What would be the best rum in the next category up, say <$20 or <$25?

Diplomatico or Pampero Anniversario come to mind.

As my go to for a rum and coke Sailor Jerry's

Can't say these ring a bell - are they widely available at airports?

Molasses versus Cane
 

I thought we had an old Rum thread here where we went over this, but I'm surprised that all the Rum's mentioned here (as far as I can tell) are molasses based. That's all I knew for most of my life too until I went to France and discovered the amazingly better sugar cane based Rum's. Just smelling a good Rhum Agricole as it's called, you can easily tell the difference. The true spicy aroma of a good Agricole rum is very nice.

Most of the best come from Martinique or Guadeloupe. But the island of Reunion are quite good too, especially if you can lay your hands on the good privately made stuff.

This is one I'm drinking now http://www.leschaissaintfrancois.com...0_17082012.jpg

http://www.severinrhum.com/

Like a great whiskey, this is too good to mix with anything. Just drink it straight.

Everyone has his own taste, but this rum is in a totally different league that anything I've tasted from the DR or Cuba or any of the kinds sold in US markets.

There is one bar I found in the US that has good Cane rum. No surprise it's called Caña Rum Bar. ;) Downtown LA right near the Staples Center.

Even the ordinary cane rums like http://www.rhumbologne.fr/en/ taste sooooo much better than any molasses based rum. http://www.rhumdemartinique.com/troisrivieres/ is another good choice. They even serve that at the Four Seasons London. ^

Maybe in Caribbean or C American Airports. Where are you going ? Large liquor stores (or Safeways even) in the States would have 'em. Wherever you are, you should be able to find something decent. Just look for a bottle with some age and a nice mahogany color.

At my last house party the bartender clued me in to Plantation rum from Barbados. At less than $15 for a 750mL bottle I will never purchase anything labelled "Bacardi" again. :p

Ok, now I'm convinced to give cane rum a try. :) Are there any popular (but still good) ones that I could easily pick up at an int'l airport?

I think it would really depend on the airport. Boulogne is probably the most popular of the decent Cane rums. You ought to be able to find it in the US if you google around though.

I really don't know for sure why these excellent rums are not generally available in the US, but my guess would be that the family that controls Bacardi has something to do with it. Or did back in the bad old days.

Would any of these cane rums be popular enough to be found at international airports like Singapore or Sydney?

I doubt it. As for airports, you'll probably only find these in French or Caribbean airports. You've a better chance at WAW.

I've only had a couple 'cane rums'. They were relatively expensive and they sucked. Until I drink something quaffable, I'm going to group them with stuff like 'white dogs' (Bourbon w/no barrel aging) as an acquired taste I don't wish to acquire.

One Barrel Rum from Belize Yumm

Quality Cane Rums are out there, and Zacapa claims to be from just cane too. But have you even tried the high end HC rums? They are as light (or dark) as 18 yr old Whisky.

Rum Agricole is a bit of an acquired taste. I can completely understand why some people like it, but the smell makes my stomach turn!