Abstract
PurposeThe spirits industry is a major economic contributor worldwide, often requiring years of maturation in barrels that is associated with significant release of ethanol into the surrounding environment. This provides carbon nutrition for colonisation of black fungal growths, one type being Baudoinia compniacensis, or Whisky Black. Although growth is localised in production areas, numerous sites exist globally, and this paper's purpose is to investigate the extent and implications of colonisation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents and discusses the results of a visual survey of the area surrounding a site where whisky is maturing in nearby bonded warehouses. The evaluation considers radial zoning distance from the ethanol source and material substrate types and surface textures. Classical key stages of Building Pathology, namely manifestation, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy, are considered.FindingsKey findings are that the colonisation of the fungus is non-uniform and dependent on the substrate building material. Additionally, rougher-textured building materials displayed heavier levels of fungal manifestation than smooth materials. Aspects such as distance, wind direction and moisture are considered relative to the extent and level of fungal growth.Originality/valueThis investigation provides the first assessment of the extent and nature of the fungal growth in properties built in surrounding areas to bonded warehouses. Such information can facilitate open dialogue between stakeholders that recognise the aspirations of values of corporate social responsibility, whilst balancing the economic importance of distilling with recognition of the fungus's impact on property values and appropriate recurring remedial treatments.
Highlights
The Distilling Industry The whisky1 industry is key to the Scottish economy, contributing £4.37 billion pounds in 2017, providing around thirty-five thousand jobs (O’Connor, 2018), and being of higher export value in 2018 than oil and gas (Scottish Government, 2020)
‘Whisky Black’ on buildings in West Central Scotland Drawing on a Building Pathology framework for “the systematic investigation and assessment of building defects” (CIB 1993), here we investigate the growth of Whisky Black in West Central Scotland
The results show the extent of the manifestation of the fungus is considerably affected by different types of construction material, and it was found that rough textured materials are prone to greater levels of heavy-medium growth of B. compniacensis than smooth textured materials at the same distance and environmental conditions
Summary
The Distilling Industry The whisky industry is key to the Scottish economy, contributing £4.37 billion pounds in 2017, providing around thirty-five thousand jobs (O’Connor, 2018), and being of higher export value in 2018 than oil and gas (Scottish Government, 2020). The industry’s espoused image is one of adhering to traditional historically preserved processes and practices followed in distilleries in picturesque rural surroundings. The whisky is matured in oak barrels in bonded warehouses, and some of the spirit evaporates through the apertures of the wooden barrels (Mosquin, 2011). Twenty-two million casks of whisky can be found in maturing warehouses throughout Scotland (Scotch Whisky Association, 2020). A significant amount of ethanol is released into the air each year throughout the country, and it is this ethanol that is key as it feeds the Whisky Black fungus found on buildings and substrates on numerous sites across Scotland in close proximity to bonded warehouses
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