Author name: Chuck Cowdery

The Owsleys of Kentucky

 Augustus Owsley Stanley III (1935-2011)For a teenager in the late 1960s, the name “Owsley” meant just one thing. It was synonymous with the drug LSD, which Owsley Stanley manufactured in his clandestine California lab. Owsley Stanley was also fam…

Baudoinia: the Fungus and Me

 Fun with fungi.This is a personal epilogue to the nine-part series just concluded about Baudoinia compniacensis, the whiskey fungus. If you have not read it and are interested, the series starts here.I became aware of Baudoinia about 30…

Baudoinia: the Fungus Is Not Welcome in Tennessee

 Proposed Sazerac distillery near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.This is Part 8 of a 9-part series about Baudoinia compniacensis, the whiskey fungus. Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, Part 3 is here, Part 4 is here, Part 5 is here, Part 6 is here, Part 7 i…

Baudoinia: the Fungus that Is Hard to Beat in Court

 Heaven Hill maturation warehouse at the former Beam and Hart Old Tub Distillery (c. 1892), on Old Nazareth Road near Bardstown.This is Part 7 of a 9-part series about Baudoinia compniacensis, the whiskey fungus. Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, Pa…

Baudoinia: the Fungus Is a Bad Neighbor

 This demolition-in-progress in Louisville shows a maturation warehouse’s internal honeycomb structure.This is Part 6 of a 9-part series about Baudoinia compniacensis, the whiskey fungus. Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, Part 3 is here, Part 4…

Baudoinia: the Fungus with a Drinking Problem

 Maturation warehouses at Stitzel-Weller in Louisville.This is Part 5 of a 9-part series about Baudoinia compniacensis, the whiskey fungus. Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, Part 3 is here, Part 4 is here.Baudoinia compniacensis isn’t dang…

Baudoinia: the Fungus that Even Grows in Canada

 Baudoinia compniacensis. Scary, right?This is Part 4 of a 9-part series about Baudoinia compniacensis, the whiskey fungus. Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, Part 3 is here.The new fear of toxic molds that arose in the late 1990s happened to coincid…

Baudoinia: the Fungus You Can Blame on France

 Cognac wears Baudoinia proudly.This is Part 3 of a 9-part series about Baudoinia compniacensis, the whiskey fungus. Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here.The American whiskey industry is in the midst of an expansion going into its third decade. One…

Scroll to Top