Although Metaxa was originally compared to a Cognac and subsequently to a brandy, it is actually not classified as either of these spirits. Brandy, by definition, does not include wine. Metaxa has the presence of very fine muscat wines from Samos, an island in the north east Aegean, and Mediterranean botanicals. As such, Metaxa is a spirit in a category of its own. The 5 Star Metaxa uses a blend of wine from Samos and Lemnos, while all the other expressions use only Samos wine.

The third ingredient used in crafting Metaxa is an herbal extract. The complete list of elements in the extract is known to only a handful of people. In addition to her role as a DelightedCooking editor, Niki enjoys educating herself about interesting In addition, there are also special bottlings of Angel’s Treasure, Single Cask and Amen, although these are not available in the US and are very difficult to find even in Europe.However, one of the known ingredients is rose water made from the May rose. Also known as Provence rose, it is a very aromatic hybrid rose developed by Dutch breeders sometime after the 17th century. May rose is also a component of Chanel No. 5 perfume. Napacabs has the special reserve Metaxa brandy which is a 30 year old blend for a reasonable price. Metaxa is a Greek brandy that has been around for over a century (founded in 1888, to be precise). It's made from a blend of different wines, and it has a distinctively smooth and sweet taste. Metaxa is generally held to be fruity, sweet (with honey notes) and floral. Out of curiosity I tried it simply with a splash of soda, as I had a bottle of soda open in the fridge, and it worked really well. The Metaxa Master did say this was a versatile spirit, and he’s absolutely right. (Well, of course he is, that’s why he’s only the 5th Metaxa Master since the company was founded in 1888!) The final blend is then aged for at least two years, although Metaxa has blends that have been aged for as long as 30-40 years. The maturation occurs in large, 3,500-liter butts of neutral wood. Some of the butts used by Metaxa are more than a century old. The spirit is casked at an ABV of 40% and 46%. The original first two butts are still in use at the distillery, although they have been repaired many times.

Later, when cognac became strictly defined Metaxa and other drinks had to redefine themselves, and Metaxa became a brandy. For years it was regarded as the Greek brandy. But then the spirits world defined what a brandy was, and brandy was a drink that, amongst other things, did not contain wine. Strain into your sugar rimmed old fashioned glass or low-ball glass, add a twist of lemon and enjoy! Metaxa is a distilled spirit made in Greece from brandy and wine from sun-dried grapes, blended with Muscat wine. Generally speaking, the older Metaxa expressions show more dark, dried fruit elements and a more significant spiciness and pepperiness. Younger expressions are more floral, with more noticeable rose petal aromas and fruit notes that lean more toward stone fruit, like apricot and peach, and less toward dark dried fruits.

Metaxa 12-Star is the most mature of the regular range of Metaxa Greek spirits, and there’s a push on to familiarize American palates with this classic Greek drink, or the Original Greek Spirit. I was drinking Metaxa years before I started writing about drink, and never thought I’d find myself reviewing it. So I have a predisposition to like the drink, but I can also now appreciate it more because I can put it into context, with cognacs and brandies and whiskies. To me it tastes like a very fine brandy, but a little more floral. It’s safe to say that if you’ve never tried Metaxa, this new 12-Star will be the perfect introduction. It really is in a class of its own. More Information The base spirit is aged for one year in casks made from French Limousin oak. This large-grained and tannic wood offers good extraction and speeds up maturation.