.
The base is wide and round, with walls that flare outward from the base to the shoulder. There’s some scalloping along the top of the shoulder that lead to a long, flowing, luxurious neck. The bottle is topped with a wood and cork stopper, that has a metal coin embedded in the top with the logo of the Olde Raleigh Whiskey Society.
I don’t think my wife will let me get rid of this, actually — for a bottle this pretty, she’s definitely going to find some crazy way to repurpose it.
Along the front of the bottle is a paper label with the usual information — brand, type, batch, bottle number — clearly and legibly printed but with an old world flair. It’s a decidedly Victorian style, and includes a metallic gold slash across the label denoting that this is a Whiskey Society bottle.
One thing I’m going to be cranky about is that the label buries the fact that this is a sourced whiskey. The information is there for those who stop and read the label so I’m not quite as annoyed a I’d usually be, but I’d expect something like this to be a little more forthcoming with the fact that the distillery on the label didn’t distill the spirits in the bottle.
Neat
On first glance, the color looks good — a bit more orange in the bottle and a bit more amber brown in the glass. The aroma coming off that glass is light and delicious, with notes of brown sugar, caramel, cedar, oak, baking spices, and a little hint of green apple.
Taking a sip, the flavors are a bit richer than what I had expected. The first thing I’m getting is some dark chocolate and black pepper, with a hint of cedar that’s keeping things light and lively. The flavors seem balanced and pleasant, which I think is a result of some rich brown sugar and caramel flavors that are present from the start and develop as the profile unfolds. A moment later, it’s joined by some coriander spice, light vanilla, and coffee grounds that all combine to make for a surprisingly rich and delicious flavor profile. On the finish I’m mainly getting the black pepper and coffee flavors with a hint of sweetness.
Looking at the tasting notes provided by Olde Raleigh after I wrote these first impressions (mild cheating, I know), they also indicate that there’s some bell pepper in there. I can see that as well – specifically, some crisp green pepper that works its way through the profile. It’s not a common note and I think goes hand in hand with the coffee grounds, but I can definitely taste it here.
On Ice
Blended spirits tend to have a more difficult time with added ice. There’s a tendency for the flavors to get completely out of whack and typically the more dominant strains will start to overpower the more delicate elements. Thankfully, in this case I think there’s still a good balance here — but there’s definitely a change.
What’s most different is that this spirit tastes sharper than it did before. Taken neat this was almost buttery smooth, but now there’s a bit of a tangy component like the bite of a Coca-Cola. Behind that, the flavors are significantly toned down, with the coffee grounds flavor blending together into more of a dark chocolate vibe with a touch of cherry, coriander spice, and black pepper.
There’s still plenty of depth here to hopefully make for some good and interesting cocktails.
Cocktail (Old Fashioned)
I’m always a fan of a darker, richer old fashioned experience. I feel like that’s the vibe where this cocktail shines, and spirits that have those darker chocolate and coffee elements tend to work well for me. I think in this case, this whiskey does a fantastic job of bringing me exactly the flavor experience I was hoping to see — with a little bit of a twist.
For me, the coffee grounds element is what’s separating this from the pack. That note is more earthy than usual, like a strong cup of coffee in the morning. It’s good on its own, but invites you to add other flavors if you’d like to make it more interesting. I could see this easily going in a lavender floral direction or a cherry orange fruity direction, just depending on what mood you might be in.
For me, as-is, this is a fine sipping cocktail.
Fizz (Mule)
While I think it does a serviceable job as a mule, I do think there’s some texture missing here compared to what I’d like to see ideally.
Up front, the flavors do a great job balancing out. The coffee grounds, dark chocolate, and caramel sweetness all combine forces to balance out the cheerful and bright ginger beer and lime juice, and the result is something that is interesting yet not overpowering.
Where this falls a bit short is in the finish. I like to see something with a little more texture — and typically, the black pepper spice from a high rye content bourbon is what satisfies that requirement for me. In this case, though, the finish was smoother and less interesting; likely as a result of the wheat content being a balancing factor against that rye.
I’d say this is a good tasting cocktail, but honestly I think the old fashioned was a better use of this spirit.
Overall Rating
I do appreciate that while the Olde Raleigh Distillery didn’t actually distill this bottle of spirits, they had the craftsmanship to be able to select and blend these strains of whiskey together to make something delicious. Blending is as challenging of an art as distilling in some ways, and in this case I think they did a great job from sourcing to blending and the end result is a delicious testament to that skill. While I might complain that the fact they didn’t distill this spirit isn’t more prominently disclosed on the label, the hints are there and the blend is good enough that I’m not going to complain that loudly.
What keeps this from moving past the four star mark is the price. I think if this were in the $50 price range, it would be a no-brainer for a five star spirit. The flavors are there, the bottle is beautiful, and the end results are something that is impossible to argue with. But pushing past $80, this is a fairly pricey bottle of booze and there is some stiff competition in that rarified air. Their biggest competition at that price point for blended bourbon is Bardstown Bourbon — and while I’ll put a thumb on the scale for a local small business compared to a massive investment from well financed sources, there’s only so much that will get you.
I’m really looking forward to investigating this distillery more and exploring their product line. They seem to have the fundamentals down, and I can’t wait to see what they are able to distill themselves.
| Olde Raleigh Distillery Whiskey Society Blended Bourbon Whiskey Batch 13 Produced By: Olde Raleigh Distillery Production Location: United StatesClassification: Blended Whiskey Aging: No Age Statement (NAS) Proof: 46.5% ABV Price: $82.95 / 750 ml   |
Overall Rating: 4/5
A rich bourbon filled with caramel, coffee grounds, and black pepper spices that is fantastic in an old fashioned and might be even better looking on the shelf.