Metaxa 7 Stars

Metaxa 7 Stars

Brandy: Greek Brandy
From: Athens
House: Metaxa
Style: Single distillery, infusion
Colour: Amber
ABV: 40%

N: honey, red grapes, thyme, orange peel, pistachio, hints of mastic.

M: medium body, slippery, loosens, mouth filling.

T: Sweet. Thyme, honey, orange peel, pine, marmalade, rose, raisins, hints of star anise.

F: Short. Mint, pistachio, mastic, orange peel, red grapes.

Comments:

Is this a brandy or not? Well, I don't know. It's not pure spirit though, it's a mixture of distillate of different ages, and fortified, aromatised wines (vermouth?). I can certainly taste a number of botanicals, and the clarity of flavour must certainly come from the infusion of those botanicals rather than happenstance of aging.

I guess it's closest to brandy, so it counts for the purposes of this blog, and since I can't find any other Greek brandy brands (except maybe some very rare pomace brandies, I'm going to go ahead and call it Greek brandy.

It's very herbal indeed, and sweet to boot. Maybe it's an acquired taste. I drank an entire sample with an open mind, and I certainly enjoyed the clear, strong botanical flavours.

Verdict:

I like this.