--- title: A woman is suing Jack Daniel’s over whiskey fungus - The Hustle description: A black fungus coats everything near distilleries. A woman who runs a wedding venue near a Jack Daniel’s operation has had enough. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/996124604-png-2.webp --- # A woman is suing Jack Daniel’s over whiskey fungus ![Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) [Juliet Bennett Rylah Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/JBRylah) Published: March 03, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 If you’re watching “The Last of Us,” whisky fungus sounds like something Joel and Ellie should avoid, but it’s a reality for anyone living near a distillery. ![A woman is suing Jack Daniel’s over whiskey fungus](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/996124604-png-2.webp?width=595&height=400&name=996124604-png-2.webp) Jack Daniel’s says 14 barrelhouses in Moore County, Tennessee — where it currently has six — would generate $1m in annual property tax revenue, [per](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/us/whiskey-fungus-jack-daniels-tennessee.html) *The New York Times*. Residents there and in neighboring Lincoln County claim the operation is coating everything in fungus. #### **What is it?** *Baudoinia compniacensis*, a black fungus AKA whiskey or rum fungus. Mycologist James Scott, PhD, [found](https://www.wired.com/2011/05/ff-angelsshare/) that the fungus feeds on ethanol, which evaporates and spreads from wooden casks as alcohol ages. #### **What’s the problem?** It covers *everything* and always returns. Christi Long, who owns a nearby event venue, spends ~$10k on power-washing annually. She’s suing the county’s zoning office, Jack Daniel’s parent company, alleging that its barrelhouses lack proper permits. A judge found that was true of a new barrelhouse and ordered construction to cease, but Long’s lawyer wants Jack Daniel’s to stop using *all *nearby barrelhouses. Also, while no link has been established between the fungus and bad health, residents [want](https://www.insider.com/jack-daniels-fueling-back-whiskey-fungus-in-tennessee-community-residents-2023-2?inline-endstory-related-recommendations=) an air filtration system and environmental impact report. FWIW, a similar lawsuit was dismissed in Kentucky and another is pending in Canada. #### **What’s JD say?** Jack Daniel’s doesn’t want to install air filters because it could interfere with its whiskey’s taste, and seems to think power-washing everything every few months is fine — but JD won’t do it, lest it be held liable for any damage to homes or buildings. Scott told the *NYT* that the fungus will continue to wreck patio furniture, trees and siding until the alcohol supply is turned off. 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