SHOREHAM — A disagreement between Whistle Pig Rye LLC and Solar Haven Farm LLC, neighboring property owners on Bates Road in Shoreham, may be going to court.
A pre-hearing conference is scheduled with lawyers from both parties on Tuesday, Jan. 15, with site visits to both farms.
George Gross and Barb Wilson, owners of Solar Haven, say that if Whistle Pig’s pending Act 250 application, which would include permissions to distill and age whiskey on site, is approved their 25-acre fruit and berry farm is at risk of a “whiskey mold” infestation. Wilson and Gross pointed to news stories that said the mold, Baudoinia Compniacensis, feeds off ethanol and has been documented in and around distilling facilities in Tennessee, Kentucky and the United Kingdom.
Through their lawyers, they also allege that Whistle Pig has been bottling whiskey without a permit for two and a half years.
On Thursday, Whistle Pig President and founder Raj Bhakta told the Independent that he planned to vigorously contest the complaint.