Last Update: March 03, 2023, 11:12 AM IST
General view of bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey at Sip, Simmer & Saver. (AFP)
Ethanol vapor escaping from whiskey barrels is feeding a fungus that has moved into a town near some of its Tennessee factories
American whiskey brand Jack Daniels is facing an alcohol problem: its whiskey stored in warehouses for aging has become a sore spot for locals in Tennessee in the US.
Ethanol vapor escaping from whiskey barrels is feeding a fungus that has moved into a town near some of its Tennessee factories.
According to a report in The Guardian, the whiskey brand’s warehouses are prone to the development of “whiskey fungus,” a stubborn mold covering the areas around the distillery.
A strain of black whiskey fungus is feeding on alcohol gases, coating houses, cars, patio furniture and even street signs in Lincoln County, Tennessee.
Black to brownish black encrustations have been observed in the city due to alcohol vapors from old whiskey barrels.
Even as the whiskey brand intends to build seven new warehouses for aged whiskey in its rural county, a local woman has filed a lawsuit against the company over fungus growing in the barrel house.
Christy Long, the owner of an event venue next to the warehouses, sued the local zoning office, saying that the fungus had grown out of control and was hurting her business.
He called for an air ventilation system to prevent ethanol vapor from leaking out of the Jack Daniel’s plant.
A local court has blocked the construction of a new barrel warehouse for the world’s best-selling brand of American whisky.
Jack Daniels is planning to build 14 more warehouses on the site – a sign of rapid growth for the brand, according to reports.
The report states that the fungus, Baudouinia companiensis, is a familiar pest near barrelhouses and depends on wooden casks.
A small amount of alcohol, about 2 percent, evaporates through barrels each year as the drink matures and sends vapors into the air that encourage fungus.
In a similar lawsuit in the UK, a couple in Bonnybridge sued drinks giant Diageo for £40,000 in 2019.
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