Malibu Original Coconut Rum
Malibu Original Coconut Rum is a 42-proof (21% ABV) coconut-flavored rum from Barbados — the original that started it all in 1978, when Tom Jago (International Distillers & Vintners) created it in Curaçao from fruit spirits, rum, and coconut flavoring to simplify the bartender's piña colada. Today it is produced at the West Indies Rum Distillery on a beach in Barbados from Caribbean rum, water, sugar, and coconut flavoring, and it remains the world's best-selling Caribbean coconut rum. Smooth, fresh coconut flavor with a sweet finish — "sunshine in a bottle," per Pernod Ricard. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 21% (42 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Style: coconut-flavored rum (rum-based liqueur)
- Origin: Barbados — West Indies Rum Distillery; Pernod Ricard (owner since 2005)
- Production: Caribbean rum + water + sugar + coconut flavoring; created 1978; production moved to Barbados (quality upgrade)
The Bottle That Invented Easy Tropical
Before Malibu, a piña colada was a project; after Tom Jago's 1978 creation, it was a pour. The trajectory since — Diageo, Allied Domecq (2002), Pernod Ricard (2005) — only widened its lead as the world's best-selling Caribbean coconut rum. The liquid never changed its brief: fresh coconut, vanilla, tropical fruit, a sweet viscous body, and that instantly recognizable white bottle. Pour it over ice, build a piña colada, or start from the Malibu range and the rest of our rum collection for the full tropical shelf.
Tasting Notes
Fresh coconut with vanilla and tropical fruit; smooth, sweet, and viscous on the palate; a sweet, lingering finish.
How to Enjoy
The piña colada is the canonical serve — Malibu, pineapple juice, coconut cream, ice, blend. It also works over ice with cola or in any tropical cocktail that calls for coconut.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Malibu created?
1978, by Tom Jago in Curaçao, originally to simplify piña coladas for bartenders.
What is Malibu's alcohol content?
21% ABV (42 proof) — a coconut-flavored rum liqueur.
Where is Malibu produced now?
Barbados, at the West Indies Rum Distillery.
The original coconut rum, since 1978 — order Malibu Original online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.