Yerevan Brandy Company
Armenian spirits producer whose internationally distributed ARARAT brandy portfolio is rooted in Yerevan’s late-nineteenth-century brandy tradition.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Yerevan Brandy Company (YBC) is one of Armenia’s principal producers of alcoholic beverages and the producer of the ARARAT brandy portfolio. Its origins date to 1887, when merchant Nerses Tairyan established a distillery in Yerevan. The enterprise developed during a period when Armenian winemaking and distilling were being adapted to the country’s geography, climate, grape varieties, and cellar conditions. By the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, the business had become associated with the Shustov and Sons partnership, whose distribution and production network helped Armenian brandy reach wider markets. The company’s early reputation was built not only on local production but also on technical experimentation and professional blending. Engineer and master blender Mkrtich Musinyants joined the distillery around 1900 and developed Fine-Champagne Otborny, an early Armenian brandy blend that received recognition at the 1902 Bordeaux Exhibition for meeting standards associated with cognac production. The company’s products had also appeared at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, establishing an international dimension before the Soviet period. Following nationalization in the 1920s, the distillery became part of the Soviet system of centralized wine and brandy administration. The Soviet decades brought major changes in scale, infrastructure, and portfolio development. Master blender Markar Sedrakyan joined in the 1930s and created the Jubilee vintage brandy. Production expanded in the 1940s and 1950s, while a major new facility overlooking the Hrazdan River was completed in 1953. The move to that site marked the beginning of the company’s modern independent institutional history. Several enduring blends were created or established during this period, including Dvin, Prazdnichny, Akhtamar, Nairi, and Ani. The ARARAT name became the central commercial identity of the company’s products, with ARARAT Yerevan named for Armenia’s capital. After Armenia restored independence in 1991, the company and the wider Armenian spirits industry underwent restructuring and modernization. In 1998, Yerevan Brandy Company became part of the international Pernod Ricard group. A national standard introduced in 1999 defined requirements for Armenian brandy, including production in Armenia and the use of locally grown grapes. The company has continued to purchase grapes from Armenian growers and is described as one of the country’s significant taxpayers and industrial buyers of grapes. Today, the company markets ARARAT across a broad range of age statements and styles. The portfolio includes accessible three- and five-star expressions, aged blends such as Ani, Akhtamar, Vaspurakan, and Nairi, reserve and vintage products including Dvin, and highly aged Erebuni expressions. It has also introduced contemporary flavored spirits based on brandy, including apricot, cherry, coffee, and honey variants, as well as products such as ARARAT Bourbon Cask. A notable collaboration is the ARARAT Charles Aznavour Signature Blend, developed with the French-Armenian singer’s personal involvement. The company also operates the ARARAT Museum at its Yerevan premises, where visitors can explore the brand’s history, equipment, archives, bottles, aging cellars, and tasting traditions. Its products are reported as being exported to 52 countries and to have received more than 115 gold, 48 silver, and 8 bronze medals.
History
Brandy production at the site associated with Yerevan Brandy Company began in 1887, when the Armenian merchant Nerses Tairyan established a distillery in Yerevan. Tairyan’s work was influenced by the broader development of Armenian wine and spirits production, including the technical interests of his brother Vasily Tairov, who was involved in wine-industry publishing. The founders adapted distillation and maturation practices to Armenia’s local climate, terrain, and grape-growing conditions. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the enterprise had entered the orbit of the Shustov and Sons partnership. Its products were presented at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, and the distillery’s technical profile was strengthened when engineer and master blender Mkrtich Musinyants joined around the same time. Musinyants created Fine-Champagne Otborny, an early Armenian blend that was recognized at the 1902 Bordeaux Exhibition as satisfying standards associated with cognac production. These appearances helped establish Armenian brandy as an exportable and internationally judged product. The distillery was nationalized during the 1920s after the establishment of Soviet rule and became part of a centralized wine and brandy trust administering production across Armenia. The Soviet period was important for both the company’s industrial expansion and its blending heritage. Master blender Markar Sedrakyan joined during the 1930s and created the Jubilee vintage brandy. In the 1940s, the Dvin brand was developed, later becoming one of the company’s best-known reserve products. A new factory overlooking the Hrazdan River was designed by architect Hovhannes Margaryan and completed in 1953. The company moved to the facility, which became the basis of