Back in August, it was announced that Mariah Carey was launching her very own Irish Cream Liqueur brand called ‘Black Irish’, but as it turns out, the new brand won’t be available to purchase in Ireland.
The name Black Irish comes from Mariah’s biracial heritage, giving a nod to her family in the title, as Mariah’s grandparents are originally from Co Cork and her father is Black Venezuelan, paying tribute to both sides.
Due to ongoing legality with Irish company Darker Still Spirits Co. over their own Black Irish Whiskey product, Mariah can now not sell her product outside of the USA.
Speaking to the New York Times, Richard Ryan, a co-director of Darker Still, shared: “You don’t assimilate with Irish culture while simultaneously doing everything in your power to damage an actual Irish business.”
He continued, “Myself and my partners in Darker Still are collective veterans of the Irish drinks industry. It is unprecedented that we are defending our position against a US company, within an Irish industry that we have helped support for over 30 years.
“We also call on Mariah Carey’s appointed agent to stop claiming trademark rights to other products owned by our directors, presumed as a tactic to undermine our wider businesses.”
Adding: “Quite literally, we’re Irish. We called it Irish because it is predominantly Irish whiskey. And we called it Black Irish because it is black. The liquid is black. And it is Irish.”