Overview
Malibu is a coconut flavored liqueur, made with Caribbean rum, and having an alcohol content by volume of 21.0 % (42 proof). As of 2017 the Malibu brand is owned by Pernod Ricard, who calls it a "flavored rum", where this designation is allowed by local laws.
History
The product was created in 1978 by Tom Jago of International Distillers & Vintners, and originally made from fruit spirits, flavored with rum and coconut flavoring in Curaçao. Originally, the product was used to simplify the making of piña coladas by bartenders. When the product took off, the production was then moved to Barbados, where the rum is made by West Indies Rum Distillery Ltd., and the quality of the ingredients used was improved.
The brand was sold by Diageo to Allied Domecq for £560m ($800m) in 2002. In 2005, French company Pernod Ricard purchased Allied Domecq for $14 billion. The deal meant that Pernod Ricard acquired a number of alcoholic beverage brands including Malibu rum.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).