Kizlyar Brandy Factory
A Russian producer of aged grape spirits, brandy, cognac-style products, and grape vodka based in Kizlyar, Dagestan.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Kizlyar Brandy Factory is a Russian alcoholic-beverage producer headquartered in Kizlyar, in the Republic of Dagestan. It is principally associated with aged grape spirits sold in Russia under brandy and cognac-related brand names, and it also produces grape vodka. The factory is regarded as one of Russia’s largest brandy producers and has historically been an important industrial enterprise in Dagestan. The industrial roots of Kizlyar’s spirits sector reach back to the nineteenth century, when viticulture and winemaking were already important parts of the local economy. A Russian Imperial regulation issued in 1884 encouraged more industrialized fruit and wine production. Georgian businessman David Sarajishvili subsequently established a major role in the development of local cognac production. He began producing grape alcohol in Kizlyar in the 1880s and matured it in barrels made from Caucasian mountain oak. The first reported shipment of Kizlyar grape alcohol to Moscow took place in 1885, a date commonly treated as the beginning of industrial cognac production in Russia. Organized cognac production followed in 1889. The factory’s development was interrupted by the prohibition of alcohol introduced at the beginning of the First World War. Soviet authorities reauthorized cognac production in 1924, although full recovery took longer. During the German advance in 1942, the plant was evacuated to Armenia, while much of its alcohol was transferred to the Tbilisi Cognac Factory. The operation returned to Kizlyar in 1947. Reconstruction and expansion continued through the 1950s, and a new production batch made from six- to seven-year-old spirit was released in 1955. Additional plant capacity and employee housing were developed through approximately 1960. During the Soviet period, the factory exported a substantial share of its strong alcoholic production, particularly to Western European markets. A new prohibition campaign beginning in 1985 forced the plant to make grape juice instead of alcoholic products. The closure of vineyards in Kizlyar and Tarumovsky district also created a raw-material shortage, requiring the factory to seek grapes from other regions and, at times, from Spain. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the business became the rental enterprise Dagvino in 1990. In 1998, it obtained a French certificate allowing its products to be marketed using the term cognac; previously, products exported from Kizlyar had generally been described as brandy. That same year, director Vladimir Grigoriants and his wife were kidnapped during the Chechen-Russian conflict and held captive for eight months. Evgeny Druzhinin became director in 2008. During his tenure, the factory undertook modernization using its own funds, expanded production, and regained membership in the Kremlin Suppliers Guild. The plant was transferred to federal ownership by a Russian government order dated August 28, 2014, and placed under the framework of the Federal Service for Alcohol Market Regulation. It was reorganized as a joint-stock company on September 1, 2015. In 2015, its management also helped initiate the Union of Cognac Producers, alongside Moscow Wine and Brandy Factory KiN and Wine and Brandy Factory Alliance 1892. The factory’s portfolio has included the Peter the Great, Five Stars, Three Stars, Kizlyarsky Festive, Russia, Bagration, Dagestan, Kizlyar, Lezginka, Imperator Vserossijsky, and Saradzhev brands, as well as Kizlyarka grape vodka. The company states or is reported to have received more than 40 Grand Prix awards, the Golden Palm Prize in France, the Golden Galaxy Award in the United States, and more than 400 gold and silver medals. In October 2021, it began exporting products to Germany, with the first shipment including the Dagestan and Russia cognacs.
