Local Newswire Kieran Folliard and Jameson Irish Whiskey are feuding over a Big Ginger

Nobody ever said the whiskey business was easy but, while we’re sure Kieran Folliard isn’t loving the fact that he has to take the owner of Jameson Irish Whiskey to court over a trademark dispute, at least the two haven’t had to resort to breaking bottles and snapping barstools over each other’s heads. Although, there’s still plenty of time.

Apparently not satisfied enough with a ringing endorsement for its products in that weird Rihanna track from last year, Jameson is being accused by Folliard of infringing on “The Big Ginger” name owned by Folliard’s company, 2 Gingers Whiskey Co. Jameson is introducing a beverage labeled as Big Jameson Ginger, a similarity Folliard thinks is far too close to the trademark he’s had since the summer of 2009.

If you recall, Folliard stepped aside and sold the shares he had in bars like The Liffey, The Local, Coopers, and even his namesake—Kieran’s—last summer so he could turn his full-time attention to his growing whiskey outfit. Folliard’s old bars have historically had a friendly relationship with Jameson, with the Local reportedly once being one of the biggest sellers of Jameson whiskey in the world. But Folliard is none too happy with the company’s latest gambit, especially considering he was already offered $200,000 by Jameson’s Pernod Ricard for the name back in 2009, which Folliard declined to take.

The Big Ginger—which has nothing to do with Conan O’Brien—mixes whiskey with ginger ale, lemons, and limes over ice. While that’s not the most original cocktail idea out there, Folliard says his company refined the proportions of the drink to make it its own special concoction.

We’re still holding out hope the two parties’ quarrel ends like the best Irish bar fights: a few missing teeth followed by an emotional, arm-over-shoulder rendition of “Danny Boy.”