BLACK AINT BEAUTIFUL ..... WHISKEY FUNGUS THAT IS

Whiskey fungus infests town — Jack Daniel’s plants targeted in lawsuit 

 

By Erin Keller

 

New York Post 

March 6, 2023

 

A whiskey fungus is causing problems in Lincoln County, Tennessee. 

 

Tennessee residents who live close to Jack Daniels distilleries are trying to stop the company from building more facilities as a whiskey fungus overtakes surrounding towns.

The fungus, Baudoinia compniacensis, grows on liquor that evaporates during the aging process, also known as “the angels’ share.”

It appears to stick to just about anything, including houses, cars, road signs, trees and patio furniture.

The centuries-old black, sticky substance is nothing new for those who live around bourbon, rum and whiskey makers.

But Jack Daniel’s, owned by Brown-Forman, now has six warehouses — called barrelhouses — in Tennessee’s Lincoln County and wants to build more than a dozen in the future. 

 A stop sign near a Jim Beam production and bottling facility in Frankfort, Kentucky, is covered in the fungus, named Baudoinia compniacensis, in a 2014 photo.

 

A Tennessee woman sued her local zoning office in January, trying to prevent the building of 14 more distilleries unless ventilation systems are installed, as she claimed the hard-to-remove fungus has harmed her nearby property, which includes a party and wedding venue.

On March 1, the court ordered Jack Daniel’s to temporality halt construction.

Residents of Kentucky and even Ontario, Canada, have dealt with similar fungi that they worry pose harmful health and environmental risks. 

 The fungus grows on alcohol vapor that comes off of aging barrels.

A spokesperson for Jack Daniel’s issued a lengthy statement to The Post, which read:

“During the siting and building process, we worked closely with Lincoln County and provided all information asked of us by local officials, as well as adhered to regulatory requirements, strict industry guidelines, and rigorous internal standards that we follow in building warehouses.

“Anyone who has visited the Jack Daniel Distillery or any other distillery with maturing spirits has likely noticed the presence of microflora.

“Microflora grows on trees, buildings, and other structures around distilleries and warehouses.

“Ethanol released from barrels during maturation, also called “the angels’ share,” is just one of microflora’s many food sources.

“More common in warm and humid environments, it is also found in and around areas unrelated to distilling, such as food processing companies and bakeries, and dams adjacent to bodies of water,” the company continued.

“While we are accustomed to microflora, we appreciate that some may not like how it looks and the inconvenience it may present.

“Based on the information available, we believe it is not harmful to individuals or their property.

 

Whiskey fungus grows on a sign in Lawrenceburg near the Wild Turkey distillery and bourbon warehouses.

 

The statement from Jack Daniel’s also addressed the viability of tweaking ventilation.

“As for air filtration technology that has been offered up by some as a solution, it is easy to say but not possible to do.

“Barrelhouses require ventilation – and are designed to do so naturally – to allow for the movement of whiskey in and out of new charred oak barrels during the aging process.

“Existing independent and government research shows that there is no reasonably available control technology to prevent ethanol emissions without significantly adversely affecting the taste and quality of Jack Daniel’s or any other aged whiskey,” the statement concluded.

ADDENDUM: Additional pictures from the Daily Mail

 

Whiskey fungus has blanketed a small Tennessee community, causing huge damage while raising fears over its potential health risks

One resident said he has had to pay roughly $10,000 to power wash the fungus off his home

The sooty smog has enraged Tennessee residents after their outdoor spaces became covered

A nearby woodland has been coated in the growth for years, and residents have expressed concern over the damage it may have caused to local wildlife

The smog has caught the ire of Lynchburg residents since it emerged five years ago

The mold has been blamed upon the barrel houses on the Jack Daniel's Tennessee distillery, which has over 100,000 barrels 

Residents are fighting back to stop the spread of the mold, which has blanketed outdoor surfaces for miles

The black mold has spiraled out on control in recent times, an issue some are blaming on the Jack Daniel's company's expansion of its barrel facilities

Dead animals were spotted in the area that has been overrun by the fungus. It is not known if the mold is the reason

Latching onto any outdoor surface, the fungus has devastated local wildlife and covered homes and street signs

Locals have raised concerns about unknown health risks and poor air quality as a result of the fungus

Buildings and outdoor spaces in the area are now covered in a dingy black soot

Homeowners have been forced to pay to have their properties frequently jet washed due to the fungus

Outdoor surfaces are blanketed by the smog, which clings to vehicles throughout the Lynchburg area

The mold thrives on ethanol vapors that are released from whiskey barrels

While the issue has been plaguing the surrounding area for years, a recent expansion of barrel houses has led locals to claim it has worsened 

The whisky barrel houses have been pointed out as the reason for the fungus. Pictured is the original barrel houses on the Jack Daniels property in Lynchburg, Tennessee

Named Baudoinia Compniacensis, the fungus was first discovered in 2007 

The issue has become such a burden on local authorities that they have stopped cleaning street signs, and instead replace them when they are no longer readable 

Forests in the area are filled with blackened trees due to the untamed growth

The community is demanding air filtration systems, which cost around $300,000, be installed in the barrel houses to stop the ethanol emissions from escaping