History
Kizlyar’s commercial wine and viticulture traditions developed during the second half of the eighteenth century. Industrial cognac production emerged later, encouraged by an 1884 regulation concerning fruit and wine production. David Sarajishvili, a Georgian businessman, began producing grape alcohol in Kizlyar during the 1880s and matured it in barrels made from Caucasian mountain oak. A first shipment of 236 buckets of grape alcohol was sent to Moscow in 1885. Sarajishvili organized cognac production at the site in 1889, making 1885 the date commonly associated with the start of industrial cognac production in Russia. Production declined after alcohol prohibition was introduced at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Soviet authorities restored authorization for cognac production in 1924, but the plant did not fully recover until shortly before the Soviet Union entered the Second World War. In 1942, the factory was evacuated to Armenia to avoid the German advance. Much of its alcohol was sent to the Tbilisi Cognac Factory. The operation returned to Kizlyar in 1947, and restoration continued into the middle of the 1950s. A new batch of cognac made from six- to seven-year-old spirit was produced in 1955. Reconstruction, capacity expansion, and construction of employee housing continued until about 1960. The Soviet factory exported approximately half of its strong alcoholic production, with Western Europe among its principal external markets. The anti-alcohol campaign that began in 1985 again interrupted production. The factory made grape juice instead of alcohol, while the closure of vineyards in Kizlyar and Tarumovsky district deprived it of local raw materials. The business consequently sought grapes from Spain and from the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions when harvests permitted. In 1990, the enterprise became the rental company Dagvino. In 1998, it obtained a French certificate that permitted its products to be sold under the designation cognac; before that, exports from the factory had been marketed as brandy. The same year brought a serious security crisis: director Vladimir Grigoriants and his wife were kidnapped during the Chechen-Russian conflict and held for eight months. Evgeny Druzhinin became director in 2008. Under his leadership, the factory modernized at its own expense and raised production volumes. It also restored its status in the Kremlin Suppliers Guild. The plant invested 15 million rubles in 2008–2009 to expand its own vineyard area. The 2009 financial crisis temporarily affected its position among Dagestan’s leading enterprises, but by the end of 2012 the factory was reported to have net profit of approximately 1.5 billion rubles. By the end of 2015, reported revenue was approximately 2.4 billion rubles, and the factory was described as Dagestan’s second-largest enterprise. The Russian government transferred the factory to federal ownership on August 28, 2014. The enterprise was reorganized as a joint-stock company on September 1, 2015. During the summer of 2015, its management participated in the formation of the Union of Cognac Producers with Moscow Wine and Brandy Factory KiN and Wine and Brandy Factory Alliance 1892. In the late 2010s and early 2020s, the factory continued to operate as a large-scale producer. It processed more than 40,000 tonnes of grapes in 2018. In 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, it sold more than 533,000 decalitres of bottled products, exceeding a reported plan of 530,000 decalitres. In October 2021, the factory entered the German market with an initial export shipment of Dagestan and Russia cognacs.
- 2021
Exports to Germany began
[1]The factory entered the German market with an initial shipment of Dagestan and Russia cognacs.
- 2020
Bottled-product sales exceeded plan
[1]The factory sold more than 533,000 decalitres of bottled products despite the COVID-19 pandemic, exceeding its reported plan.
- 2018
More than 40,000 tonnes of grapes processed
[1]The plant processed more than 40,000 tonnes of grapes during the year.
- 2015
Union of Cognac Producers initiated
[1]Factory management helped establish the Union of Cognac Producers with KiN and Alliance 1892.
- 2015
Reorganized as a joint-stock company
[1]The enterprise completed its transformation into a joint-stock company on September 1.
- 2014
Transferred to federal ownership
[1]A Russian government order transferred the factory to federal ownership and placed it under the Federal Service for Alcohol Market Regulation.
- 2008
Evgeny Druzhinin became director
[1]Druzhinin took over as director and oversaw modernization, production growth, and the restoration of the factory’s Kremlin Suppliers Guild status.
- 2008
Vineyard expansion investment
[1]The factory began investing in the expansion of its own vineyard area; reported investment for 2008–2009 was 15 million rubles.
- 1998
French certification for cognac designation
[1]The factory received a French certificate permitting its products to be sold under the name cognac, while its earlier exports had been described as brandy.
- 1990
Creation of Dagvino rental enterprise
[1]After the Soviet period, the factory became the rental enterprise Dagvino.
Products and positioning
A historic Russian producer positioned around Caucasian origin, long-aged grape spirits, Russian brandy-making heritage, and a broad portfolio spanning entry-level, mainstream, and premium products.
Aged grape spirit
Dagestan
Dagestan is one of the factory’s named cognac-style products and was included in the first reported export shipment to Germany in 2021. The name connects the product with the factory’s home republic and Caucasian production heritage.
Aged grape spirit
Russia
Russia is a branded cognac-style product in the factory’s portfolio. It was included alongside Dagestan in the plant’s first reported shipment to Germany, indicating its role as one of the products selected for international distribution.
Brandy
Lezginka
Lezginka is one of the factory’s established brandy labels. It belongs to the broad range of aged grape-spirit products associated with Kizlyar and has been listed among the company’s principal brands.
Brandy
Bagration
Bagration is a named Kizlyar brandy line. It forms part of the factory’s historically reported portfolio of products spanning multiple aging periods and market segments.
Brandy
Peter the Great
Peter the Great is one of the factory’s branded grape-spirit products. Available product information identifies it as part of the Kizlyar portfolio but does not establish a precise launch date or current range structure.
