Wiggly Bridge Distillery returns with new expansion plans amid whiskey fungus concerns

YORK, Maine — Wiggly Bridge Distillery returned to the town’s Planning Board with a proposed expansion, this time promising not to store aging whiskey barrels in any new structure.

The family-owned distillery on Route 1 has grown in the last decade to become an award-winning spirit maker. Father and son owners David Woods and David Woods II say they need more space to keep growing.

Concerns about a black fungus that grows near distilleries halted their attempt to build a new barrel house last year. The Planning Board rejected their application after residents said they did not want more of the "whiskey fungus," or Baudoinia, to grow on the buildings in their neighborhood.

The Woods family is now making a new attempt at getting approval for their expansion — a new storage facility next to their existing barrel house and an expansion to the distillery to make room for a new kitchen for their tasting room. Their application went before the Planning Board on June 27 and states the distillery will not use the new space to store any aging spirits unless they get future approval from the town.

Residents who spoke during public comment said they were suspicious the distillery would not eventually return to the Planning Board to request the addition be used for storing aging barrels down the line. The Woods family said their application speaks for itself and that their expansion for storage alone is necessary.

"We're not asking for additional whiskey barrel storage," said Amanda Woods, who is married to David Woods II. "I don't see how this application can be denied."

Wiggly Bridge pitches expansion for storage, kitchen

The Woods family has been trying to get an expansion approved since 2022, when they first applied to construct a new barrel house for aging whiskey barrels. The father-and-son team started at York Beach and have since moved into a historic barn where they make whiskey, rum and other spirits and serve customers in their tasting room.

Residents mounted a campaign against the project when it first went before the Planning Board, alleging the expansion would result in the spread of whiskey fungus, which has been known to coat buildings and vehicles in communities near large distilleries. The Woods family said their distillery would never reach the size of the large companies in Kentucky.

Residents argued the fungus could impact their home values as well, though. They pointed to a study commissioned by the town conducted through the University of Maine that concluded Wiggly Bridge Distillery was the likely source of Baudoinia found in town.

The Woods family disputed the study, but the Planning Board rejected their proposal last October by a vote of 4-1. Chair Wayne Boardman said they may not be able to prove the distillery is the source of the fungus but that "there still may be a strong enough likelihood, that we’re reluctant to approve it.”

Last week, the Planning Board began the new approval process for the application and continued it to rule on the project following a site walk. The addition to the distillery building would be 1,685 square feet. The new storage building would be 2,736 square feet to accommodate the storage of items like bottles and grain.

Attorney Matt Altieri, representing Wiggly Bridge, told the Planning Board that deliberations could not include consideration of ethanol emissions since the amendment proposed did not include the aging of any alcohol in barrels. That did not stop board members from emphasizing its significance. Board member Brian Trafton said he wanted the town's attorney to provide an opinion on that.

"You didn't sit through what we went through last year, OK? Respectfully, you didn't sit through it," Trafton said to Altieri.

Town Planner DeCarlo Brown said attorney Mary Costigan could be present at future meetings to give the board guidance.

Residents who spoke in public comment said they believed Wiggly Bridge still intended to use the new storage building for aging barrels. Adam Flaherty said he was concerned about the enforcement of the no-aging rule and hoped the town would inspect the distillery's new storage.

"The applicant has been telling you for a year and a half they are out of space for their whiskey barrels … and now they're applying to construct this building but not put whiskey in it?" Adam Flaherty said. "Who are they trying to fool here?"

Residents said they were not against local business but believed the new storage structure should be built off-site and away from the neighborhood so there is no chance barrels would be stored there.

"We are not against a Wiggly Bridge expansion in the correct place," Mark Cartier said.

Planning Board to consider Wiggly Bridge expansion

Board members said they would consider the application fairly but said they would require the plan to explicitly state that the addition will not be used for storing aging barrels. Board member Peter Smith said he intended to focus on the scope of the project, which only involves storage. He said residents should not take his reluctance to focus on the fungus as an indifference to their concern.

"I will remind everyone I was the one who moved to deny the previous application," Smith said. "So, if you think I'm in favor somehow of alcohol or ethanol in that building, not so."

Amanda Woods said her family hopes to get approval for the project or else make difficult decisions about the future of the distillery. She said the family may need to sell the property if they can't expand.

"And who knows what could go there," Woods said. "A lot more than just storage."

The Woods family has owned other businesses in town for years, including York Oil. Amanda Woods said they have no intention of a "bait and switch" with their application and their facility is regularly inspected. She said the backlash from residents has been challenging.

"We're not terrible people like we've been portrayed in the past," Amanda Woods said. "We're trying to do good."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Wiggly Bridge Distillery returns with new expansion plans amid whiskey fungus concerns