Rebranding for success Darker Still Spirits Born Irish whiskey takes the

What you need to know (in a nutshell)

1. Darker Still Spirits has agreed to sell the “Black Irish” whiskey trademark and will rebrand it as “Born Irish” due to trademark conflicts with Mariah Carey’s Irish cream liqueur of the same name.
2. The dispute over the trademark lasted for two years, but Carey’s company has now purchased the trademark and owns the “Black Irish” trademark in the European Union.
3. Despite the rebranding, Darker Still Spirits’ “Born Irish” whiskey still has the same recipe and is made with Irish whiskey aged in bourbon and stout casks with infusions of chocolate malt, roasted barley, and vanilla.

Full Article

After a two-year-long trademark dispute surrounding the name “Black Irish,” Darker Still Spirits has agreed to rebrand their whiskey as “Born Irish” and relinquish the contested name. The conflict arose due to Mariah Carey’s cream liqueur sharing the same appellation. Richard Ryan, one of the whiskey’s creators, expressed satisfaction with resolving the trademark issue, allowing both parties to market their respective brands in their desired territories. Despite the name change, Ryan emphasised that Born Irish features a unique recipe with ingredients such as Bourbon cask-aged whiskey darkened by chocolate malt and vanilla infusions.

Splashes Beverages LLC, the company holding ownership rights for Mariah Carey’s brand, confirmed in the EUIPO register that it now controls all trademarks related to “Black Irish” within the European Union. This development effectively ends any further disputes between the two parties concerning the usage or application of the name without legal ramifications. With ownership solidly established by Splashes Beverages LLC, the team behind Darker Still Spirits extends their best wishes to Mariah Carey’s team as they proceed with the global commercialisation of her product under the newly acquired title.