The article says it got worse in town because JD increased the number of warehouses from two to six. JD says they can't do air filtration systems, but their excuse was bullshit. They don't want to do air filtration systems in their warehouses. Someone in town is suing them, and got them to stop building warehouses for now.
I understand that the increase in warehouses made the problem worse. Stitzel-weller, in Louisville, had one of the worst whisky fungus coverage of any place I have ever seen. It is not even an active distillery but there are a half dozen other distilleries nearby, and lots of rickhouses aging bourbon.
I don't know that it is complete bullshit. The fungus culture is everywhere, it's just thriving where there is a large concentration of alcohol. If one were able to find a practical filtration system for the rickhouses, the pot or column still would still be a contributing factor.
Here is what was said in the article:
As for air filtration technology that has been offered up by some as a solution, it is easy to say but not possible to do. Barrelhouses require ventilation – and are designed to do so naturally – to allow for the movement of whiskey in and out of new charred oak barrels during the aging process.
The rickhouse is already a concentration of ethanol vapor, it's already a big fire hazard. Introducing a filtration system could impede ventilation and cause more severe safety issues.
'Existing independent and government research shows that there is no reasonably available control technology to prevent ethanol emissions without significantly adversely affecting the taste and quality of Jack Daniel’s or any other aged whiskey.'
They aren't trying to make whisky in a sterile vacuum. The aging process in that location gives the aged spirit the trademark character for their JD brand. Just like aging Lagavulin or Caol Ila on the Scottish coast of Islay gives those scotch whiskys a certain recognizable brand character.
Is there some reasonably designed system that lets the characteristic environmental impurities into the aging environment, but can also contain all of the ethanol from escaping in a safe manner?
This covers everything near any distillery. It is one way that cops would sniff out moonshining stills, as well.
I didn't know that. The article says it got worse because JD went from two warehouses to six.
It feeds on the ethanol in the air, so it just overgrows in alcohol rich environment. The scientific name is baudoinia compniacensis.
A lot of rickhouses are painted black so it's not always as noticeable on those structures. But is very noticeable on the trees around distilleries.
The article says it got worse in town because JD increased the number of warehouses from two to six. JD says they can't do air filtration systems, but their excuse was bullshit. They don't want to do air filtration systems in their warehouses. Someone in town is suing them, and got them to stop building warehouses for now.
I understand that the increase in warehouses made the problem worse. Stitzel-weller, in Louisville, had one of the worst whisky fungus coverage of any place I have ever seen. It is not even an active distillery but there are a half dozen other distilleries nearby, and lots of rickhouses aging bourbon.
I don't know that it is complete bullshit. The fungus culture is everywhere, it's just thriving where there is a large concentration of alcohol. If one were able to find a practical filtration system for the rickhouses, the pot or column still would still be a contributing factor.
Here is what was said in the article:
The rickhouse is already a concentration of ethanol vapor, it's already a big fire hazard. Introducing a filtration system could impede ventilation and cause more severe safety issues.
They aren't trying to make whisky in a sterile vacuum. The aging process in that location gives the aged spirit the trademark character for their JD brand. Just like aging Lagavulin or Caol Ila on the Scottish coast of Islay gives those scotch whiskys a certain recognizable brand character.
Is there some reasonably designed system that lets the characteristic environmental impurities into the aging environment, but can also contain all of the ethanol from escaping in a safe manner?