A case in Scotland has thrown up the spectre of a whisky fungus affecting properties near distilleries. A couple claim their home was turned black by a fungus blamed on the “angel’s share” from a nearby whisky producer. Chris Knowles, a field mycologist who sampled whisky fungus found in Clackmannanshire, said: “It coats everything with a black crust, which looks velvety.
“And it’s the most viscous on any surface that the ethanol from the bonded warehouses in the distillery is able to stick to.”
Dr Nigel Craig, an expert in construction at Glasgow Caledonian University, warned that cleaning off whisky fungus could harm buildings.
The Scottish row is mirrored in the United States. Residents in Tennessee have called for Jack Daniel’s to install air filters to provide relief from whisky fungus.
The lawsuit has forced the bourbon makers to pause a building project.
