Black, sooty whiskey fungus is spreading through bourbon country, pitting homeowners against distilleries

American bourbon is a growing industry, but the resulting spread of warehouses to age all that bourbon has led to another kind of growth: whiskey fungus. The dark, sooty fungus, Baudoinia compniacensis — named after Antonin Baudoin, a French Distillers' Association director who observed a "plague of soot" at Cognac distilleries in the 1870s — feeds off the ethanol vapors, or "angel's share" of whiskey, that escape from aging barrels.

The people who live near the barrelhouses don't love the bourbon-fueled black plague.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.