Yerevan Brandy Company ( (''Yerevani Konyaki Gortsaran'')), commonly known with its famous brand "ArArAt", is the leading enterprise of

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

for the production of

cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cogn ...

. It was founded in 1887, during the period of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. After the Sovietization of Armenia, the factory became a state-owned enterprise. In 1999, the government of independent Armenia sold the factory to the French

Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard () is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis (often referred to simply as ''Pernod'' or '' Ricard''). The world's second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also produ ...

company for distilled beverages. The variety of the company's cognac products are labeled and publicized as ArArAt. The company owns another factory in the town of Armavir, operating since 1966.

History

The Yerevan Brandy Company was founded in 1887 within the territories of the Erivan Fortress, by the wealthy 1st guild merchant Nerses Tairyan (Nerses Tairov), with the help of his cousin Vasily Tairov. However, the winery reached its hey-day in 1899, when it was leased to the

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n businessman Nikolay Shustov, who was a well-known

vodka Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...

and liqueur producer. In 1900, the factory was fully acquired by Shustov to become known as "Shustov and Sons". Shustov's company became the main supplier of the Imperial Majesty's court of Russia. During the International Exhibition in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1900, Shustov's Armenian

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

received the Grand-Prix and the legal right to be called "

", following a blind

degustation Dégustation is the careful, appreciative tasting of various food, focusing on the gustatory system, the senses, high culinary art and good company. Dégustation is more likely to involve sampling small portions of all of a chef's signature dis ...

. In 1948, in connection with the reorganization of the Yerevan Ararat Wine-Brandy Factory (known until 1940 as the ''Shustov Factory''), the factory building was separated into 2 entities: the Yerevan Ararat Brandy Factory and the Yerevan Brandy Factory. Yerevan Brandy Company 1

As a separate entity, the Yerevan Brandy Factory was transferred to a new building in 1953 constructed specifically for the production of brandy. It was designed by architect ''Hovhannes Margaryan''. The new building stands on a high plateau at the western end of the Victory Bridge of

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

, on the right bank of Hrazdan River, opposite to the Yerevan Ararat Brandy Factory. With its nine austere arches, and long flight of steps leading to it, the building is hailed as one of the best architectural examples of the Soviet architecture in Yerevan. Between 1953 and 1991, the Yerevan Brandy Factory was granted the rights to become the plant to produce Armenian cognac within the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. ''Markar Sedrakian'' was among the notable chief technologist of the factory who served form 1948 until 1973, to achieve the title of the '' Hero of Socialist Labor'' in 1966. After the collapse of the Soviet rule, the Yerevan Brandy Factory was sold by the Government of Armenia to French distiller

for $30 million during June 1998, after competitive bidding organized by Admiralty Investment Group of New Zealand and

Merrill Lynch Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, doing business as Merrill, and previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investm ...

International of London. Within the factory territories, the company also runs the "Ararat Heritage Center Museum and Shop" open for public tours. In 2001, a ''Peace Barrel'' was set for aging within the heritage center of the factory, in honor of the visit of

OSCE Minsk Group The OSCE Minsk Group was created in 1992 by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), now Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to encourage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the conflict between ...

co-chairs. The barrel will be opened only when the Karabakh conflict is resolved.

Armenian cognac production

The ArArAt Armenian cognac is derived from the grapes of the fertile fields of the Ararat plain, Tavush region as well as

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its ter ...

. In April 1999, on the initiative of Yerevan Brandy Company, a new standard was introduced in Armenia named "Armenian Cognac", which rigidly regulates the production of this beverage. Yerevan Brandy Company remains the uncontested leader on the volume of production and the export of Armenian brandy. Many retired brands of the company are inaccessible to the retail network and can only be obtained from the factory's shop. The Yerevan Brandy Company's trademark is registered in 47 countries. Currently, the company's products are exported to more than 25 countries, including

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

Cognac brands

Currently, the Yerevan Brandy Company produces a variety of ArArAt Armenian cognac under several brands, including:list of cognac products
/ref> *ArArAt Erebuni, 30 years old. *ArArAt Nairi, 20 years old. *ArArAt, 3, 5 and 25 years old. *ArArAt Tonakan, 15 years old. *ArArAt Akhtamar, 10 years old. *ArArAt Otborny, 7 years old. *ArArAt Ani, 6 years old. *ArArAt Dvin, collection. *ArArAt Armenia, collection. Retired brands include "Ararat Vaspurakan" 15 years old, ''ArArAt Kilikia'' 30 years old, ''ArArAt Sparapet'' 40 years old and ''ArArAt Noah's Ark'' 70 years old.

References

External links

Official websiteYerevan Brandy Company
{{coord, 40, 10, 36.02, N, 44, 29, 49.83, E, type:landmark_region:AM, display=title Companies of Armenia Food and drink companies established in 1887 Armenian brands Armenian distilled drinks Distilleries in Armenia Yerevan Drink companies of the Soviet Union Wineries of Armenia Companies nationalised by the Soviet Union 1887 establishments in the Russian Empire

History

Armenian cognac production

Cognac brands

See also

References

External links