Whiskey is meant to be one of the better things in life, not meant to make life worse. A Tennessee resident has been dealing with “Whiskey Fungus” ever since he bought his property back in 2021.
Patrick Long purchased his home in Lincoln County, Tennessee, in 2021 and was told he would have to pressure wash his house a few times as a way to keep off “Whiskey Fungus.” This type of fungi grows from the alcohol in the air that’s released when whiskey ages.
Pressure washing a few times a year has turned into several times as his property is backed up to two Jack Daniel’s barrelhouses. Black fungus has appeared on his house and roof, coating rocks in his yard, mailboxes and playground equipment.
The fungus became so thick on Long’s trees that he ended up having to cut down several of them to eliminate the problem. “When it’s on your landscaping, you just watch the piece of vegetation die. A long slow death,” Long said. “It does prohibit the plant’s ability to breathe. It essentially strangles it.”
When Long discovered that more barrelhouses were going to be built next to his property, he had officially had enough. Long and his wife sued Jack Daniel’s and the Lincoln County government, claiming that the barrelhouses were allowed to expand without getting property permits.
A chancery court chancellor has since ruled that Jack Daniel’s must temporarily stop construction on its latest barrelhouse, citing that they will only be able to continue if they get proper permitting.
A spokesman for Jack Daniel’s said: “We respect the Chancellor’s ruling and look forward to working with Lincoln County on updated permits. The Jack Daniel’s Distillery will continue to comply with regulations and industry standards regarding the design, construction and permitting of our barrelhouses.”
Jason Holleman, the Long’s attorney, said that both of his clients are now wanting Jack Daniel’s to build air filtration systems in all the wheelhouses to help purify the air and reduce the potential for more black fungus.
Source: https://www.wsmv.com/2023/03/02/black-fungus-covering-houses-trees-blamed-jack-daniels-barrelhouses/