When the gift needs to make a statement, the world of luxury spirits is where to look. These are bottles as beautiful as they are delicious, made for sipping slowly and giving generously. Here are the finest tequilas and Cognacs to wrap this Christmas.

Tequila and Cognac have both become the connoisseur's luxury gift of choice, and for good reason: at the top end, both are spirits of real craft and genuine beauty. Whether you want a hand-painted decanter for the mantelpiece or a blend of hundred-year-old eaux-de-vie, there is a showstopper here. All in stock, all ready to give.

The Finest Tequila

Forget everything you think you know about tequila. Clase Azul's Reposado comes in a hand-painted ceramic decanter that is kept long after the bottle is empty, with smooth, slow-cooked agave inside, while Casa Dragones Joven is a hand-finished sipping tequila of real elegance. Both are gifts that make people reconsider the whole category.

The Great Cognacs

For timeless luxury, there is Cognac. Hennessy XO effectively invented the category, a rich blend of up to a hundred aged eaux-de-vie, all dried fruit and dark spice, while Remy Martin XO draws only on the two finest crus of the region for a velvety, endlessly deep spirit. Either is the definition of a grown-up gift.

For more, read our profiles of Clase Azul and Hennessy.

A luxury spirit is the gift that keeps giving, poured slowly over many evenings long after the season is over. Give the beautiful bottle or the ancient blend, and you give something genuinely special.