Angry Tennessee residents have been hit with black ‘whisky fungus’ after Jack Daniel’s failed to halt emissions from its cask houses.
The mold is fueled by ethanol vapor released into the air, resulting in nearby properties, street signs, and vehicles being routinely blanketed in the sooty smog.
visited the scene and found the fungus has wreaked havoc in the small town of Lynchburg, which lies in the shadow of the liquor giant’s legendary distillery.
Many are also wondering if the fungus is affecting their health and destroying air quality in the area, prompting a defiant local to wage a legal war to stop the growing mold.
Dubbed the “whisky fungus,” the mold has plagued the small Tennessee community since emissions first emerged from Jack Daniel’s facilities in 2018, before increasing in recent years as the company expanded its cask house operations.
Whiskey fungus has swept through a small community in Tennessee, causing widespread damage while raising concerns about its potential health risks
One resident said he paid about $10,000 to wash the fungus off his home
Sooty smog has left Tennessee residents furious after their outdoor areas were covered
A nearby wooded area has been covered with growth for years, and residents have expressed concern about the damage it may have caused to local wildlife
The fungus has spread a mile from each of the barrel houses in Lincoln and Moore counties due to its ability to attach to outdoor surfaces after exposure to ethanol vapor.
And angry locals are now demanding that the company be held responsible for the damage in their city, which has become so widespread that officials have stopped cleaning street signs and simply replaced them when they became illegible.
Patrick Long, who lived across the street from the Barrel homes with his wife, won a lawsuit Wednesday that forced Jack Daniel’s to halt and cease building new Barrel homes in Lincoln County.
But while he said it was a win, he told the ruling was “actually more of a delaying tactic” of 60 to 90 days while the community struggles to stop the rot.
He added that the Lynchburg community is dominated by the Jack Daniel’s distillery as he believes its presence across the region and its history as a city employer could influence support for holding the company accountable pull.
As the fungus continues to ravage the city, home values have plummeted as the community fears for their health.
“It’s in the air. And you really, probably don’t want to inhale that. But nobody’s done a test to determine if it’s actually toxic,” Long told Insider.
“I am very worried. My wife has breathing problems. One of the neighbors has cancer.”
Local resident Becky Carroll is among those who have tried to alert authorities to the problem when she said at a public hearing in 2018 that she believed the mold had caused serious health problems for her and her family, including the development of cancer.
“I think there are concerns about our quality of life,” she said, according to Moore County News.
“I’m a strong, healthy person and this shouldn’t have happened. I can’t prove it’s from this ethanol, but someone has to prove it’s not.”
The community is asking for air filtration systems, costing around $300,000, to be installed in the keg houses to prevent the ethanol emissions from escaping, a problem that has plagued the immediate area for years.
An environmental impact study is also being sought, as local residents continue to be left in the dark about the health risks of the fungus.
Christi Long (left) and her husband Patrick (right) have filed a legal suit against the liquor giant after the fungus invaded their community in Lynchburg, Tennessee
The mold has been attributed to the cask houses at Jack Daniel’s Tennessee distillery, which has over 100,000 casks
Residents are fighting back to stop the spread of the mold that has covered miles of exterior surfaces
Black mold has spiraled under control of late, a problem some attribute to the expansion of Jack Daniel’s cask facilities
Dead cows have been sighted in the area affected by the fungus. Whether the mold is the reason is not known
The fungus, which attaches itself to any outdoor surface, has devastated local wildlife and blanketed homes and street signs
Locals have raised concerns about unknown health risks and poor air quality as a result of the fungus
Surrounding buildings and grounds are now covered in a dingy black soot
Homeowners have been forced to pay for frequent jet washing of their properties because of the fungus
Exterior surfaces are blanketed in smog clinging to vehicles throughout the Lynchburg area
The mold thrives on ethanol vapors released from whiskey casks
While the problem has plagued the area for years, a recent expansion of the barrel houses has led locals to claim it has gotten worse
Long added that he had to spend about $10,000 to continuously power wash his house, since only a potent cocktail of water and Clorox is capable of scrubbing off the mold.
“If you have decent nails on you and you run them on a tree or any property within a quarter mile to a half mile of those barrel houses your whole finger is going to be covered in black fungus,” he said.
“You can’t see the branches anymore. We now have to clean our house four times a year with a high-pressure cleaner.’
While the problem reportedly surfaced in 2018, Long said the fungus wasn’t as prevalent when he bought his Lynchburg home in 2020 because the whiskey company only used two cask houses.
But form has gotten out of control since the number of facilities increased to six, with the company planning to expand its cask house operations to 20 in the coming years.
His wife Christi added that she and her husband filed their lawsuit because they believed Jack Daniel’s had “illegally” expanded the number of cask houses and said they intend to halt the proposed construction permanently.
“Here we are as District 6, spending our own personal dollars to stop a major corporation that is holding Lincoln County accountable,” she told WHNT.
Claims that the units were built illegally, as alleged in Long’s lawsuit, were dismissed by Jack Daniel’s, who said their facilities all comply with the code.
“All of our warehouses are appropriately approved,” said Melvin Keebler, vice president of Jack Daniel’s Distillery, during the controversial 2018 public hearing.
He told Caroll that she had her “sympathy and empathy” but defended the industry giant’s operations and insisted the company comply with all relevant regulations.
Named Baudoinia compniacensis, the fungus was first discovered in 2007 and can grow after alcohol has evaporated through the pores of whiskey casks.
Ethanol leakage is a process known as “Angels Share” in whiskey making.
In response to the claims, Jack Daniels told : “During the site and construction process, we worked closely with Lincoln County and provided all information that was requested of us by local officials and we complied with regulatory requirements, strict industry guidelines, and strict internal standards that we follow when building camps.
“Anyone who has visited the Jack Daniel Distillery or any other distillery with aging spirits has probably noticed the presence of microflora.
“Microflora grow on trees, buildings and other structures around distilleries and warehouses. Ethanol released from casks during maturation, also called “fishing fraction”, is just one of the many food sources for microflora.
“More common in warm and humid environments, it also occurs in and around non-distilling areas such as B. food processing companies and bakeries and dams next to bodies of water.
“Although we are used to microflora, we know that some may not like their appearance and the inconvenience it brings. Based on the information available, we believe it is not harmful to people or their property.
“As for the air filter technology that has been offered as a solution by some, it’s easy to say but not possible. Barrelhouses need to be aerated – and are designed to do so naturally – to allow the whiskey to move in and out of new charred oak casks during the aging process.
“Existing independent and government research indicates that there is no reasonably available control technology to prevent ethanol emissions without significantly affecting the flavor and quality of Jack Daniel’s or other aged whiskeys.”
The fungus, named Baudoinia compniacensis, was first discovered in 2007
The problem has become such a burden for local authorities that they have stopped cleaning street signs, replacing them instead when they become unreadable
The forests in the area are filled with blackened trees due to untamed growth
The community is asking for air filtration systems, which cost around $300,000, to be installed in the keg houses to prevent the ethanol emissions from escaping
Locals have pointed the finger at alcohol giant Jack Daniel’s as the reason for the black mold
Lynchburg, Tennessee is dominated by the Jack Daniel’s distillery, and its iconic presence can be felt throughout the community