Top 10 Armenian cognacs

The history of Armenian cognac begins in 1887. Merchant Nerses Tairyan began producing his own drink at a factory located in the territory of the former Erivan fortress. Armenian cognac has proven its high quality by numerous victories at international exhibitions. Now there are more than 20 cognac factories in Armenia, and there are countless home producers.

We interviewed locals, studied the opinions of experts and the Gradus Gallery alcohol market rankings to compile 10 best Armenian cognacs so that you don't get lost in a huge number of brands and choose a drink to your taste.

Contents

1. Armenian cognac
2. 10th place - "Mane"
3. 9th place - "Nemrut"
4. 8th place - "Vanuhi"
5. 7th place - "Dvin"
6. 6th place - "Sardarapat"
7. 5th place - "Nairi"
8. 4th place - "Vaspurakan"
9. 3rd place - "Great-grandfather"
10. 2nd place - "Charles Aznavour"
11. 1st place - "Akhtamar"
12. How to choose a cognac
13. Cognac as a gift

Armenian cognac

To begin with, let's try to understand the very concept of "cognac". This is a type of brandy first made in the city of Cognac in France. Only the brandy produced in this city and its region can be named cognac. Accordingly, the drink which is usually called cognac in the CIS countries is considered brandy in the rest of the world. Nevertheless, in this article we will continue to refer to Armenian strong alcoholic drink as cognac.

For cognac production slightly unripe white grapes are harvested. Varieties used: Voskehat, Garan Dmak, Kangun, Mskhali, Chilar, Georgian Rkatsiteli and others. The strength is not less than 40% ABV. Most often, Armenian cognac is not light, but a shade of chestnut or bronze.

The most popular producers are “Ararat”, “Noy” and “Ijevan”. You can visit these factories on a tour, learn about how cognac is made and taste it. There are always stores at factories where products are cheaper than in supermarkets. But since not everyone has the opportunity to get into production, we will indicate prices from Yerevan City or online stores Supermarket.am and Gnel.am.

You will find more supermarkets in our directory.

10th place - "Mane"

8-year-old "Mane" is produced at the Proshyan brandy factory. At first you will feel the aroma of chocolate and spices. Then you will taste the chocolate, oak bark, and for a long time you will have an exciting aftertaste. Strength: 40% ABV, 0.5 l price in Yerevan City is 5 590 AMD.

9th place - "Nemrut"

This 20-year-old cognac was recommended to us by tourists and locals. It is produced at the Ijevan factory using 15 types of alcohol. Thanks to this, notes of walnut, plum and pear are present in the taste. Of course, the age and unusual taste affect the high cost of the cognac: the price for 0.5 l in Yerevan City is 27,770 AMD. Its strength is 40% ABV.

8th place - "Vanuhi"

White grape varieties Garan Dmak and Lalvar are grown on the Ijevan plantations especially for the production of this 7-year-old cognac. They then add the French grape variety Pinot Blanc. The result is a drink with a bright aroma of nuts, spices, chocolate and caramel. The taste is dominated by chocolate and fruits. Strength is 40% ABV, price for 0.5 l on Supermarket.am is 6 490 AMD.

7th place - "Dvin"

We could not exclude from our top 10 the 10-year-old Dvin collection cognac, which has been produced at the Ararat factory since the 1940s. As you know, Joseph Stalin treated Winston Churchill to this cognac at the Yalta Conference in 1945. The legend has it that Churchill liked the Armenian cognac so much that he was supplied with new batches every month. Dvin is a strong 50% ABV aged cognac. People love it for the aroma of tobacco, dried fruits and spicy taste with hints of hazelnut. The status and popularity of cognac also affect the price: it costs 31,650 AMD for 0.7 liters in Yerevan City supermarket.

6th place - "Sardarapat"

Another product of the Proshyan factory is the 20-year-old Sardarapat. Customers praise this cognac for how soft and velvety it feels. The taste is dominated by chocolate, fruits and spices. strength: 40% ABV, 0.75 l price in Yerevan City is 30 190 AMD.

5th place - "Nairi"

We continue to talk about 20-year-old cognacs, and now its Ararat facotry's "Nairi" turn. 18 distillates are used for the production of this cognac one of which is aged for at least 55 years. The taste combines spices, honey and even toasted bread. Saying “real Armenian cognac”, connoisseurs mean this one: 40% ABV strength, 0.5 l price in Yerevan City is 38 990 AMD.

