Dark rum is having its moment, and rightly so. Aged in barrel for years under a tropical sun, the best of it rivals whisky for depth, at a friendlier price.

Forget the sticky spiced stuff. Proper aged rum is a serious sipping spirit, and it splits roughly into two camps: the smooth, mellow, gently sweet style built for easy pleasure, and the funky, high-octane pot-still style that demands your attention. Both are worth knowing.

The Smooth Sippers

This is the accessible end: rum aged slowly in the tropics until it is soft, warming and full of vanilla, toffee and dried fruit. A twelve or fifteen year old from Central America sips beautifully neat, and a good pot-and-column blend from Barbados makes a superb cocktail base.

Everyday Character

For mixing and easy sipping alike, a younger blended rum keeps things bright and characterful without the price climbing. These are the bottles that live on the shelf and get poured most often.

Rich, warming and endlessly varied, dark rum is the great value play in premium spirits. Pour it neat, over one big cube, and give it the same attention you would a good whisky.