 According to some sources, it was actually created in Jamaica in the 1930s.The Jamaican company Lascelles deMercado producer of Appleton Rum supposedly manufactured the concentrate from which the liqueur was made, at least, up until the time it was sold by Pernod.As recently as the 1980s, Tia Maria was made with an alcohol concentration of 31.5% and positioned as a premium liqueur compared to the substantially different product now produced at 20% ABV.