4th place - "Vaspurakan"

Besides "Nairi", “Vaspurakan” is also considered a “real Armenian cognac”, also made by “Ararat” factory. It is a 15-year-old cognac. It is easy to drink due to its softness, sweetness and dried fruit flavor. Strenght is 40% ABV, price for 0.5 l in Yerevan City is 24 650 AMD.

3rd place - "Great-grandfather"

The top three cognacs begin with an 8-year-old "Great-grandfather" from the Proshyan factory. We rated it so high because of the combination of taste, cost and design. The tall, slender bottle is housed in a beautiful metal tube depicting Armenians in folk costumes from different regions. The distillate was aged in Artsakh oak barrels, so that later you would feel the taste of wood, chocolate and fruits. It is 40% ABV strong, 0.5 l price on Gnel.am is 4 800 AMD.

2nd place - "Charles Aznavour"

25-year-old cognac "Charles Aznavour" is the pride of the "Ararat" factory. The great chansonnier Charles Aznavour himself took part in the creation of the blend. This is a limited collection, but you should definitely try this cognac at least once. In its rich taste you will feel dried fruits, and chocolate and caramel in the aroma. This is a 40% ABV strong cognac, with price of 112,000 AMD for 0.75 l on Supermarket.am.

1st place - "Akhtamar"

And the best cognac in our ranking is the 10-year-old "Akhtamar" from Ararat. This choice is made mainly on the basis of the feedback from locals. So, no matter how beautifully experts and manufacturers tell us about different cognacs, in the end, we choose the one that is recommended by consumers like ourselves. This is a multilayer cognac in which there are notes of vanilla, prunes, berries and at the same time taste of walnut and oak are felt. And you will feel cinnamon in the aftertaste. This is a 40% ABV strong cognac, price for 0.5 l in Yerevan City is 13 090 AMD.

How to choose a cognac

Of course, when choosing cognac you can simply be guided by our ranking but it is still important to know what to look for not to buy a fake cognac.

• the beverage should be clear, without sediment;
• if you turn the bottle over, first you will see large, and then small bubbles;
• the cork should fit firmly to the neck of the bottle, the label should be clear. We advise to find a photo of cognac on the factory website before buying and compare it with the one in the store. For example, when counterfeiting "Ararat" they rarely keep the design of the bottle itself, since it is expensive to copy;
• there must be an excise stamp;
• if stars are drawn on the label, their number should match the indicated numbers;
• the composition should not contain dyes and flavors;
• the cost of 0.5 liters of a quality product cannot be less than about 2,000 AMD because of the cognac production technology;
• the smell should not give off acetone or kerosene;
• good cognac slowly flows down the walls of the glass. They say that drops or, as they call them, “tears of a woman” flow for as many seconds as cognac is yeras old.

Cognac as a gift

One of the most popular gifts from Armenia is cognac. Among the ones listed above, the following cognacs are suitable as a present:

• "Nemrut", 20 years old. It is sold in a beautiful package resembling a book. There is a gift option with two glasses;
• "Dvin", 10 years old. It is best to give to colleagues, as they call it a “diplomatic strong point” at the factory. They put this cognac on the table at many important meetings, including, as mentioned above, at the Yalta Conference in 1945;
• "Sardarapat", 20 years old. This is a premium gift cognac in a bright yellow package;
• "Charles Aznavour", 25 years old. Both the great chansonnier's fans, and just good cognac connoisseurs will be happy with this gift.

We will also add a few options that did not make it to our top 10:

• Chateau Namus, 30 years old. This collection drink has a long aftertaste. It is advised to give to those who prefer to smoke cigars, as they complement the taste of cognac;

• "King Tigran", 30 years old. This is a collection gift cognac from the Great Valley factory. It has a pleasant enveloping oily texture and a bright finish with vanilla and spices.

If you want to bring small souvenirs, then Ararat has cognacs with a volume of 0.05, 0.20 / 0.25 liters. These are three-, five-year-old drinks, "Ani", "Akhtamar", "Nairi" (0.25 l). The Noy factory has cognacs in small volumes of different aging under the name Classic.

You can surprise one with an unusual taste of apricot or coffee cognac from the Ararat or Ijevan factory. Ararat has also an interesting cherry cocktail.

There are so many brands of cognac in Armenia that you will definitely be able to find the one that you like the most. We hope that we were able to help you with this difficult task. We can just add that they don’t argue about tastes, but share their preferences. You can share in the comments what kind of Armenian cognac you like and why.