I love a good rum, but most of the stuff you can get in supermarkets etc. is pretty naff.
Some that are relatively available (online or local retailers that have a good spirits list) are El Dorado or ron Abuelo 12yo (both about £40). Also look out for one of the many Plantation rums with the raffia around the bottle. These come from all over and have added aging in France.
Avoid anything labelled rhum agricole, which is French rum made from sugar cane juice rather than molasses. An acquired taste, so see if you can try some in a bar before you buy a bottle.
Happy sipping (BTW, it always amazes me how many rum producers are called Ron).
Dark rum is my spirit of choice. Never makes me feel as wretched the day after as whiskey/bourbon..even the purest..does. If you can find it, Bumbu is very easy drinking.
Cheap rum is usually filth but I don't mind Mount Gay around the £25 mark although I would usually mix it with coke. El Dorado or Diplomatico are better to drink near or in a decent cocktail e.g. an Old Fashioned hybrid with Glenmorangie, bitters, syrup and a slice of orange.
I think Rum over here suffers in that as it is expected to be mixed with coke, the price is the selling point for most peoples experiences with it, which leads everyone to think it's not great, so they won't pay the Whisky level price for the proper stuff. Which leads to everyone only drinking cheap rum and the cycle continues.
I gave the Vapoura rum a go last year, very nice in my opinion. Also, you can't go wrong with the Appleton Estate rums.My mate has them with coke, which I just don't understand.