Metaxa 12-Star Review

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.

And Metaxa certainly is original. It is in a class of its own, literally so when it comes to spirit competitions. When it first came out in 1888 it was referred to as a cognac, because back then there was no hard and fast definition of what cognac was, so many brandies called themselves cognac.

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.

Metaxa does contain wine, very fine wine from Samos, so the company had to decide whether to drop the wine and change the recipe so they could call themselves a brandy, or to stick with their successful recipe. Stick with it they did. This is Greece, after all, where tradition is important. So now Metaxa is simply Metaxa, a dark spirit in a category of its own. But if you’ve never tried it and want to know what to expect, think brandy and you won’t be far off.

Barrel of Angels' Treasure Metaxa at their distillery cellar in Athens, Greece — The Angels’ Treasure Maturing

More About Metaxa

If you want to know more about Metaxa then read this page first, about a tour of the Metaxa distillery in Athens.

Why 12-Star?

So what is 12-Star Metaxa? What other star ratings are there? The star rating doesn’t refer directly to the quality of the product, but to the age of the youngest spirit in the bottle. Metaxa is a blend of spirits from different years, in the same way that sherry is a blend, and so the youngest spirit in 12-Star has been aged for at least twelve years. Some may have been aged even longer, but none less than twelve years.

The other two Metaxas in their regular range are 5-Star and 7-Star, so you can figure out that they contain spirits aged for at least five and seven years respectively. So while the number of stars isn’t a comment on how ‘good’ the spirits are, you would naturally expect the 12-star to be richer and more complex, thanks to the extra time in the barrel.

More About the Metaxa Stars

To learn more about the different Metaxas, including the premium ones they’ve produced, read this page about Tasting with the Metaxa Master.

Metaxa 12-Star Review

Metaxa is a stylish product. It comes in a solid dark blue box and the bottle inside is equally handsome, with a matching blue top and gold lettering for the label. With the deep brown spirit inside, it certainly looks classy and very tempting.

On the nose it’s like a brandy, but a brandy with a subtle difference. There’s a floral sweetness in there but it’s a really rich floral sweetness, not the subtler notes you might get with a Scotch or a brandy. That’s because Metaxa also has botanicals in it, including rose petals.

There’s a hint of violets in there too, probably a spin-off from the roses. Perhaps figs as well, another sweetness, and a hint of dark coffee richness. It’s certainly an interesting aroma and not quite like anything else while resembling both brandy and whisky.

On the palate the sweetness of rose petals and violets really emerges, balanced by a darker taste of coffee or chocolate. It’s a rich combination and the aftertaste lingers, that mix of floral, coffee (which sounds an odd combination but it’s delicious) and a little bit of orange. It’s 40% ABV and you can certainly taste the alcohol.

Metaxa Cocktails

I was lucky enough to get to taste this drink with the Metaxa Master in Athens, and he said you can either drink it on its own, or over ice, as a digestif, use it in cocktails, or in a long drink. I could imagine this with ginger ale, which is also a good way to enjoy cognac.

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!)

Otherwise, here are a couple of simple Metaxa cocktails suggested by Metaxa themselves:

Metaxa Verdict

I have to admit that I’m biased. I’ve been enjoying Metaxa for years on my many visits to Greece, including lots of trips while researching this book when I felt I deserved a reward at the end of a long day.

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.