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Yerevan Brandy Company

The Ararat distillery sits high on a hill above the capital of Armenia, Yerevan. It’s named after the mountain that towers over the city, apparently where Noah landed following the flood. The country’s modern brandy industry dates back to 1877 when Nerses Tairyan introduced Cognac-style stills to Armenia. The most celebrated products, however, were produced in Yerevan by a Russian called Nikolay Shustov. One of his brandies won a gold medal, beating its French rivals, at the Paris Expo of 1900. The French were so impressed that they allowed Shustov to call his product ‘Cognac’. This was disallowed following World War II, but Armenian brandy is still known in the Russian-speaking world as konjak. In 1912, Shustov’s product got the official seal of approval from the czar.

During Soviet times, Armenia was designated as the brandy producer to the USSR. The magnificent Ararat distillery was built in 1953, featuring a communist-neo-classical-meets-Armenian-monastic style dates back to this period. Whereas wine quality suffered greatly under communism, the reputation of Armenian brandy remained high. It functioned as the Johnnie Walker Black Label of the Eastern Bloc. A bottle to the right person could cut through yards of Soviet red tape.

The economic turmoil following the fall of communism hit the industry hard. As Becky Sue Epstein writes in her book Brandy: “When the USSR disbanded distribution networks disappeared overnight and the market for Armenian brandy collapsed.” Nowadays, however, the industry is more stable. The two successor companies to Shustov’s are Noy, meaning Noah, and Ararat (aka The Yerevan Brandy Company) which since 1998 has been owned by Pernod Ricard.

To make the konyak, they use wine made from local grapes which is double-distilled and aged in East European oak casks. Ararat has its own on-site cooperage. It’s a huge concern, producing around 5.5 million bottles per year, that’s nearly the entire production of the Armagnac region. The master blender has a huge palette of brandies to make his blends from. They are generally sweetened, the Armenians tend to drink their brandies with dessert. The cheaper ones are very pleasant but once you get to 10 years and above, that is where the excitement starts.

Ararat Nairi 20 Year Old

70cl, 40%

A well-aged grape brandy from the Yerevan Brandy Company over in Armenia, Nairi is a 20 year old expression released as part of the Ararat range. A rich, woody, spiced and honeyed bottling!  More info

Ararat Nairi 20 Year Old
£86.45

Ararat Akhtamar 10 Year Old 50cl

50cl, 40%

Produced in Armenia, Ararat Akhtamar is a 10 year old brandy with a rich, fruity flavour. The brandy is made with a selection of wines and pure spring water.  More info

Ararat Akhtamar 10 Year Old 50cl
2
£33.64

Ararat 10 Year Old - Armenia Exclusive Collection

75cl, 45%

This is made by the Yerevan Brandy Company in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The country has a very long and proud brandy distilling heritage dating back to the 19th century, employing Cognac-style…  More info

Ararat 10 Year Old - Armenia Exclusive Collection
£56.95

Ararat 5 Year Old (50cl)

50cl, 40%

Aged for 5 years, this is a delicious grape brandy from Yerevan's Ararat range. It was made in Armenia with select wines and pure spring water.  More info

Ararat 5 Year Old (50cl)
£25.39

Ararat 5 Year Old

70cl, 40%

This 5 Year Old brandy hails from the Armenian Yerevan Brandy Company. It's produced from grapes and bottled for the Ararat range after being blended with pure spring water. An ideal candidate for…  More info

Ararat 5 Year Old
1
£28.95

Ararat 10 Year Old Yerevan Exclusive Collection

75cl, 57%

Ararat Yerevan 10 Year Old is a release from the Armenian brandy company is a rich and spicy brandy, celebrating the 2800th anniversary of the Armenian capital.  More info

Ararat 10 Year Old Yerevan Exclusive Collection
£69.50

Ararat Otborny 7 Year Old

70cl, 40%

A 7 year old brandy from Armenian producer Ararat in Yerevan (the capital city of Armenia). Richly spiced, with layers of juicy fruit notes underneath.  More info

