Rum is cheap. You can get barrel aged Cognac quality Rums for 1/3 the price of the brandy. I'm talking about drinking it straight in a snifter. If you're going to mix it with Coke - who cares ? Appleton's VX is just OK. Their 12 yr is quite good. Their 21 is sublime. The Zacapa is nice, though a few years back it was actually 23 yrs old and not in a solara where the oldest rum in the batch is 23 (price stayed the same too). Diplomatico & Pampero Anniversario are great 12 yrs. Zaya is great if you want a darker Rum with more burnt sugar taste. If you want something sweet after dinner maybe with coffee, try Pyrat XO. I'm a St James fan & like the Extra Old. Rhum Clement XO is probably my favorite of the affordable.