THE NEW YORK TIMES The ethanolfueled fungus known as whiskey fungus has been circulating in distilleries and bakeries for centuries. And it’s sparked complaints from residents who live near bourbon distilleries, Canadian whiskey producers and Caribbean rum makers. Now the problem is angering the residents of Lincoln County, Tennessee, and the famed distillery jack danielsfounded in 1866 in neighboring Moore County.
For months, some local residents have complained of a dark crust covering homes, cars, road signs, birdhouses, patio furniture, and trees. According to them, the fungus was spreading out of control, fueled by the vapor from the alcohol escaping from the oak casks used to age Jack Daniel’s whiskey.
Jack Daniel’s distillery has built six warehouses known as “barrelhouses” to age whiskey in rural Lincoln County, home to about 35,000 people, and is building a seventh barn on a lot with space for another, a company spokesman said . The distillery asked the county to redefine the zoning of a second lot on which an additional six units could be built.
A distillery representative, Donna Willis, told county officials in November that 14 barrelhouses would generate $1 million annually in property taxes for the county, which approved about $15 million for the county’s fiscal 2022 general spending fund .
But not everyone is happy with the expansion. Christi Long, who owns a 1900s mansion in the area that she rents out for weddings and other events, sued the county in January, arguing that units near the property don’t have permits.
Tree in Lincoln County covered in Jack Daniel’s fungus Photo: Patrick Long / The New York Times
A judge ruled last week that a unit currently under construction has not received the necessary building permits and that the building permit must be revoked until the distillery receives the necessary permits.
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Long’s attorney, Jason Holleman, said he plans to ask the judge to extend the injunction to prevent Jack Daniel’s distillery from using other units near the 4,000squarefoot mansion known as the Manor at ShaeJo.
Long and her husband Patrick Long said the whiskey fungus had already spread through their property, blackening the roof and exterior walls, invading the rock garden and iron gate, and staining the boughs of the magnolia trees. Nearby, the fungus is obscuring street signs, they said.
The Longs said they pressure washer their house with bleach every three months, but the fungus keeps coming back. “If you run your finger over a branch, they end up sticking,” said Patrick Long. “It’s disgusting.”
Christi Long said her Lincoln County mansion “will go black as coal” if Jack Daniels distillery doesn’t install air filters in the units one of which is about 230 feet from her property. “It looks like the fungus took steroids.”
Jack Daniel’s “fungus” covered shed in Lincoln County Photo: Ben Sklar/The New York Times
An attorney representing Lincoln County declined to comment, saying the process is ongoing.
Melvin Keebler, general manager of the Jack Daniel Distillery, said the company “complies with local, state, and federal regulations pertaining to cask house design, construction, and permitting.” “We are committed to protecting the environment and the safety and health of our employees and neighbors.”
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At a district meeting in November, Willis, the company’s general manager for technical services, keg maintenance and distribution, said studies had shown the fungus was not harmful to health and did not cause property damage. “Could it be a nuisance?” Willis said. “Yes, of course. An annoyance that can be remedied by cleaning.”
However, she said Jack Daniel’s would not agree to wash the houses because it could be held liable for any damage. Willis claimed that air filters can alter the taste of Jack Daniel’s whiskey. TRANSLATED BY GUILHERME MORGENSZTERN RUSSO