Metaxa Grande Fine

I have my doubts about Metaxa, as they seem to take unaged brandy and add flavorings, similar to Drambuie or flavored vodkas. However, I recall reading about someone's tour of the Metaxa distillery where they tried some very old expressions and found them to be excellent. I decided to purchase this bottle, which should represent a mid-to-high-end Metaxa and is presented in a ceramic container. Nose: Unfortunately, this has a very off-putting aroma. It's quite young, with alcohol, artificial citrus, and sugar. It brings to mind Veil flavored vodkas. There are some other notes present, like floral, caramel, and fruit, but it's thin with an unpleasantly sweet artificial character. Faint herbs and vegetation are also detectable. Yuck. This is actively disagreeable. Palate: Ugh, this is difficult to drink! It truly resembles those Veil flavored vodkas I sampled years ago. It's young and artificially sweet. It has floral and slightly herbal notes, not harsh, but syrupy. This expression is richer than those vodkas, with fewer artificial notes. Hints of caramel and wood richness are present but very subtle. I wouldn't guess this has aged even six months. There's a distinct apple brandy note reminiscent of Mischief, but it's overshadowed by the awful artificial and youthful flavors. There's a little spiciness with a touch of harshness, but not much. Definite vegetal notes blend directly into the slightly rubbery artificial flavors. Gross. Finish: Vegetal, sweet, artificial, with some fruit, citrus, and light caramel. A hint of rainbow peppercorn. Honestly, I can't get past the artificial flavor and the odd, youthful vegetal character. - Conclusion - Recalling Veil's flavored vodkas, I can't rate this lower than a 6, probably not lower than a 7. Compared to Wheatley (14/23), this tastes a bit worse. I'm currently thinking this will struggle to reach a 9. Ry3 (8/23) is almost the opposite, with its intense burn and more traditional flavors (though rye mixed with rum, obviously). Ugh, I'm inclined to think the Ry3 is superior. The palate here is quite nauseating. I believe this is closer to a 7. I didn't have high hopes, but this is still a significant disappointment. I won't be buying any more Metaxa unless I see numerous exceptional reviews for a truly premium release – not this garbage. At least the bottle has a nice appearance. Wow, Dudognon Reserve (10/23) is considerably better than this when tasted side-by-side. Yes, this is really not good. This is truly bad. Reflecting on Grant's (7/23), I find more to dislike and less to appreciate here. It's not a vast difference, but I'm now considering a 6 for this. I'm not sure it's unpleasant enough to warrant a 5, but I can confidently assign a rating as low as a 6. Ugh. It's terrible.

Notes of raisin/prunes, vanilla, smoky oak, dark caramel sweetness akin to Monk Fruit, and faint citrus hints. Exceptionally smooth.

This is certainly a gentler, more mature, and sweeter variation of Metaxa, enjoyable neat, perfect for a "dessert" moment.