It's been there forever, but now they have someone to blame.
Black fungus has long decorated the homes and buildings in Kentucky and now researchers are saying the "sooty-looking black gunk" called Baudoinia thrives on ethanol, which can evaporate during fermentation, making it the fault of the area's pride and joy — its whiskey distilleries — The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Now that the cause of their discomfort has been identified, a group of Louisville residents filed a class-action lawsuit against several distillers in the area, claiming the black fungus has taken over their homes and cars.
"The group claims that the whiskey fungus clung to metal, vinyl, concrete and wood and has marred their property and lowered its value," 14News reported in June, the time the suit was initially filed.
The distilleries named in the suit are Brown-Forman — responsible for Jack Daniels — Diageo, Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace, and Jim Beam, The Huffington Post reported Friday.
Brown-Forman, Diageo, and Heaven Hill issued a joint statement saying they are "sympathetic to the concerns of the plaintiffs" but the fungus is a naturally occurring phenomenon and the companies "do not believe that they have caused any harm" to the people who filed the suit, the Times reported.
Buffalo Trace and Jim Bean chose not to comment.
The plaintiffs' Louisville, Ky.-based lawyer plans to file a similar lawsuit in Scotland in September.
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