The company said there was no risk to health and no bottles of the coconut rum drink were recalled.

Pernod Ricard commercial director Simon van Moppes said: "We have discovered a fluctuation in the coconut flavour in some production lots of Malibu. The affected products have been extensively tested and we have found no indication of any harm to health, but the product does not taste as it should.

"We have identified the problem to certain production batches which have been distributed mainly in Europe. The US and Canada are not affected.  We suspended distribution on the March 10 until stock became available again as of the March 21."