Tennessee's Finest Devil's Fungus?

[mawnansmiff]

I have to say I thought this was an early April fool story until I read further. I've never heard of this 'whiskey fungus' (and neither has the OED) but apparently it's commonplace close to distilleries all over the world.

Of course some lovers of Kentucky whiskey might have their own thoughts on the Jack Daniels devil's fungus .

Whiskey fungus lawsuit forces Jack Daniels to halt building project

A Tennessee woman says that whiskey fungus from a warehouse is wreaking havoc on her property.

www.bbc.co.uk

Regards,

Jay.

 

[bullet08]

Didn't know that.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I've been on several distillery tours, and you can definitely smell the alcohol for miles around one.
We had a company that wanted to put a distillery just down the road from my house. I am glad now that our town rejected it.

 

[mingc]

So the streams of alcohol and the lake of whiskey in the Big Rock Candy Mountains are covered with black mold? Say it ain't so!

 

[fMf Piper]

Didn't know anything about this until I moved to Kentucky. There are numerous distilleries in our area, with the closest being about 30 miles from our farm. We're far enough away that we don't get any of the fungus issues, however, as @cosmicfolklore said, when your near one of the distilleries, you can smell the bourbon being distilled.

Our local feed mill sells corn to the distilleries, and then collects and sells the dried distiller's grains from them as a high portien feed supplement. Let me just say, they smell amazing!

 

[bullet08]

I'm pretty sure, at least, smells better than papermill.

 

[fMf Piper]

I'm pretty sure, at least, smells better than papermill.

Definitely smells better than a pulp mill for sure!

 

[OzPiper]

Cellar mould is ubiquitous in moist/damp cellars (both wine and spirit) often results in blackened walls and ceilings (commonplace in cognac)
Unless the cellarmaster is meticulous, the mould will also grow on and cover the outside of barrels

 

[Streeper541]

I'm pretty sure, at least, smells better than papermill.

I've been around sewage treatment plants that smelled better than papermills!

 

[Briar Tuck]

Damn, even fungus loves whiskey.

 

[ThermionicScott]

I've heard of particular molds living in barrelhouses and large wine cellars, but I had no idea it happened so far outside of those buildings!

 

[ADKPiper]

Is that the stuff that has a natural form of LSD? Back on the distant past people attached all sorts spiritual explanations to the fact that they were meeting God face to face after ingesting. Turns out they were tripping balls.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I don’t blame the woman for trying. Her livelihood is at stake.

I wonder how long before the distilleries start using “It’s plume! It’s bloom!” in their marketing.

 

[gubbyduffer]

News from here in Scotland in 2014. There were other cases against other whisky producers with large bonded warehouse facilities in Scotlands central belt. Another was against Diageo.
Scottish townspeople take on drinks giant over black whisky fungus - https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/scottish-townspeople-take-on-drinks-giant-over-black-whisky-fungus-blighting-their-homes-9387440.html

 

[canucklehead]

Is that the stuff that has a natural form of LSD? Back on the distant past people attached all sorts spiritual explanations to the fact that they were meeting God face to face after ingesting. Turns out they were tripping balls.

That's ergot on rye, it caused sickness and is a powerful vasoconstrictor, the only hallucinations usually experienced by effected individuals were that their hands and feet were on fire, as they lost circulation.

 

[OSOBUCO]

As a chemist who has done dozens of distillations, some under vacuum, I believe This is totally preventable without compromising quality of the distillate with proper columns/traps/scrubbers between product and outlet. Of course that costs $. Now the Angels portion comes from barrel evaporation too and that is harder to control.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Definitely smells better than a pulp mill for sure!

Reminds me of where we used to cross the border into Canada in fishing trips - and now I can smell it just thinking about it - thanks a lot!

 

[fMf Piper]

Reminds me of where we used to cross the border into Canada in fishing trips - and now I can smell it just thinking about it - thanks a lot!

That's the thing about some smells. Whether it's a good one or a terrible one, there some that you just can't ever forget.

 

[ADKPiper]

That's ergot on rye, it caused sickness and is a powerful vasoconstrictor, the only hallucinations usually experienced by effected individuals were that their hands and feet were on fire, as they lost circulation.

Well as a reformed drunk I can attest to conversations with people who weren't there. I may have lit my feet on fire as well.

 

[kcghost]

I think we all know that breweries create awesome/awful smells for miles around.