Yerevan Brandy Company
Encyclopedia
Yerevan Brandy Company is the leading enterprise of Armenia
for the production of alcoholic beverages. Its main brand name is Ararat
. Currently the company boasts a large following, particularly in Russia
, as well as in Ukraine
and Belarus
. The Russian market accounts for about 85% of exports. YBC is owned and operated by the French
giant Pernod Ricard
.
YBC was founded in 1887 by a wealthy 1st guild merchant Nerses Tairyants with the help of his cousin Vasily Tayrov. Tairyants began distilling brandy at the winery he had founded ten years earlier inside the former fortress of Yerevan. The enterprise reached its hey-day in 1898, when it was acquired by Nikolay Shustov, a well-known Russian vodka
and liqueur producer. Shustov's company, Shustov and Sons were appointed as the supplier of His Imperial Majesty’s court. During the International Exhibition
in Paris
in 1900, the brandy received the Grand-Prix and the legal right to be called ‘cognac
’, not ‘brandy
’, following a blind degustation. In 1948, in connection with the reorganization of the Yerevan Wine & Brandy Factory (known until 1940 as the Shustov Factory), the factory building was separated into the Yerevan Wine Factory and the Yerevan Brandy Factory. The independent history of the plant began in 1953 when a new building was constructed specifically for the production of brandy. The new building stands on a high plateau at the other end of the Victory Bridge in Yerevan
, opposite to the Yerevan Wine Factory. With its nine austere arches, and long flight of steps leading to it, the building is hailed as one of the best architectural examples of the Soviet period in Yerevan. In June 1998, the YBC entered the Pernod Ricard group, an international corporation that owns a number of famous trade marks of alcoholic beverages and is co-leader in the production and sales of alcoholic beverages in the world. Pernod Ricard obtained the YBC on the international tender for $30 million.
). YBC was privatized in 1998 and was sold to the international group "Pernod Ricard". The sum of the transaction was 30 million US dollars. The Armenian government was heavily criticized by the general public for the sale.
In April 1999, on the initiative of YBC a new standard was introduced in the Republic of Armenia named "Armenian cognac", which rigidly regulates the production of this beverage. YBC remains the uncontested leader on the volume of production and the export of Armenian brandy. YBC possesses approximately 90% of the total reserve of genuine brandy in Armenia. Several YBC brands are inaccessible to the retail network and can only be obtained at factory's shop: "Erebuni" - 25 years, "Kilikia" - 30 years, "Sparapet" - 40 years and "Noah's Ark" - 70 years of ageing in wooden casks. Currently YBC brandy is supplied to 25 countries. 47 countries have registered the trade marks of YBC. For four years in a row the brand "Ararat" was favored in Russia as "Product of the year".
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
for the production of alcoholic beverages. Its main brand name is Ararat
Ararat (brandy)
Ararat is an Armenian brandy that has been produced by the Yerevan Brandy Company since 1887. It is made from Armenian white grapes and spring water, according to a traditional method....
. Currently the company boasts a large following, particularly in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, as well as in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. The Russian market accounts for about 85% of exports. YBC is owned and operated by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
giant Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard is a French company that produces distilled beverages. The company's eponymous products, Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis, are both anise-flavoured liqueurs and are often referred to simply as Pernod or Ricard...
.
History
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
and liqueur producer. Shustov's company, Shustov and Sons were appointed as the supplier of His Imperial Majesty’s court. During the International Exhibition
Exposition Universelle (1900)
The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from April 15 to November 12, 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1900, the brandy received the Grand-Prix and the legal right to be called ‘cognac
Cognac (drink)
Cognac , named after the town of Cognac in France, is a variety of brandy. It is produced in the wine-growing region surrounding the town from which it takes its name, in the French Departements of Charente and Charente-Maritime....
’, not ‘brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
’, following a blind degustation. In 1948, in connection with the reorganization of the Yerevan Wine & Brandy Factory (known until 1940 as the Shustov Factory), the factory building was separated into the Yerevan Wine Factory and the Yerevan Brandy Factory. The independent history of the plant began in 1953 when a new building was constructed specifically for the production of brandy. The new building stands on a high plateau at the other end of the Victory Bridge in Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
, opposite to the Yerevan Wine Factory. With its nine austere arches, and long flight of steps leading to it, the building is hailed as one of the best architectural examples of the Soviet period in Yerevan. In June 1998, the YBC entered the Pernod Ricard group, an international corporation that owns a number of famous trade marks of alcoholic beverages and is co-leader in the production and sales of alcoholic beverages in the world. Pernod Ricard obtained the YBC on the international tender for $30 million.
Production and current state
From 1953 until 1991 YBC was the only plant that produced Armenian brandy. The remaining plants of Armenia were occupied solely by distillation. YBC bottled ordinary (three -, four- and five-year) brandy's as well as the famous labelled brands ("Dvin", "Yerevan", "Nairi", "Vaspurakan", "Ararat" and "Akhtamar"). YBC's monopoly to bottle and export brandy was liquidated in 1991. For more than 20 years (from 1948 through 1973) the chief technologist of YBC was Markar Setrakyan (Hero of Socialist LaborHero of Socialist Labor
Hero of Socialist Labour was an honorary title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries. It was the highest degree of distinction for exceptional achievements in national economy and culture...
). YBC was privatized in 1998 and was sold to the international group "Pernod Ricard". The sum of the transaction was 30 million US dollars. The Armenian government was heavily criticized by the general public for the sale.