Mariah Carey settles 'Black Irish' case with drinks company

The singing sensation launched an Irish cream liqueur brand in 2021 – though the name was already claimed in the UK and EU by a whiskey produced by Irish firm Darker Still Spirits.

A two year legal battle has now come to a close, with the Dublin drinks company selling the ‘Black Irish’ name to Carey.

The five-time Grammy winner had announced her venture two years ago with an Instagram post showing the star lying on a tropical beach in a shining gold dress.

"Truly a cause for celebration,” she said, describing Black Irish Cream Liqueur as “two years in the making.”

The All I Want for Christmas is You singer said “sláinte!” as she shared the three flavours available: Original Irish Cream, Salted Caramel and White Chocolate.

Sales of Black Irish cream liqueur were restricted to the US while the legal issue was being resolved.

Darker Still Spirits will now sell its drink under the name Born Irish, while Carey can progress to Europe with her liqueur.

"We are delighted to have resolved this trademark issue with Mariah's team so that we are both able to sell our respective brands in our desired territories,” said Richard Ryan, the co-creator of Black Irish Whiskey with pals and drink industry veterans Dave Phelan, Adrian Walker and Steven Patison.

He told RTÉ News: "Our brand name may have changed but Born Irish still contains the same innovative recipe - Irish Whiskey aged in bourbon and stout casks, made dark with infusions of chocolate malt, roasted barley and vanilla.

"On a personal note, we also wish Mariah and her team the best of fortunes with their cream liqueur brand."

A spokesperson for Splashes Beverages – who makes Mariah’s beverage – said in a statement to RTÉ: "I can confirm on the EUIPO register that Splashes Beverages LLC, Mariah Carey's company, is the owner of Black Irish in all of the E.U., there is no dispute on the trademark.”

The pop idol has previously said the drink is “crafted in Ireland with aged Irish whiskey and dairy sourced from Irish farms.”

Mariah’s Irish links come from her mother’s Cork roots, while her dad is half-Black and half-Venezuelan.

Her mum Patricia Hickey was an opera singer raised by a strict Cork woman, while her dad Alfred Carey was a part Venezuelan aeronautical engineer.

The star has been open about her experience growing up mixed-race.

"White people have a difficult time with (being mixed race),” she told The Guardian in 2009.

"It's like, my mother's white – she's so Irish, she loves Ireland, she's like, yay, Ireland! Waving the flag and singing When Irish Eyes Are Smiling. And that's great. I appreciate that and respect it.

"But there's a whole other side of me that makes me who I am and makes people uncomfortable. My father identified as a black man. No one asked him because he was clearly black. But people always ask me.

"If we were together, people would look at us in a really strange way. It sucked. As a little girl I had blond hair and they'd look at me, look at him, and be disgusted."