Metaxa Logo PNG
The Metaxa logo reflects a wonderful mix of two favorite alcoholic drinks. The taste of wine and cognac creates a special golden bouquet worthy of attention. The emblem invites you to try a heady herbal infusion with hints of nutmeg.
Spyros Metaxa was born in 1848 on the Greek island of Euboea to a family of silk traders. In Greek, “metaxi” means “silk,” so the future brand name would carry both the founder’s surname and a link to the family trade. His travels through Europe exposed him to refined spirits. At the same time, Greek alcohol of the period was often sharper and less aromatic.
In 1885, Metaxa invested 100,000 drachmas to rent an old distillery in Piraeus, Greece’s main port. By 1888, he had created a drink made from aged grape distillate, sweet Muscat wine from Samos, and a secret blend of Mediterranean botanicals, all matured in oak barrels. During construction, workers found an ancient medallion with the Salamis Warrior, which became the brand emblem.
By 1892, Metaxa was exported throughout the Mediterranean, and plants had been established in Istanbul and Odessa. In 1900, the first shipments reached the United States. The drink was first sold as cognac, but after France legally restricted the use of the Cognac name in 1937, Metaxa lost that label. It later moved away from the brandy category and developed its own identity as an original Greek spirit.
After Spyros died in 1909, his widow, Despina, managed the company until their sons, Angelos, Andreas, and Georgios, took over. In 1963, Yannis Tseklenis designed the amphora-shaped bottle for Metaxa 7 Stars, and in 1968, production moved from Piraeus to Kifissia. The family sold the company to Grand Metropolitan in 1989. In 2000, Diageo transferred Metaxa to Rémy Cointreau, and Metaxa 12 Stars was added to the range in 2011.
Meaning and History
Metaxa was the first alcoholic beverage to reach space. It was also drunk by the leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, when he sailed on his Greek friend’s boat to land on the Cuban coast. Imperial courts in Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Germany, Serbia, Russia, and many other countries that heard of the glory of elite cognac also admired this brand.
Spyros Metaxa, an avid traveler and wine enthusiast, founded the company. He founded the distillery in 1888 and named it after himself. The word “Metaxa” translates from Greek as “silk” because generations of the Spyros family traded in this textile. Today, it symbolizes the drink’s silky taste, with Mediterranean plants, wine distillates, and Muscat wines adding rich softness, and French oak barrels lending a typical velvety flavor.
What is Metaxa?
This distinctive Greek alcoholic beverage occupies a special place between cognac and brandy. It is made from distillates of local grape varieties Savatiano, Sultanina, and Black Corinth, blended with a unique mix of Mediterranean herbs and rose petals. A key production feature is that after blending, the drink is aged in Limousin oak barrels, giving it a characteristic golden hue and rich aroma. The range includes premium Private Reserve and AEN varieties, with aging options ranging from three to twelve stars.
Luxurious labels underscore the brandy’s elitism. Each star marks one year of aging, and the drink matures for at least three years. The label also features the company’s logo. It varies from bottle to bottle, but the official version is just one: the black word “METAXA” with yellow and olive outlines and “THE GREEK SPIRIT” underneath. In the upper right corner is a large registered trademark.
Rumor has it that while building the first distillery in Piraeus, Spyros found an ancient Greek coin. It had been in the ground for many years and was discovered during the excavation. It was decorated with drawings depicting the Hellenes’ victory over the Persians in 480 BC. This event, known as the Battle of Salamis, determined the course of European history. The relic became the basis for the Metaxa emblem. It now depicts a belligerent man, nicknamed the Salamina Warrior. He stands on the ship’s deck and holds a bow. There are also two owls. These birds represent wisdom, erudition, and discernment, and in Greek mythology, they are associated with the goddess Athene.
The boat with three oars sits steadily on the water: the artist details the waves and adds a symbol of hope in the form of a rising sun, whose rays cover the entire horizon. According to Greek mythology, the sun god Helios sailed across the river in a golden boat.
The graphic sign is stylized as a seal, with a round form and placed within a double ring with inscriptions. At the top is the Greek phrase “APO TO 1888”, indicating the year the company was founded. At the bottom are the founder’s name and surname: “S. Metaxa.”
Font and Colors
The Metaxa wordmark’s typography is ambiguous. On the one hand, the slogan is written in a bold serif typeface, similar to Goudy Handtooled FS Regular by FontSite Inc. or Nyte Book by DSType. On the other hand, the brand name is also in Antiqua, but it features thicker lines and shorter serifs. Most likely, it’s just a set of individual glyphs. For the round emblem, the designers used two fonts for the inscription: a bold, serifed one and a thin, handwritten one.
In the main logo, black and olive-yellow are combined, with the latter surrounding the letters in the word “METAXA.” White serves as the background. At the same time, all the logo outlines are dark blue, and the gaps are white.