Jack Daniel’s distillery expansion stopped after local business owner complains of 'whisky fungus'

The expansion of a distillery in Tennessee has been halted after a local business owner complained that mould was growing over her property as a result of the “angels share” vapour produced by the whiskey making process.

A court ordered that construction on the site, where there are already six warehouses storing Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, after Christi Long sued her local authority, saying the fungus – caused by the “angel’s share” evaporation - was damaging her property.

The "angel's share" is the term given to the loss of whisky volume, into the wooden cask and through evaporation, as the spirit matures. Up to two per cent can enter the atmosphere a year.

Ms Long claimed her property in Lincoln County, from which she runs an events business, was coated in the fungus, which appears as a black crust on surfaces and said she had had to spend thousands of dollars on power washing.

The local business owner claims that damage has been caused to her property by evaporation from bottles of whisky made by the Jack Daniels brand.

A Scottish Government review of the available evidence on “general human health and environmental impacts” of the emissions and the specific contribution from malt whisky maturation was launched in August last year and is due to be concluded later this month.

Lincoln County Chancellor JB Cox issued an order saying that Ms Long had proven that her property “has been injured by the inactions and recent actions of Lincoln County since 2021 in how it has chosen to enforce its Zoning Ordinance.”

Jack Daniels is owned by Louisville-based Brown-Forman. According to published reports, the company is planning to build 14 more warehouses on the site.

Mr Cox said that the court “has little choice but to issue a writ compelling Lincoln County, through its office of Zoning and Planning to rescind the building permit for the remaining structure under construction.” He also said the county must issue a stop work order until an amended site plan is submitted.

Mrs Long’s lawyer, Jason Holleman, said whisky companies often speak about the evaporation process, 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 said.

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

He said he expected he and Ms Long would take action to request that the existing six warehouses stop being used.

Experts say ethanol vapour in relatively high humidity strongly stimulates the germination and growth of a fungus – baudoinia compniacensis – known as the “warehouse staining fungus”.

Brown-Forman spokeswoman Elizabeth Conway told the local 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."