Yerevan Brandy Factory — Attraction in Ararat Province

When I was in Yerevan 🇦🇲 last year, I visited the Ararat Brandy Factory 🥃. Before I get into the history of the factory, it’s important to explain the importance of Ararat. 🗻

Armenia was the first Christian nation ✝️, and there’s no surprise there. After the flood, Noah’s Ark landed on a beautiful mountain, Mount Ararat. 🗻 Ararat is one of the two peaks Armenia is famous for, with little Masis next to it.

During the Armenian Genocide, when the turks murdered 1.5 million Armenians, they took Ararat and Masis, and since then the two mountains have been a painful but beautiful reminder of the resistance of the Armenian people. 🇦🇲

Now, the brandy part. 🥃 The Armenian people, who used to be the Urartu, in the 7th century BC used clay jars, grape seeds and sulfur to create wine! 🍷 Greek historians have verified this wine 🍷 was exported to many different countries, 3k years ago!

The factory is located in the Hrazdan Gorge, inside the former Erivan Fortress, which was originally founded by Armenians in the order of King Sassanian. After years of war, take overs, and natural disaster, this factory became the most famous brandy 🥃 factory in the world.

Nerses Tairyan, the founder, purchased the fortress, and founded the wine 🍷 factory in 1877! With the help of Mkrtich Musinyanc, they expanded the factory to produce brandy 🥃 as well. With the marketing genius of Nikolay Shustov, Ararat Brandy made its way into every fine dining restaurant.

A fun little fact! Winston Churchill would ONLY drink Armenian Brandy. 🥃

The factory is amazing! The tours are super informative, the shop has the best little chocolate 🍫 treats to take home, and you have to do a brandy 🥃 tasting before...

This, from first sight civil, company is exploiting its employees. They are forced to work on weekends, after work hours and even during vacation. And obviously no one gets any extra payment for that.

It's disappointing to see a multimillion dollar company like Ararat taking advantage of its workers and not paying them fairly. Shame!

If you want to support an unethical employer then go ahead and buy...

Посетили музей компанией из 6 человек 16 февраля 2025 г. Увидев нас за входными воротами за 15 мин до начала работы, проводили нас в зал ожидания. Экскурсию предваряла дегустация коньяков Арарат 25 мл 3-летней выдержки и Ани 25 мл 7-летней выдержки. Очаровательная экскурсовод Ани поделилась с нами секретами подготовки и пития этого напитка. Мы получили много интересной и полезной информации о заводе, производимом продукте, людях, владеющих искусством купажа, традициях армянского народа, связанных с этим напитком. Рекомендация Ани "дышать глубже" во время экскурсии по коридорам музея дала свой эффект: у 2-х человек из нашей компании, воздержавшихся от дегустации, Алкотестер, расположенный здесь же, показал наличие алкоголя в выдыхаемом воздухе, причем в размерах, недопустимых для водителей авто. Но не дышать в музее полной грудью просто не возможно. Запах фруктов, орехов, ванили создавал неповторимую атмосферу. После экскурсии мы уже по-другому смотрели на этот благородный напиток, осознавая, что главная роль отводится процессу пития, Мы благодарны нашему экскурсоводу Ани, показавшей высокий профессионализм, любовь к своей работе и уважение к посетителям.* С уважением,...