its modern Yerevan operations. The postwar decades saw the creation or consolidation of several blends that remain associated with the ARARAT portfolio, including Prazdnichny, Akhtamar, Nairi, and Ani. ARARAT Yerevan was named after Armenia’s capital. The company’s products became a prominent part of Soviet-era Armenian brandy production and acquired a reputation for distinctive local grape character combined with extended maturation and skilled blending. Armenia’s independence in 1991 brought restructuring and modernization across the spirits sector. In 1998, Yerevan Brandy Company joined Pernod Ricard, giving the producer access to an international spirits group while retaining its Armenian production base and heritage identity. A national Armenian brandy standard introduced in 1999 required qualifying production to take place in Armenia and to use grapes grown in the country. In 2001, a so-called Peace Barrel was placed in the factory’s heritage center to mark a visit by co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. The ARARAT identity was refreshed in 2010 with a phoenix logo, and the historic ARARAT Dvin expression was brought back in 2011. In more recent years, the company has combined its traditional aged-brandy range with new formats, including flavored brandy-based spirits and Bourbon Cask expressions. It has also introduced the Charles Aznavour Signature Blend, developed in collaboration with the French-Armenian singer. The high-end Erebuni line includes blends aged 30, 50, and 70 years. The company’s Yerevan premises include the ARARAT Museum, which presents archival material, historical equipment, collectible bottles, and interactive exhibits. Museum tours include an active aging cellar and generally conclude with a tasting. The museum is identified as an International Council of Museums member. Yerevan Brandy Company continues to operate as an Armenian producer within Pernod Ricard’s portfolio, with ARARAT products distributed internationally and the business maintaining an important role in domestic grape purchasing and Armenia’s beverage economy.
- 2011
ARARAT Dvin reintroduced
[1]The historic Dvin expression returned to the portfolio as a collection reserve brandy.
- 2010
ARARAT phoenix logo introduced
[1]The ARARAT brand adopted a refreshed logo featuring a phoenix.
- 2001
Peace Barrel established
[1]A Peace Barrel was placed in the factory heritage center in connection with a visit by OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.
- 1998
Joins Pernod Ricard
[1]Yerevan Brandy Company became part of Pernod Ricard.
- 1991
Post-independence restructuring begins
[1]Armenia’s independence initiated restructuring and modernization in the national wine and spirits industry.
- 1953
New Hrazdan River facility completed
[1]A new factory designed by Hovhannes Margaryan was completed, and operations moved to the site that remains central to the company’s identity.
- 1930
Markar Sedrakyan joins the company
[1]Master blender Markar Sedrakyan joined the enterprise and later created the Jubilee vintage brandy.
- 1920
Nationalization during the Soviet period
[1]The distillery became part of the Soviet centralized wine and brandy administration.
- 1902
Fine-Champagne Otborny recognized in Bordeaux
[1]A blend developed by Mkrtich Musinyants received recognition at the Bordeaux Exhibition for meeting cognac-related production standards.
- 1900
International exhibition appearance
[1]The company’s products were presented at the Exposition Universelle in Paris.
Products and positioning
Premium and heritage Armenian brandy house combining local grape sourcing, long-aged blends, master-blender tradition, and international distribution.
Core brandy range
ARARAT 3 Stars
An entry-level expression in the ARARAT range, representing the company’s accessible Armenian brandy offering. It sits below the longer-aged and reserve blends and serves as a widely distributed introduction to the brand’s grape-spirit style.
Core brandy range
ARARAT 5 Stars
A core ARARAT expression positioned above the three-star bottling. It is part of the company’s mainstream international range and presents the brand’s characteristic combination of Armenian grape spirit, oak maturation, and blended production.
Aged brandy
ARARAT Ani
Ani is an aged ARARAT blend associated with seven years of maturation. It is named after Ani, the historic Armenian city, and occupies a middle position between the core expressions and the older premium and reserve bottlings.
Aged brandy
ARARAT Akhtamar
Akhtamar is a ten-year-aged ARARAT blend named after the Armenian cultural landmark and associated legend of Akhtamar. It is positioned as a premium aged expression within the company’s principal range.
Aged brandy
ARARAT Vaspurakan
Vaspurakan is a fifteen-year-aged expression in the ARARAT portfolio. Its name refers to a historic Armenian region, reinforcing the brand’s use of Armenian history and geography in product naming and positioning.
Aged brandy
ARARAT Nairi
Nairi is a twenty-year-aged ARARAT blend and one of the company’s established prestige offerings. It reflects the house’s emphasis on long maturation, blending expertise, and historical Armenian references.
Collection reserve brandy · 2011
ARARAT Dvin
Dvin is a historic collection-reserve brandy associated with the company’s Soviet-era blending heritage. It was reintroduced in 2011 and is positioned above the core range as a more commemorative and premium expression.
