Your bottle of Malibu Rum has become your best friend during the summer season.
It has been with you during the fun summer parties and has been your go-to ingredient in making fun, colorful, and fruity drinks.
Now that summer has come to an end, you have to bid your favorite drink goodbye.
As you’re about to put it back into its proper place, you start to worry that it will go bad before the next summer season starts.
Does Malibu Rum go bad? Or can it last until your next summer bash?
Great news: Malibu Rum can be kept well indefinitely.
But there’s a condition: It can last long if it’s stored under the right conditions. So with that said, how do you store Malibu Rum? Continue reading if you want to find out!
In this article, we’ll also answer the following questions:
- What is Malibu Rum?
- Can Malibu Rum go bad?
- How long does Malibu Rum last?
- How to tell if Malibu Rum has gone bad?
- How to store Malibu Rum properly?
- …and other commonly asked questions about Malibu Rum!
If you want to know more about your favorite summer drink, let’s get this show on the road!
What is Malibu Rum?
Contrary to popular belief, Malibu Rum is not hard liquor. Instead, it’s a liqueur because it’s not pure rum, as it comes with various fruity flavorings (that’s why it’s also often referred to as flavored rum), but it’s most known for its coconut flavor.
Because of its wide range of flavors—pineapple, lime, and passion fruit—many people consider Malibu Rum as their go-to ingredient when it comes to preparing their summer alcoholic drinks.
Unlike rum which contains a minimum alcoholic content of 40% ABV, Malibu Rum has an average ABV of around 18% to 21%. Only one Malibu Rum variety has 35% ABV, which is no other than Malibu Black. (*)
Does Malibu Rum Go Bad?
Many of you may be wondering: since it’s a liqueur and not liquor, does Malibu Rum go bad?
Good news: Despite having lots of fruity flavoring and lower ABV, the high alcohol content of Malibu Rum is enough to make it last indefinitely.
Fun Fact: The printed date on the bottle of Malibu Rum is the best before date and not an expiry date, and it indicates the best quality and not safety.
This means that the liqueur is still safe for consumption beyond the printed date. However, its quality and flavor will deteriorate beyond the said date. The flavor loss is due to air exposure and evaporation, common with opened bottles.
However, please be warned that Malibu Rum can still go bad if it’s not stored properly.
How Long Does Malibu Rum Last?
With that said, how long can you enjoy Malibu Rum?
The shelf life of Malibu Rum may differ depending on its condition (opened or unopened) and how it’s stored.
To give you an idea of Malibu Rum’s shelf life, here are a few guidelines that you need to know:
- Unopened Bottle: Expiry Date + ten years
- Opened Bottle: 1 year (pantry), Expiry Date + 2 Years (Refrigerator)
How to Tell if Malibu Rum Has Gone Bad?
Now, here’s the exciting part. How can you know if your Malibu Rum has already gone bad?
If your bottle of Malibu Rum has been in your pantry or refrigerator for a long time, we recommend inspecting it first since the only way that it will go bad is through contamination. However, if you notice floating particles in your rum, you should discard them right away.
Before making any cocktails with this liqueur, we also recommend that you have a taste of it first. As mentioned, it loses its flavor over time, and it may come to the point that its will flavor has degraded too much, especially if it has been sitting in your ref or pantry for a long time.
Pro Tip: You can cover the subpar flavor of your Malibu rum by mixing it with other flavored drinks.
How to Store Malibu Rum Properly?
How long you can enjoy the peak quality of Malibu Rum will depend on how well you store it. If you want it to last for long, here are some of the storage tips that you should keep in mind:
1. Keep Malibu Rum away from light and heat.
Like most alcoholic beverages, Malibu Rum should be stored in a cool, dry, and dark place. This is because the light may promote the oxidation of the rum, changing its taste and quality.
On the other hand, higher temperatures will cause the alcohol in the Malibu Rum to evaporate, leaving behind a flat and tasteless liqueur.
With that said, we recommend keeping your bottle of Malibu Rum in either a kitchen cabinet, pantry, or dark cupboard located far from heat sources like your stove and oven.
2. Make sure that the opened old bottle of Malibu Rum is tightly sealed.
Doing so can protect the liqueur from air exposure, and there are many reasons why you should do that.
For one, cross-contamination is possible if the rum is exposed to polluted air. Also, air exposure can promote the oxidation and evaporation processes, which is why Malibu loses its taste and quality over time.
3. Transfer leftover Malibu Rum to a smaller bottle.
Never store a half-filled bottle of Malibu Rum. This is because the more space there is in the bottle, the higher the chances of air exposure.
We recommend transferring the rum into a smaller bottle before storing it to avoid this.
Frequently Asked Questions About Malibu Rum
1. Should you refrigerate Malibu Rum?
You can refrigerate Malibu rum, but just a heads up, it’s not necessary since the only storage requirement for this drink is in a cool and dry place.
But if you want it chilled, then go ahead and refrigerate. There’s no harm in doing so.
2. Can you freeze Malibu Rum?
Yes, you can freeze Malibu Rum, but we don’t recommend it. Why? That’s because freezing Malibu Rum is quite complicated and yields no benefits whatsoever.
To begin with, Malibu Rum won’t freeze in a regular refrigerator. It will just turn icy, which will ruin its consistency once you decide to thaw it. And most of all, freezing Malibu Rum will not extend its shelf life because its shelf life is already long to begin with.
3. Can you consume Malibu Rum by itself?
You can drink Malibu Rum by itself, but its sweet taste might get overwhelming. If you want to balance the sweetness of Malibu Rum, you need to mix it with something acidic instead of drinking it by itself.
Final Words
Does Malibu Rum go bad? Yes, it does. However, it can last for years when unopened and about a year once opened.
Beyond the said shelf life, Malibu Rum is still safe for consumption, but its flavor and taste will already deteriorate.
The only reason Malibu rum will spoil is if you won’t store it properly. So if you want to enjoy it for longer, all you need to do is keep it tightly sealed and place it in a cool and dark place.
Up Next: Can Rum Go Bad or Expire? How Long Does It Last After Opening?
