Jack Daniels Blamed For Black ‘Whiskey Fungus’ Taking Over A Tennessee Community

As reported by the New York Times, a fungus in southern Tennessee is spreading aggressively and the residents are fed up. The mighty, heat-resistant fungus is growing across trees, homes, cars, and pretty much anything and everything outside. It’s not quite a “The Last Of Us” situation, but we can point the finger at Jack Daniels. Yeah, the whiskey. Seems sketch.

If you’ve been living under a rock, the hit HBO Max series, “The Last Of Us,” is one of the most popular shows in the world right now and is an adaptation of the beloved post-apocalyptic video game series by Naughty Dog. While in the game/show itself the peril is an icky mind-controlling fungus that turns people into monster zombies — that hasn’t quite happened in Tennessee (yet). However, area locals are saddled with a hard to control fungus that survives and thrives off of ethanol fumes, like the ones released during the whiskey aging process. What are the chances?

In areas near and surrounding the Jack Daniels barrelhouses, many have reported a “sooty, dark crust” taking over everything. The whiskey brand professed that the “whiskey fungus” is bothersome no doubt, but claims it poses no health threats to any human or animal and that it can be “easily” removed with a little elbow grease.

Citizens have even asked Jack Daniels to add air filters into the barrelhouses to aid in control of the release of the ethanol fumes. They declined, obviously, stating it would ruin the flavor of its popular whiskey. Thanks for the help, Jack.

Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like it will mentally or physically alter humans or lead to a zombie apocalypse. Still this is not much relief for the folks fighting against the fungus in Lincoln County, Tennessee — especially as Jack Daniels leaves them on read.