New York Government Determines WhistlePig Is Responsible for ‘Disgusting’ Whiskey Fungus Outbreak
New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation asserted that WhistlePig is indeed responsible for the first outbreak of whiskey fungus in New York. (AP Photo/John Amis)
On Saturday, the Post-Star reported that New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation determined that WhistlePig is responsible for a recent outbreak of whiskey fungus in a small neighborhood located in Mineville. The DEC acquired samples of the black mold in 2023 from 13 of WhistlePig’s warehouses surrounding the area within a 961-yard radius; they were able to tie it back to the popular rye whiskey brand.
“Based on all the available information, it is concluded that the fungus from the residences is consistent with that collected from the property of WhistlePig,” a statement from the DEC read. “The examination of the control sample shows evidence that the fungus material in the area is observed in greater quantities than what is naturally found in the environment.”
WhistlePig claims it has a plan to address the mold, but environmental group Protect the Adirondacks isn’t satisfied.
“There’s nothing corrective about it at all, it’s a remedial plan, not a corrective plan,” Conservation Director and Counsel for Protect the Adirondacks said in a statement. “It doesn’t require the company to do anything to reduce its emissions of the vapors that form the fungus.”
Protect the Adirondacks additionally wrote a letter to the Adirondack Park Agency, urging the entity to launch an investigation into WhistlePig, as emissions of any sort are strictly prohibited according to WhistlePig’s permit.
News of the outbreak first made headlines in outlets in December, and it marked the first time New York had a case of whiskey fungus, which feeds off ethanol fumes from distilleries.
“It’s absolutely disgusting,” a resident named Susan Wright claimed.
In March, the state launched an investigation with the Environmental Protection Agency, and The State Department of Environmental Conservation reached out to WhistlePig, asking the distillery to come up with a solution to the problem.
Initially, WhistlePig agreed to clean the homes of some residents on a “case-by-case” basis. Those living in the community described the distillery’s solution as “outrageous.”
“People are actually paying an annual fee to clean crap off their houses so they can stay in operation,” Mineville local Gregory Furness informed the outlet. “I don’t understand how that’s legal.”
In June, WhistlePig sent the DEC an action plan, and the distillery claimed it would “power-wash the affected homes within a 960-yard radius once a year,” according to The Post Star.
WhistlePig’s Director of Operations emailed the Adirondack Explorer and claimed it agreed to these terms, yet the brand believed its ethanol emissions would “dilute quickly downwind,” which seemed to imply they wouldn’t be an issue.
Yet the results of the investigation appear to prove otherwise. Should Protect the Adirondacks manage to get the Adirondack Park Agency involved, WhistlePig may face more serious ramifications due to the emissions being a violation of the distillery’s permit.
“DEC has already confirmed that there are off-site emissions, that this has caused black fungus,” Amato expressed. “We’re basically saying, ‘Do your job.’ That’s what it boils down to. Do your job.”
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