Residents concerned about whiskey fungus

The distillery has been in business for 10 years. The Woods family who owns it say they need more storage space for barrels to age in order to grow the businesses. They also plan to expand the facility where they make the whiskey and have their tasting room.

Planning Board members are examining whether the presence of whiskey fungus will violate a section of the town’s code that refers to “dust, dirt, fly ash, fumes, vapors and gases which could endanger human health, animals, vegetation, or property, or which could soil or stain persons or property.” Those emissions are prohibited beyond the lot line of a commercial or industrial establishment creating them.

The new website www.fungusfreeyork.com, whose creator could not be identified, advertised on signs found around town acknowledges that there is little information on the actual health effects of the whiskey fungus. The site also directs people to the emails of town officials who can be contacted with concerns about the whiskey fungus, including the code enforcement officer and Town Manager Peter Joseph.

“Despite what a quick Google search may suggest, no extensive research has

The distillery has not gone without support. Some have posted messages on social media that praise the Woods family as a local family looking to grow their legitimate business.

“Please support Wiggly Bridge,” wrote Jude Augusta in a Google Document he shared titled “Fungus facts?” He praised the Woods family for their time working in the town and argued “this family would never harm the town they live in and cherish.”

Augusta said he consulted experts who distill whiskey in the south and included a diagram that showed the average barrel house at a major distiller compared to a typical Kentucky/Tennessee barrel house. It compared that facility, estimated from 20,000-45,000 square feet, with the Wiggly Bridge barrel house which is approximately 2,800 square feet.

David Woods, who co-owns the distillery with his son David Woods, Jr., said he appreciates the support. However, the distillery has decided not to engage with opponents of the project online.

“We chose to keep our powder dry and approach this thing in a very straightforward manner,” Woods said. “I want this heard in a public forum, not on the internet. That is not where things are decided.”