During a 2013 meeting at his personal villa in Sochi, Russian president Vladimir Putin gave British Prime Minister David Cameron a bottle of Armenian brandy as a gift, recalling Stalin's offering to Churchill in 1945. [9] Brands [ edit ] My favorite part of the tour was when our guide explained the Peace Barrel, which is a barrel of Ararat Brandy waiting to be opened only when the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia is resolved. She also joked that this is the only place in Armenia where you will find an Azerbaijan flag. The country currently produces around 20 million liters, about 5.7 million gallons, 90 percent of which is exported.

Ararat (stylized as ArArAt) is a brand of Armenian brandy produced by the Yerevan Brandy Company since 1887. [1] [ verification needed] It is made from white grapes and spring water, according to a traditional method. The brand's "ordinary brandies" are aged between 3 and 6 years. Its "aged brandies" are between 10 and 30 years old. The factory is mainly famous for its Noy and Kremlin Award Armenian brandy brands. The products are exported to many countries of the CIS and Europe, as well as the United States and Australia.This particular type of oak (which is also known as Persian oak) is said to be the reason Armenian brandies boast delicate aromas of dried herbs and fruit, along with chocolate and the mineral elements that they’re renowned for. The vineyards of Armenia After the tour, you’ll be taken to the tasting room where you can finally try the highly raved about Ararat Brandy.

Sadly, the Armenian brandy market is flooded with counterfeits—in fact, it’s one of the most faked products in the country. This means that purchasing should be carried out with a healthy dose of due diligence—in other words, only buy from reputable sources. Armenian Brandy Producers The history of the oldest brand of Armenian brandy ARARAT began more than 130 years ago, in 1887, when the first brandy production in Armenia was founded. The spirit of pioneering, laid down by the founders Nerses and Vasily Tairyan, became the brand’s guide throughout its history: the first vintage cognac, the first international recognition at the 1902 World Exhibition in France, the birthplace of cognac. And today ARARAT, presented in 35 countries, is the first global brand of Armenian cognac. On April 21, 2016, the factory presented its new products of "Noy 30" and "Noy 50" year old Armenian brandy. [3] The ceremony took place in the Multi Grand Hotel at the north of Yerevan, with the presence of president Serzh Sargsyan. [4] For a brief time, one Armenian producer, Nikolay Shustov, did have the right to label his brandy as Cognac. Shustov was the official supplier of Armenian brandy to the court of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II. His company, Shustov & Sons, eventually became the Yerevan Brandy Company, Armenia’s largest brandy producer.

Trivialities

Caucasian oak is believed to impart flavors of dried fruit, dried herbs, as well as vanilla and chocolate notes. All of which are aroma and taste elements closely associated with Armenian brandy. Sadly (for Shustov, at least) this privilege was short-lived, and was revoked a few years later. Today they can’t even use the Russian term of Kanyak to label their brandy (as this is a direct translation of the word Cognac). The Armenian government appealed this in 2013, but were turned down—hence today they can only sell it under the name of brandy or Armenian brandy. From Provincial Drinking to Global Recognition

Overall the tour was relatively short (30 minutes), and unlike the name suggests, you do not actually visit any part of the brandy factory (it’s more like a museum). Still, I felt like it was well done and our guide’s passion for brandy made the tour fun and informative. INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ARARAT BRANDY To qualify as a Collection, the brandy must be produced from a Branded eau-de-vie and then further matured in oak barrels for a minimum of another three years. It’s also very common to see Armenian brandy with age statements, such as 5-year, 10-year, 20-year, etc. The legendary Dvin Armenian Brandy has been aged for 30 years All of the trees used to make the barrels must be from Armenia and must be at least 100 years old (they also are constantly replanting). The color is a rich mahogany with a reddish cast. On the nose, there are floral aromas followed by dried fruit notes of raisin and fig and a hint of waxiness.Renamed Shustov and Sons, the company took full advantage of the Russian love for Cognac, bringing Armenian Kanyak (or Konyak) to the tables of influential figures, such as Tsar Nicholas II. Yerevan Ararat Brandy Factory, officially known as the Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory ( Armenian: Երևանի Արարատ կոնյակի-գինու-օղու կոմբինատ), commonly known with its famous brand Noy, is a leading Armenian brandy production company in Yerevan, Armenia, currently owned by Gagik Tsarukyan's Multi Group Concern. It was founded in 1877 during the rule of the Russian Empire. The factory is located on the left bank of Hrazdan river at the centre of Yerevan, occupying the area of the historic Erivan Fortress.