There are bottles you open on an ordinary Tuesday, and there are bottles you save for the right occasion. Metaxa 12 Stars belongs to the latter – the house's deepest, most complex expression, kept back for the evenings that deserve a little more.
Expert's Description
Metaxa 12 Stars is a Greek brandy built on aged grape eaux-de-vie and sweet muscat wines, bottled at 40%.
12 Stars sits at the top of Metaxa's star hierarchy and carries the largest share of older eaux-de-vie in the entire range. The base recipe remains the same one Spyros Metaxas put together in Piraeus in 1888: grape eaux-de-vie from several varieties, aged muscat wines from Samos and Lemnos, and a secret mix of Mediterranean botanicals.
Where 5 and 7 Stars are made for everyday moments and gatherings, 12 Stars is traditionally the bottle Greeks bring out at holidays and family celebrations – a gesture that the occasion deserves the house's most concentrated expression.
After Spyros Metaxas died in 1909, his wife Despina carried the company forward until their sons could take over, and today the house is owned by French group Rémy Cointreau. The recipe and the long ageing behind 12 Stars, however, remain unchanged.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Deep and complex, with dried fig, dark chocolate and a warm, almost resinous spice base.
Palate
Full and silky, with toasted walnut, brown sugar and a hint of orange marmalade tying it all together.
Finish
Long and warm, closing on a dry, lightly bitter trail of dark spice.
Specifications
Name: Metaxa 12 Stars
Distillery: Metaxa
Country: Greece
Type: Greek Brandy
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 5202795150280
Serving suggestion: Enjoy neat, ideally in a rounded glass at room temperature
Flavour Profile
Dried Fig · Dark Chocolate · Walnut · Spice
Did You Know?
12 Stars sits closest to the concentrated original style Spyros Metaxas himself favoured – in Greece it is still considered the natural bottle to bring to family celebrations and holidays, where it is often poured neat after the meal.
