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.
Metaxa: Brand overview
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 of which were 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 set foot in space. And 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 of Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Germany, Serbia, Russia, and many other countries, where the glory of elite cognac reached, were also admirers of this brand.
The company owes its creation to Spyros Metaxa, an avid traveler and wine enthusiast. He founded the distillery in 1888 and named it after himself. The word “Metaxa” translates from Greek as “silk” because many generations of the Spyros family traded in this textile material. Now it symbolizes the silky taste of drinks, to which Mediterranean plants, wine distillates, and Muscat wines give a rich softness, and French oak barrels give a typical velvety flavor.
What is Metaxa?
This is a distinctive Greek alcoholic beverage, occupying 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.
Bottles with luxurious labels underscore the brandy’s elitism. Each star marks one year of aging, with the drink’s maturation process taking at least three years. In addition, the label 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. And 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 throwing weapon, 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 is steadily on the water: the artists have detailed the waves and added a symbol of hope in the form of the rising sun, which covers the entire horizon with its rays. According to Greek mythology, the sun-god Helios sailed across the river on 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. And at the bottom are the name and surname of the man who founded it: “S. Metaxa.”
Font and Colors
The typography of the word mark Metaxa 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. As for the round emblem, the designers used two fonts for its 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.