Vintage brandy
ARARAT Otborny
Otborny is part of the ARARAT vintage series and connects the modern portfolio with the company’s early blending history. The name recalls Fine-Champagne Otborny, the blend associated with the distillery’s international recognition in the early twentieth century.
Vintage brandy
ARARAT Armenia
ARARAT Armenia is a vintage-series expression that presents the producer’s identity at the national level. It forms part of the more premium segment of the portfolio rather than the everyday core range.
Vintage brandy
ARARAT Yerevan
Named for Armenia’s capital, ARARAT Yerevan is part of the vintage series and ties the product directly to the company’s home city and historic factory. It represents the brand’s place-based heritage positioning.
Ultra-premium brandy
ARARAT Erebuni
Erebuni is an ultra-premium series with blends aged 30, 50, and 70 years. The range is designed to showcase extended maturation and the company’s oldest reserve stocks, with Erebuni also invoking the ancient settlement associated with the origins of Yerevan.
Collaborative limited or premium blend
ARARAT Charles Aznavour Signature Blend
This blend was created in collaboration with French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour, who was personally involved in its development. It combines the ARARAT heritage platform with a prominent Armenian cultural figure and is positioned as a distinctive signature release.
Flavored brandy-based spirit
ARARAT with the taste of Apricot
An apricot-flavored member of the contemporary ARARAT range. It broadens the house beyond traditional unflavored aged blends and uses a flavor associated with Armenian food and cultural identity.
Flavored brandy-based spirit
ARARAT with the taste of Cherry
A cherry-flavored ARARAT product introduced as part of the company’s contemporary flavored-spirit expansion. It offers a fruit-forward alternative to the classic aged-brandy portfolio.
Flavored brandy-based spirit
ARARAT with the taste of Coffee
A coffee-flavored expression that extends ARARAT into a more modern and approachable flavor profile. It is part of the company’s effort to develop formats beyond traditional neat-drinking brandy.
Flavored brandy-based spirit
ARARAT with the taste of Honey
A honey-flavored ARARAT expression within the contemporary flavored range. Its sweeter profile complements the company’s established aged products and supports use in casual serves and mixed-drink occasions.
Cask-finished brandy
ARARAT Bourbon Cask
A contemporary ARARAT expression associated with maturation or finishing in bourbon casks. It reflects the company’s exploration of barrel influence and modern product variation while retaining the underlying Armenian brandy identity.
Brand decisions
2011
Reintroduce ARARAT DvinProduct launchBackground
Dvin was a historic brandy associated with the company’s earlier blending tradition and reserve portfolio.
Action taken
Yerevan Brandy Company reintroduced ARARAT Dvin as a collection-reserve offering.
Aftermath
The relaunch strengthened the link between the modern portfolio and the company’s historical brandy repertoire.
2010
Refresh the ARARAT visual identityStrategyBackground
The heritage brand required a contemporary identity that could support its international positioning.
Action taken
ARARAT adopted a new logo featuring a phoenix.
Aftermath
The phoenix became a refreshed symbolic element of the brand’s packaging and identity.
1998
Join the Pernod Ricard groupM&ABackground
Following Armenia’s independence and the restructuring of its spirits industry, Yerevan Brandy Company entered a new ownership phase.
Action taken
The company became part of Pernod Ricard.
Aftermath
The transaction placed the Armenian producer and ARARAT portfolio within a global spirits group while preserving production in Armenia.
- Expand into flavored and cask-influenced spiritsProduct launch
Background
The traditional aged-brandy business was complemented by demand for more approachable and contemporary flavor profiles.
Action taken
The company added apricot, cherry, coffee, and honey flavored expressions, along with ARARAT Bourbon Cask.
Aftermath
ARARAT broadened its portfolio beyond classic unflavored blends while maintaining its Armenian production identity.
Recent events
- 2011
ARARAT Dvin returns to the portfolio[1]
Product launch · Product generation
The historic ARARAT Dvin brandy was reintroduced as part of the company’s collection-reserve offering.
- 2010
ARARAT adopts phoenix logo[1]
Other
The ARARAT brand introduced a new visual identity centered on a phoenix logo.
- 1999
Armenian brandy standard introduced[1]
Regulation
Armenia introduced a national standard requiring Armenian brandy to be produced in Armenia and made from locally grown grapes.
- 1998
Pernod Ricard acquires Yerevan Brandy Company[1]
M&A
Yerevan Brandy Company became part of the international Pernod Ricard group, linking the Armenian producer and its ARARAT portfolio to a global spirits company.
ARARAT expands into flavored spirits[1]
Product launch
In the 2020s, the company expanded beyond traditional aged brandy with ARARAT expressions featuring apricot, cherry, coffee, and honey flavors.
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