Metaxa is a line of branded Greek alcoholic drinks, each a flavored amber blend of spirits and Muscat wine, aged in oak barrels.[1] Several Metaxa products have numbered "star" designations indicating, according to different sources, either the product's age, the number of base spirits and wines used in making it, or simply the quality level (itself a reflection of the age).[2][3] Metaxa's main exported products are 5 Star, 7 Star, 12 Star, and Private Reserve. (Metaxa 3 Star is not exported.)[4]
Created in 1888 and labeled first as a cognac and then as a brandy until prohibited by naming regulations, the maker remained in private hands until sold in 1989 to Grand Metropolitan, which in turn sold it in 2000 to Rémy Cointreau.[1]