Best: Overall

Rating: 9/10

This glorious aged rum, now distributed by Diageo, has won several big prizes, and now it’s our best buy too. Hailing from Guatemala in central America, the “23" refers to the age of some of the rums that are blended together to make each bottle. It’s a rich, smooth, full-bodied rum with deep flavours of vanilla, citrus fruit and chocolate that earns a place in every drinks cabinet.

Best: All-rounder

Rating: 8/10

Every rum cupboard needs something from Cuba, and Havana Club is the iconic Cuban rum brand. For fine sipping there are more aged versions, but for a widely available, smooth dark rum that tastes good on its own or as the base for cocktails – try a dark and stormy or a Cuba libre – it’s hard to beat this classic.

Best: Budget rum

Rating: 7/10

Once again the German supermarkets come up trumps when it comes to a value option. Aldi’s old hopking rum is an expert blend of vanilla, caramel and coffee, drinkable on its own or in cocktails, and available at a price that means you can make grog for the whole ship’s company.

Best: For a daiquiri

Rating: 9/10

Named after the abolitionist Olaudah Equiano, this African-Caribbean crossover is a blend of liquids from Barbados and Mauritius, brought together in bourbon casks. Its chocolate and oak flavours add depth to the classic Cuban rum cocktail. Hemingway would approve. What’s more, five per cent of profits go to equality charities around the world, so you can kick back with a clear conscience.

Best: Spiced rum

Rating: 7/10

Spiced rum is traditionally the poor cousin to the good stuff, with spices used to mask the inferior flavour, but it needn’t be the case. Drawing on Cornwall’s history of smugglers and pirates, Dead Man’s Fingers – made by the owners of a seafood shack in St Ives – blends rums from the Caribbean to create a range of potently flavoured rums. This spiced version has notes of vanilla, citrus, spice, nutmeg and vanilla. Enjoy on its own or as the basis for ice-cold cocktails with plenty of fresh lime.

Best: Budget spiced rum

Rating: 7/10

Aldi’s spiced rums have won plenty of awards, offering exceptional value. Although it’s not a pure rum, this is a rum-based drink with a similar richness of vanilla, spices, citrus and coffee flavours. At around £15, it offers a superior experience for a fraction of the cost of other premium drinks.

Best: For an old fashioned

Rating: 9/10

Hailing from Venezuela, Diplomatico is a firm favourite among rum connoisseurs. It has delicious sweetness and lightness, which means that although Old Fashioneds are traditionally made with bourbon – or even gin – Diplomatico works a treat.

Best: For mojitos

Rating: 8/10

This dry, clear light rum is the perfect base for one of the quintessential rum cocktails, the mojito, with enough pep to give depth to the flavours beneath the drink’s sugar, lime and mint notes. Alternatively, it goes perfectly well with other mixers.  The spirit of summer, bottled.

Best: Rum for entertaining

Rating: 7/10

For all that there are dozens of small-scale artisanal rum producers, sometimes you don’t need to go fancy to have a good time. When you need to pep up a house party, Bacardi is the classic base for a daiquiri, mojito or other cocktails, with a clear, smooth flavour.

Best: For rum punch

Rating: 8/10

No list of rums would be complete without an appearance from Mount Gay, and what better expression of the classic Barbados rum than a classic rum punch? As the ancient recipe goes: one of sour (lime juice), two of sweet (sugar syrup), three of strong (rum), four of weak (water). Add a dash of angostura bitters and some nutmeg to taste and you can be on a Caribbean holiday in minutes. Remember, your living room is always on the green list.