The Ararat Brandy Factory: Cognac at it's Finest...

When in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, one place you must absolutely visit is the Ararat Brandy Factory. Located just minutes away from the Dolma Mall you can’t miss it as it sits on top of the hill next to the river. Armenian brandy/cognac is world renowned and the winner of various awards of excellence. Drinking cognac is a big part of Armenian culture and a national treasure to say the least. Established in 1887 due to Nerses Tairyan he quickly built a thriving business due to the high quality of the local grapes. In just 25 years Armenian brandy gained worldwide recognition and would gain a loyal following some of history’s most well known leaders.  For example, after being introduced to Armenian brandy at the Yalta Conference after World War 2 Winston Churchill loved it so much he had a cases of Armenian brandy sent to him on a monthly basis.  

The Ararat Brandy Factory offers daily tours and just make a reservation to get it in the language you want. They offer two types of tours, the basic costs 4,500 AMD or 9 USD and at the end of the tour they will give you a sample of the 3 and 10 year cognac. The premium tour costs 10,000 AMD or 20 USD and at the end of the tour they will give you a sample of the 10, 15, and 20 year old cognac. My friends and I could only afford to do the basic tour this time but next time we’ll definitely do the premium tour. I did the tour in the middle of December but plan to go back in the summer.

The tour began with our guide showing us where most of the grapes are harvested. The grapes are taken from the Ararat region in the south, Tavu region in the northeast, and the Nagorno Karabakh region in the east. Many Armenians will tell you that the Ararat region is where life began after the waters receded from the great flood. Mt. Ararat, which is only minutes away, is the site believed by many Armenians to where Noah’s Ark is located. This is why the grapes are so delicious! Our guide told us that there are four sites where the barrels are stored due to the numerous earthquakes that Armenia incurs. Each site holds about 10,000 barrels and stored separately to prevent catastrophic earthquake loss.

The next part of the tour is watching an interactive video of how grapes are twice distilled and then how barrels are hand made. It’s an amazing site to see how barrels are made from the Caucasian oak trees. The carpenters can produce one barrel per day and each barrel can hold about 300 liters. The only water they use for blending is water from the Katnaghbyur spring.

Moving along we enter the Peace Room where a barrel was set aside and created when conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno Karabagh region began in 1994. The hope was that once the conflict ended peacefully that both sides would open up the barrel and celebrate. Guests are allowed to write on the walls and the peace barrel itself. This is the only location in Armenia where the Azerbaijani flag stands.

My favorite part of the tour, other than the drinking the samples at the end, was the Head of State room. Since Armenian brandy was famous and adored by many, Prime Ministers and other important leaders from various countries would stop by the factory. Lined up you can see a barrel signed and a plaque given by various heads of states. I was quite happy to see Lech Walesa, the former President of Poland and head of the Solidarity Movement visit this place. Above the stacked barrels you can see pictures of the heads of state visiting. One particular thing to notice is the wooden scale in the center of the room. Here, the head of state would sit on it and bottles of weight would be weighed against him/her and then given as a token of appreciation. Sadly, the rules changed after former Russian president Boris Yeltsin visited since he was quite a larger than life personality. Now they just give a few cases out to honored guests. It’s quite an amazing site to see all these important people visiting here.

Next, we were able to see through the window where all the thousands of barrels were stored. Every year, barrels lose about 10% due to evaporation and the staff calls it “angels” getting their share of the cognac. Next to this window was a vaulted door with a fancy access pad for entry. I can only imagine that’s where all mixing, blending, and magic happens.

Afterwards we were shown a showcase of all the various medals and awards were given and all the varieties of cognac they have to offer. Behind the glass case you can still see a vintage bottle that was made in 1902. I can’t imagine how expensive it would be it must taste like heaven. On the walls you toward the starting point you can see pictures of the many celebrities that have visited here as well as very large wooden vats.

The tour itself is less than half an hour but if you’re into spirits or just want to learn about Armenian culture this is the place to start. Finally, the samples of cognac are given at the end along with some chocolate. If you’d like, you can also purchase a bottle of your choosing and even have your name put on a bottle for memory’s sake! I bought a 10 year old bottle but will try and save up for the 30 year bottle for next time.