“Brandy production is a journey of mastery, passion, and deep respect for the craft. It involves a series of intricate stages—from the careful selection of grapes, through distillation, aging, and finally blending—all leading to the creation of a product to be savored and appreciated,” Hamlet Antonyan tells Maxim. “Among these stages, blending is perhaps the most creative and artistic. As the saying goes: ‘Distillation is science, aging is patience, but blending is the art.’”
As the Head of Production at the Yerevan Brandy Company, makers of Ararat Armenian Brandy, Antonyan stresses the importance of the blending process in the crafting of any brandy. But while Cognac is of course by far the most famous brandy, passionate enthusiasts worldwide are eagerly discovering options from Armagnac to California, from Spain to Armenia, each offering its own unique twist on the beloved category.
And just as cognac is carefully protected by Denomination Of Origin laws, so too is Armenian brandy. While brandies are traditionally made from all sorts of fruits—apple, peach, apricot, etc.— to be classified as ‘Armenian Brandy’ the spirit can only be made from grapes. Moreover, only a few varietals can be used—including ancient indigenous white varietals like Mskhali, Garan Dmak, and Voskehat—the “queen” of Armenian grapes, highly prized for its aromatic complexity, bursting with rich floral, tropical fruit and mineral notes.
“There are hundreds of nuances which make Ararat Armenian brandy so special,” Antonyan shares, listing such factors as the unique high-altitude climate and terroirs of the Vayots Dzor province where most of their grapes are grown, the nuances of Caucasian oak which the barrels are made of, the double distillation in copper pot stills, and even the “unmatched collection of rare spirits” the esteemed master blender has inherited from his predecessors over the centuries. “But to me the greatest factor that determines the quintessence of Ararat is the people which create Ararat,” he adds. “The team which every single day creates Ararat Armenian brandy is not a set of high profile specialists, but passionate enthusiasts endlessly ready to refine their mastery.”
On a recent trip to the ancient South Caucasus nation, we were exposed to not just the exceptionalism of their brandy but also of their winemaking. After all, the oldest winery ever discovered lies in the heart of Armenia: the Areni-1 cave dating back to 4,100 BC, considerably older than any winery anywhere. Walking through the giant cave, one can still see the wine press and clay fermentation vats buried in the soil under protective glass. Here Vitis vinifera grape seeds, the same species still cultivated today, were found dating back over 5,000 years.
Despite its ancient history as vintners, during the long post-World War II Soviet era the powers that be in the Kremlin gifted the production of wine to Armenia’s northern neighbor, Georgia. Simultaneously they recognized Armenia’s virtuosity in brandy, designating the world’s first Christian country specialize in distilling brandy for the entire Soviet Union—meaning that while Armenian wine took a pause in commercial production, its skill in brandy-making evolved with great prolificacy.
“With this in mind, it’s important to highlight the legacy of Ararat Armenian brandy, shaped by generations of celebrated master blenders. One of the most remarkable among them was Margar Sedrakyan,” Antonyan explains of Ararat’s most decorated Master Blender, a man whose portrait and words seem to hang on every wall of their headquarters in Yerevan. “Sedrakyan, the chief technologist of Ararat during the Soviet era,” Antonyan continues, “was a man of extraordinary biography and exceptional talent.” For decades Sedrakyan not only revolutionized Armenian brandy-making traditions whole cloth, he also created some of Ararat’s most enduring and iconic blends: Armenia, Nairi, and Yerevan, among many others.
“Notably, one of his creations was served at the historic Yalta Conference in 1945, attended by Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill,” Antonyan reveals of our Spirit Of the Week: Ararat Dvin. It is widely reported that there in Yalta Winston Churchill first tried Armenian brandy, and fell so in love with this Dvin expression that it became a staple in his life—a bottle of Dvin and a box of Romeo y Julieta cigars a constant on his desk, enjoyed daily. Some call this folklore, but the legend remains.
“His impact on the world of brandy was so profound that Nobel Prize-winning author Boris Pasternak once said: ‘Margar Sedrakyan made the world believe that brandy speaks Armenian.’”
Made from a marriage of multiple 10-year old brandy, Dvin excels because of Ararat’s aforementioned skills in blending. Beyond Dvin, Ararat crafts several expressions all using 10-year-old brandies—including their Akhtamar, Armenia and Yerevan bottles, each embodying a unique profile and philosophy. After a visit to the Ararat Museum, Communications Manager Zara Saribekyan leads me upstairs to a brightly sun-lit tasting room, and along with a specialist we run through a suite of these expressions. What’s remarkable is how each somehow offers a completely unique tasting experience, betraying the fact that many are composed of 10-year-old Ararat brandies.
“Brandy production is a journey of mastery, passion, and deep respect for the craft. “
Ararat Master Blender Hamlet Antonyan
One of the singular aspects of Dvin is that even when first created Sedrakyan insisted on a 50-percent ABV bottling, which Antonyan calls “unprecedented” for the time. “So, to attain the exquisite harmony of the blend Margar Sedrakyan found an innovative solution and let the brandy be additionally aged after blending for long period of time. Today we are very proud to recreate those recipes and serve to the true connoisseurs of fine spirits.”
Antonyan refers to Sedrakyan’s extra step of insisting Dvin rests for an additional three years after its been blended together, beyond its 10 years of maturation, which allows the potent brandy to mellow organoleptically to match the softer profile of traditional 40-percent ABV brandies. All the Ararat brandies labeled “Collection Reserve” make this demand—including another Sedrakyan benchmark created in 1947 for expeditions to the North Pole. Famously Sedrakyan bottled Yerevan at an even more potent 57-percent ABV to “warm the scientists with the Armenian sun, in severe weather conditions.”
When presented with Dvin the first thing that strikes you is the depth of color, a dark amber that quickly forms thick legs when you swirl around your snifter. The smell is redolent of sun-dried apricots, walnuts, dark chocolate and even a whiff of Churchill’s fine Cuban cigars. The tobacco leaf carries over to the palate, but is quickly overtaken by toasted hazelnut, caramelized fig, clove and warm vanilla. The mouthfeel is superb, coating your cheeks without feeling cloying or overwhelming. Perhaps this is a result of another Sedrakyan innovation: the insistence of using only pure Armenian spring water in the proofing and blending, as opposed to distilled water which was previously the norm.
Unsurprisingly Armenia and Russia remain Ararat’s strongest markets. Due to the long and profound connection between the Armenian diaspora and the country’s oldest brandy, however, Ararat is making significant gains here in America—with core portfolio options like Dvin, 3-Star and 5-Star, as well as ultra-premium Erebuni 30, 50 and halo 70 Year Old expressions. A new flavored range (with Apricot, Cherry, Honey and an exceptional Coffee option) is a hit with a younger clientele, while special edition blends like that celebrating legendary French/Armenian singer Charles Aznavour—which include brandies from pivotal moments of his life and career (e.g. a 1956 brandy from his debut performance at the Olympia in Paris; juice from 1960 from the premier of his hit “Je m’voyais déjà”)—are only adding to the brand’s global prestige and mystique.
“Ararat traditionally was and remains the benchmark in the sector of Armenian Brandy, and as you correctly mention Ararat for Armenians is an integral part of our culture and traditions,” Antonyan concludes. “When we Armenians are getting engaged, marry, baptize our children or are just having a heartfelt get-together—Ararat is always accompanying us.”
Still bottled at 50-percent ABV, Ararat Dvin makes for an exceptional brandy value found for around $80.
Follow Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.