For 130 years, the Ararat brand has embodied the traditions and impeccable quality of Armenian cognac. The product range of the plant is extremely diverse. At the moment, the products are exported to 40 countries of the world, and the annual turnover is up to 8 bottles!
cocktails with cognac
Cognac history of the brand Ararat
It all started in 1887, when the merchant of the first guild, Nerses Tairyants, wanted his area of influence to become somewhat wider. In this regard, he bought vineyards in the area of the village of Erivan Fortress. The first cognac, which was made at the new plant, received the French name “Fin-Champagne”. Twenty years of successful activity paid off – the plant was a profitable and profitable business. Retiring from business, Nerses sold it to Nikolai Shustov at a very favorable price.
Can you imagine a young couple of aristocrats or noble officers who, sitting in the best institutions of tsarist Russia, loudly demanded “a bottle of Shustov’s cognac”? But it was in this way that the brilliant merchant Nikolai Shustov “promoted” his brand.
Wagon stickers and hired actors aren’t everything. The apogee of development was the victory at the prestigious cognac competition in Paris, where the products of the Shustov factory took first place. The well-deserved award “Fin-Champagne Selected” opened the doors to many European countries for the enterprise.
The events of 1917 and forced nationalization became a new era in the development of the enterprise. The Shustov brandy factory was renamed into the Ararat brandy trust. And in the late 50s, he completely moved to a new building.
After the collapse of the USSR, the Ararat plant did not remain state-owned for long. The well-known enterprise was bought out in 1998 by the French trademark Pernod Ricard.
Cooking secrets and types
The pride of the Armenian land is made according to ancient technology. To make cognac, local grape varieties are used – Banants, Chilar, Voskehat, Kakhet, and Garandamak. This is the key rule.
The initial stage is the process of vinification of grapes. The resulting material is subjected to distillation to isolate cognac spirit. After the substance is formed, it is sent for aging. Traditionally, cognac product is aged for at least 3 years. Aging vessel – oak and enameled tubs with oak staves.
After assembling the matured spirits, blending is performed. In the process, syrup, sugar color is added. The final stage is the bottling of the resulting liquid in oak barrels for 1,5-3 years for the final aging. Cognac ready for bottling is cold treated and filtered.
The most popular types of cognac Ararat:
Ararat 3, 40%
Ararat 5, 40%
Ani, 40%
Selected, 40%
Akhtamar, 40%
Vaspurakan, 40%
Nairi, 40%
Armenia, 45%
Ararat 25 years, 40%
Erebuni, 40%
Dvin, 50%
what should be real cognac
Taste and classification
Armenian brandy is produced in three categories. Each option has its own characteristics of production and taste:
Ordinary Armenian cognac
A drink that is aged for 3 to 7 years. During the assembly process, alcohol acquires a light amber and golden yellow hue.
Vintage
Alcohol aged from 7 to 20 years. Storage in an oak barrel gives the drink special flavors: notes of tobacco, pine needles, and honey are felt. The final shade is citrus scale, soft aftertaste. The color of cognac is darker than ordinary. There are several subcategories: KV – cognac, aged up to 7 years; OS – very old, over 20 years old; KS – old cognac, 10–20 years old, as well as KVVK – high quality aged cognac (up to 10 years).
Collectible
Produced from vintage Armenian cognac by additional aging for 3 years. This is the strongest type, in the taste of which notes of hazelnuts, dried fruits and cloves are guessed. Like a vintage one, there can be several subcategories – KV, KVVS, KS, OS.
If you want to enjoy cognac from the Ararat brand, we recommend that you take a closer look at the 2nd and 3rd categories of drinks, it is these categories that truly reveal their “soul” to an alcohol connoisseur. And do not forget that it is customary to savor such alcohol in small sips. You can find other traditions of drinking cognac here.
famous cognac brands
Relevance: 12.07.2018
Tags: Brandy and Cognac, Brandy Brands