Brandy
Five Stars
Five Stars is a product in the factory’s reported star-rated brandy range. The designation indicates a positioning within the company’s age-graded portfolio, although the available reference does not provide detailed technical specifications.
Brandy
Three Stars
Three Stars is a star-rated Kizlyar brandy offering. It represents a more accessible segment of the factory’s aged-spirit portfolio, but detailed information on its formulation and current availability is not provided in the reference material.
Brandy
Kizlyarsky Festive
Kizlyarsky Festive is a named product associated with the factory’s brandy range. The available material confirms its place among the company’s 2010s brands but does not provide further product-level specifications.
Brandy
Kizlyar
Kizlyar is a location-linked brandy label from the factory. Its name emphasizes the production site and the historical association between Kizlyar and Russian grape-spirit production.
Brandy
Imperator Vserossijsky
Imperator Vserossijsky is a premium-positioned name in the factory’s reported brandy portfolio. The reference identifies the label but does not provide verified details about aging, packaging, or current distribution.
Brandy
Saradzhev
Saradzhev is a named brandy line in the Kizlyar portfolio. The product name reflects the factory’s historical Caucasian and Russian cognac-making context, but the supplied material does not specify its launch date or precise product tier.
Grape vodka · 1976
Kizlyarka
Kizlyarka is the factory’s grape vodka. Its recipe was restored in 1976, making it distinct from the company’s matured grape-spirit and brandy products. It extends the factory’s use of grape-derived alcohol into a separate traditional spirits category.
Controversies
1998
Kidnapping of factory director
During the Chechen-Russian conflict, factory director Vladimir Grigoriants and his wife were kidnapped and held in Chechen captivity for eight months. The incident was a regional security event affecting the company’s leadership rather than a product or financial scandal.
Brand decisions
2021
Entry into the German marketStrategyBackground
The factory sought to extend its export activity beyond its established Russian and historical Western European markets.
Action taken
It shipped its products to Germany for the first time, initially exporting Dagestan and Russia cognacs.
Aftermath
The shipment established Germany as a new reported export destination, but no subsequent sales data is provided.
2015
Formation of the Union of Cognac ProducersM&ABackground
Russian cognac producers sought a collective industry organization during a period of structural change in the domestic spirits sector.
Action taken
Kizlyar management initiated the creation of the Union of Cognac Producers with Moscow Wine and Brandy Factory KiN and Wine and Brandy Factory Alliance 1892.
Aftermath
The initiative created a formal cooperative platform for participating producers; the supplied sources do not describe later membership or measurable outcomes.
2014
Transfer to federal ownershipStrategyBackground
The Russian government reorganized the ownership and regulatory status of the factory.
Action taken
By order of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev dated August 28, the factory was transferred to federal ownership and placed under the Federal Service for Alcohol Market Regulation.
Aftermath
The factory became a federally owned enterprise within Russia’s alcohol-market regulatory system.
2008
Modernization and vineyard expansionStrategyBackground
The factory faced the long-term need to secure grape supplies and increase production capacity after post-Soviet raw-material shortages.
Action taken
Under director Evgeny Druzhinin, the company modernized production using its own funds and invested in expanding its vineyards during 2008–2009.
Aftermath
The factory increased production volumes and strengthened its position as a major Dagestan enterprise.
Vineyard expansion investment. 15 million rubles invested during 2008–2009 (2008-2009)
1998
Adoption of the cognac designation for eligible productsStrategyBackground
Before 1998, the factory exported its drinks as brandy. It subsequently received a French certificate permitting the use of the term cognac for its products.
Action taken
The company used the certification to market qualifying products under the cognac designation.
Aftermath
The certification supported the factory’s positioning within the international cognac and brandy category, although the supplied material does not quantify its commercial effect.
Recent events
- 2021
First reported exports to Germany[1]
Other · Product launch
The factory began exporting to Germany, with an initial shipment comprising its Dagestan and Russia cognac products.
- 2015
Kizlyar Brandy Factory reorganized as a joint-stock company[1]
Other
The enterprise was converted into a joint-stock company on September 1, following its earlier transfer to federal ownership.
- 2014
Factory transferred to Russian federal ownership[1]
Other · Regulation
A Russian government order transferred the Kizlyar Brandy Factory into federal ownership and placed it under the regulatory framework of the Federal Service for Alcohol Market Regulation.
Sources1 sources
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