Ararat Otborny 7 Year Old
1
£34.95

Ararat 3 Year Old

70cl, 40%

A 70cl bottling of Ararat 3 Star, a spicy, dry 3 year old grape brandy from Armenia.  More info

Ararat 3 Year Old
£29.33

Ararat Erebuni 30 Year Old

70cl, 40%

Incredibly well-aged Armenian brandy from Ararat, matured for 30 years! A rich, decadent expression, made with a blend of 30 different brandies – most certainly one to sip and savour. It was named…  More info

Ararat Erebuni 30 Year Old
£587.33

Ararat 7 Year Old - Otborny Exclusive Collection

75cl, 40%

Seven-year-old brandy from Armenia's Yerevan Brandy Company which employs Cognac-style double distillation when processing its locally sourced grapes. Brimming with vibrant layers of fresh fruits,…  More info

Ararat 7 Year Old - Otborny Exclusive Collection
£50.95

Ararat Akhtamar 10 Year Old

70cl, 40%

A 10 year old Armenian brandy from the Ararat brand. The Yerevan Brandy Company even has its own cooperage to create the barrels to age their rich, spicy brandies.  More info

Ararat Akhtamar 10 Year Old
8
Best Seller

Ararat Coffee

70cl, 30%

Ararat Coffee combines renowned Armenian Ararat brandy with the warm and toasty flavours of coffee. Armenian coffee, or 'soorj', is a strong and much-loved affair and this nod to that ought to add a…  More info

Ararat Coffee
2

Ararat Nairi 20 Year Old

50cl, 40%

Made by the Yerevan Brandy Company, Nairi is a 20 year old grape brandy from the Ararat range. It is produced in Armenia.  More info

Ararat Nairi 20 Year Old
4

Ararat Vaspurakan 15 Year Old

70cl, 40%

A well-aged 15-year-old brandy from Ararat in Armenia, produced from local grapes. This particular edition is a tribute to the blender, Markar Sedrakyan, who was from the region of Vaspurakan. One to…  More info

Ararat Vaspurakan 15 Year Old
Best Seller

Ararat Apricot

70cl, 35%

Renowned Armenian brandy, Ararat gets a twist with juicy apricot flavour. Bottled at 35% ABV, it's delicious sipped neat, but will also make fabulous addition to all manner of mixed serves, like a…  More info

Ararat Apricot
Best Seller

Ararat Dvin 10 Year Old

70cl, 50%

10 year old Armenian Brandy from the Ararat range, named after the Armenian Medieval capital Dvin. This expression was first produced all the way back in 1945, and has continued to be rather popular…  More info

Ararat Dvin 10 Year Old
1

Ararat 3 Year Old (50cl)

50cl, 40%

Made by the Yerevan Brandy Company, Ararat 3 Star is a 3 year old grape brandy from Armenia.  More info

Ararat 3 Year Old (50cl)

Ararat 25 Year Old Charles Aznavour Signature Blend

70cl, 40%

25 year old Armenian brandy from the Ararat brand, this expression was made to celebrate the career and life of French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour! He even took part in the tasting of some of…  More info

Ararat 25 Year Old Charles Aznavour Signature Blend

Ararat Vaspurakan 15 Year Old

50cl, 40%

Ararat Vaspurakan is an Armenian brandy produced by the Yerevan Brandy Company. It is aged for 15 years and has a sweet, complex flavour.  More info

Ararat Vaspurakan 15 Year Old
1

Ararat Ani 6 Year Old

70cl, 40%

Thinking about exploring the world of Armenian brandy? This is a brilliant place to start! Ararat Ani 6 Year Old is a deliciously fruit-forward expression, boasting notes of prune, pear, and plum,…  More info

Ararat Ani 6 Year Old

Ararat 6 Year Old

50cl, 40%

A cracking Armenian Brandy.  More info

Ararat 6 Year Old
2

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