Sazerac seeks to douse competitor’s whiskey pitch
Feb 14, 2012, 2:08 PM
Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, KY. (AP) – SinFire Cinnamon Whiskey is pitched as a “sinful spirit.” Sazerac Inc. thinks it’s an idea that’s sinfully close to its own brand of cinnamon flavored alcohol, Fireball Whiskey.
Sazerac has sued the makers of SinFire, Hood River Distillers, in U.S. District Court in Louisville, asking a federal judge to declare that the Hood River, Ore., company violated its trademark in trying to sell the booze in the United States.
New Orleans-based Sazerac, which owns three distilleries in Kentucky, wants a judge to stop the company from using the name SinFire and a label featuring a serpent-like “S” arising from a bed of fire. Sazerac says that’s similar to its label featuring a demon spitting a ball of fire.
Hood River Distillers did not return a message seeking comment Monday afternoon.
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