Malibu (rum)

History

Tom Jago of International Distillers & Vintners created the product in 1978, originally from fruit spirits with rum and coconut flavouring in Curaçao. It was intended to simplify piña colada preparation for bartenders.

Production later moved to Barbados, where West Indies Rum Distillery Ltd. makes the rum, and ingredient quality improved. Diageo sold the brand to Allied Domecq in 2002 for £560 million. Pernod Ricard acquired Allied Domecq in 2005 for $14 billion, integrating Malibu into The Absolut Company range.

Marketing

Past advertising labelled Malibu "seriously easy going" and typically featured Caribbean people taking life seriously, despite the brand's name referencing a US town. From 2014, the campaign promoted having one's "best summer ever" through YouTube and TV ads contrasting "summer you vs. rest of the year you." In 2016, Malibu launched an internet campaign with a commerce website and the hashtag #Malibu. In 2022, the brand adopted global positioning with "Do Whatever Tastes Good." In August 2024, Malibu partnered with the Royal Life Saving Society UK and British Olympian Tom Daley for a "Drink Don't Dive" campaign, with Daley designing knitted swimwear to raise funds and awareness. The partnership repeated at Christmas 2024, with Daley creating a knitted jumper reading "Drink Don't Drive" to highlight the dangers of drunk driving.

Variations

The original Malibu is coconut flavoured. Worldwide, versions include banana, pineapple, passion fruit, island melon, and mango flavours. Malibu Fresh blends mint, Malibu Red mixes in tequila, and Malibu Black is a double-strength, 35% ABV rum-based liqueur combining dark rum with the original coconut flavour.