Malibu | The Absolut Company

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Malibu

Malibu is the number one rum-based coconut spirit in the world and the global symbol of summer all year round.¹

Malibu Original is the world’s leading rum-based coconut-flavoured spirit¹. Made with white rum and coconut flavour, Malibu Original, with its low 21% ABV, is a must-have in popular cocktails such as piña coladas and daiquiris. Founded in the late 1970s, it has been part of the Pernod Ricard Group since 2005 and more than 3.8 million 9-litre cases are sold annually across 140 markets globally.¹

The global symbol of summer, Malibu was once seen merely as a beachside partner, a drink for sunlit holidays. But summer isn’t just a season, it’s a mindset, a feeling and a way of living. Malibu encourages people to embrace a summer mindset all year long – to switch off and enjoy whatever tastes good whenever the moment feels right. Beneath its playful and free-spirited image, Malibu remains committed to responsible drinking, developing award-winning campaigns that promote behavioural change around alcohol consumption near water.

Malibu is always exploring ways to strengthen its brand beyond Malibu Original, including fruit-flavoured drinks and ready-to-drink cocktails, with over 1 million cases sold annually.¹ It has formed partnerships with prominent brands like Oatly, Dole and streetwear designer Aries, while it has collaborated with British Olympic diving champion Tom Daley on its responsible “Don’t Drink and Dive” campaign.

Sustainability

Malibu simply wouldn’t be Malibu without its distinctive coconut flavour. Consequently, it depends on farming communities in the Philippines, which supply some of the coconuts used in the flavouring that gives Malibu its distinctive taste. Since 2020, it has been part of the SDGCoco Project, which aims to help 500 farmers increase yields, double incomes and diversify crops. Malibu also maintains an ongoing partnership with Plastic Bank to support a plastic recycling ecosystem in the Philippines (the world’s third-largest contributor to ocean plastic) and improve the lives of local communities. In FY26, it will help gather and prevent 825,000 kg of plastic, the equivalent of 41 million plastic bottles, from entering the environment.

Heritage

Malibu was discovered by three British men working for various spirits companies during a trip to South Africa in the late 1970s when they came across a coconut-flavoured drink. They loved it and were excited to find that it “tasted like summer in a bottle”. Seizing a marketing opportunity, it was renamed Malibu and soon promoted worldwide. Its lower alcohol content initially led to its being classified as a liqueur, which was advantageous because television advertising for liqueurs was permitted at the time, whereas hard spirits were prohibited from advertising.

Timeline