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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Whiskey fungus lawsuit forces Jack Daniels to halt building project
2023-03-03
[BBC] A Jack Daniels building project is to be halted after a neighbour argued she was facing a plague of whiskey fungus caused by escaping alcohol vapours.

Christi Long, of Lincoln County, Tennessee, claimed her property was coated in the fungus, which appears as a black crust on surfaces.

It is a growing issue for people in the area, her lawyer told BBC News.

The fungus, which consumes ethanol fumes, grows on surfaces near bakeries and distilleries around the world.

Mrs Long, who runs an events venue next to several Jack Daniels warehouses, including one under construction, says the invading fungus has required her to spend thousands on power washing.

She is suing the local county zoning office, arguing it did not properly approve permits for the warehouses.

Some infuriated locals are now calling for Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, which is owned by Louisville-based company Brown-Forman, to install air filters to combat the problem.

Jason Holleman, a lawyer representing Mrs Long, says whiskey companies often speak about the evaporation process - dubbed "the angels' share" - without mentioning the resulting mould that comes with it.

"If you go on one of these distillery tours they will tell you about the angels' share that goes into the atmosphere," he says.

"And unfortunately that also results in the devil's fungus."

In a court order, Lincoln County Chancellor J.B. Cox instructed Lincoln County zoning officials to order construction to be halted after he ruled that the permitting process was never fully completed.

Mr Holleman said he anticipates asking the court to order Brown-Forman to stop using six recently-built warehouses, which are commonly known as barrelhouses, that are also near Mrs Long's property.

Brown-Forman spokeswoman Elizabeth Conway told the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper: "We respect the chancellor's ruling and look forward to working with Lincoln County on updated permits.

"The Jack Daniel Distillery will continue to comply with regulations and industry standards regarding the design, construction, and permitting of our barrelhouses in Lincoln Co."

Brown-Forman did not respond to a BBC News request for further comment.

Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey was founded in Moore County, which neighbours Lincoln County, in 1866.

The fungus - named Baudoinia compniacensis - is named after the director of the French Distillers' Association that discovered it growing near cognac distilleries in the 1870s.

It has led to complaints and lawsuits from Scotland to Canada and the Caribbean.

Federal agents in Tennessee used to look for the fungus as a sign that illegal alcohol - moonshine - was being made nearby, Mr Holleman says.

The whiskey industry in Tennessee is growing, along with residential development, leading to more conflicts between distillers and homeowners.

According to the Herald-Leader, residents in at least three other counties have fought distillery expansions, arguing that the fungus would harm property values.
Related:
Jack Daniels: 2013-09-29 Weatherman "happy to go extinct"
Jack Daniels: 2012-04-12 Marines fight to protect crosses at Camp Pendleton as atheist groups seek removal
Jack Daniels: 2009-03-02 Homesick engineer leapt from hotel balcony to his death after argument with wife
Posted by:Skidmark

#10  So her livelihood is derived from the company that she is suing to stop. Maybe they can just pay her power washer bill.
Posted by: Super Hose   2023-03-03 13:50  

#9  The Devil's cut is devilishly good.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2023-03-03 13:09  

#8  It's a natural organism, right? Mrs. Long hopes to starve it to death? Just because it's the wrong color?
Posted by: Bobby   2023-03-03 08:56  

#7  Baudoinia compniacensis is a thing. I live near a Seagram Distillery and that stuff is everywhere. houses near Seagrams are covered in black.
Posted by: Bill Greans6336   2023-03-03 08:40  

#6  /\ Meanwhile, a scientific review in 2020 determined that radiofrequency energy, a type of radiation that includes microwaves, was the most likely cause of the injuries.

Experimental DARPA Anti-monitoring frequency emissions tumbler.
Posted by: Besoeker   2023-03-03 07:26  

#5  A system that selects for neurotic people.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2023-03-03 07:16  

#4  Havana syndrome explained: If it's not energy weapons or foreign adversaries... what could be causing 'phantom' symptoms?
Posted by: Oscar Elmeang2384   2023-03-03 07:15  

#3  /\ Havana syndrome news appears to have slipped quietly away as well. Except in the last few days.....

Lawyer: ‘Havana syndrome’ patients feel ‘betrayed’
Posted by: Besoeker   2023-03-03 07:07  

#2  Notice since COVID came along, we hear almost nothing about Lyme disease or Morgellon's syndrome? Or sensitivity to electromagnetic fields, for that matter.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2023-03-03 07:04  

#1  ...With God as my witness, I have no idea what to say next.

Mike
Posted by: MikeKozlowski   2023-03-03 06:59  

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