5 Best Greek Spirits in the World

Greek spirits don’t get nearly enough credit. While the rest of the world obsesses over Scotch and mezcal, Greece has been producing some of the most distinctive bottles on the market, drawing on ingredients like mastic resin from Chios, wild-foraged herbs and olive-based distillation that you simply won’t find anywhere else. This list is ranked using The Daily Pour Critics’ Score, which aggregates scores from the most trusted critics across the internet. Five spirits, one country, all stellar picks.

5. Metaxa Private Reserve

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Metaxa Private Reserve Orama is the most storied bottle on this list, and at around $87, it carries the price tag to match. Master blenders Constantinos Raptis and Konstantinos Kalpaxidis built this one from aged wine distillates (some resting in Limousin oak for up to 30 years), Muscat wines from Samos and a blend of Mediterranean botanicals that includes rose petals. The result is bottled at 40% ABV in limited annual batches, and the House of Metaxa clearly treats this as its crown jewel. On the palate, expect dried fruit and honey with a caramel warmth threading through notes of oak and sweet spice, finishing long in a way that reminds you this is closer to a contemplative sipper than a mixer. An 89 from our critics is honest: this is a very good bottle, not a perfect one, but it earns its place as a gateway into what Greek brandy can achieve at its most ambitious.

4. Verino Antica Mastiha Liqueur

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At around $29, Verino Antica Mastiha Liqueur is the kind of bottle that makes you feel smarter for buying it. Produced by a small family-run distillery in the Peloponnese using mastic resin sourced from Chios, it clocks in at a gentle 28% ABV and leans into a sweet, creamy palate lifted by floral notes of lavender and chamomile. Mastic may sound unusual to American palates, but Verino’s take, which earned a 90-point rating, makes a compelling case for keeping a bottle in permanent rotation. The low ABV makes it approachable for people who don’t usually reach for liqueurs, and the price means there’s no reason to be precious with it.

3. Stray Dog Wild Gin

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Stray Dog Wild Gin has a backstory worth rooting for (a portion of every sale goes to animal welfare organizations in Greece), but the liquid earns its 91 on its own merits. Produced in small batches using traditional copper pot stills and bottled at 43.5% ABV, this organic dry gin pulls its botanical character from wild-foraged sage, rosemary and bay leaf alongside citrus and mastiha, and the result is a savory, full-bodied gin that smells like a sun-baked hillside in the Aegean. The sage leads on the palate in a way that feels bold rather than culinary, with lemon and orange keeping things bright and a smooth, complex finish that lingers without overstaying its welcome. At around $38, it’s the most food-friendly gin on the market right now and one of the clearest arguments for why Greece belongs in the craft spirits conversation.

2. Kástra Elión Vodka

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Olive-based vodka sounds like a gimmick until you pour Kástra Elión Vodka, and then it sounds like an obvious idea that everyone else missed. This family-owned distillery in Nafpaktos crafts its vodka from handpicked olives blended with grains and natural spring water, bottled at 40% ABV and priced at around $53. The profile is full-bodied in a way that most vodkas aren’t, with subtle ripe olive character and peppery undertones giving way to a soft, buttery finish that coats the palate rather than evaporating off it. A score of 92 from our critics reflects how well this executes on an original concept. The name comes from the castle overlooking the olive groves, and the bottle looks the part too, though it’s the liquid that justifies the premium.

1. Roots Mastic

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Roots Mastic is the best Greek spirit on this list, and at around $35, it might be the best value in the entire category. Produced by Callicounis Distilleries and bottled by Roots Spirits at 28% ABV, it’s built on mastic resin distillate from Chios, and the flavor profile reads like nothing else in a spirits cabinet: lavender and coconut up front, then a piney, resinous mastic character that feels ancient and completely modern at the same time. Our critics gave it a 94, the highest score in this roundup, and it’s easy to understand why. Mastic has been harvested on Chios for thousands of years, and Roots Mastic treats that ingredient with the seriousness it deserves rather than burying it under sweetness or alcohol heat. Sip it straight, serve it over ice or use it to elevate whatever cocktail you were planning to make.

Greece has one of the most distinctive ingredient pantries in the spirits world, and this list only scratches the surface. These five bottles are a strong starting point for anyone ready to move past the obvious categories and drink something with a real sense of place.