Cincoro Tequila Anejo 70cl Gift Box

Same tequila, dressed for giving. Cincoro Añejo came out of five rival NBA team owners — Michael Jordan among them — deciding that the tequila they actually wanted did not exist yet. Twenty-nine awards across the range later, the argument looks settled.

The agave is hand-selected from both the highlands and the lowlands of Jalisco, which is unusual, because most producers pick a side. Highland agave brings sweetness and fruit. Lowland brings earth and pepper. Blending the two is what gives this its width. It then spends more than twenty months in Tennessee whiskey barrels.

The nose is fresh-cut oak and maple, with dried fruit, cinnamon and nutmeg behind. The palate runs cooked agave into toasted oak, dark chocolate and baking spice, and the finish is long, the wood notes still shifting as it fades. Rich, but not heavy-handed.

The bottle is worth a word, since you are giving it: five sides for the five founders, cut at a 23-degree angle for Jordan's number. At £145 boxed, this is a present that survives being unwrapped in front of people.

How to Serve

Neat, at room temperature, in a copita or a small wine glass rather than a shot glass. One large cube is fine if the room is warm.

Where to Drink It

The Connaught Bar, where an añejo gets treated like the fine spirit it is. Artesian at The Langham, if the agave list interests you.

Food Pairings

Go savoury with an añejo this oaky. Grilled short rib, or aged Manchego with Marcona almonds.