Metaxa Grande Fine (75cl, 40%)

Metaxa Grande Fine is a Greek amber spirit made by blending grape brandies aged 8 to 15 years with Muscat wine and Mediterranean botanicals. It is bottled at 40% ABV in a 750ml bottle. The eaux-de-vie are distilled from sun-dried grapes, with roughly 80% sourced from Spain and Italy and the remainder from Greece, then aged separately before being married in Limousin oak casks. Aged eaux-de-vie are combined with Muscat wine from the Aegean islands and infused with Mediterranean botanicals, most notably rose petals. The nose opens with black tea leaves and dried apricot, moving into toasty oak and old honey, with rose blossom and orange zest. The palate is silky and lightly sweet, with ripe apricot, plum, rose water, vanilla, toasty oak, raisins, warm sweet spices and black pepper. The finish is medium-length and smooth, with black tea, vanilla and cracked black pepper.