The Caucasus and the Soviet era
Armenian Brandy: Why Was It Called Cognac?
Armenian brandy was long called "Cognac," because in the Tsarist Empire and the Soviet Union the word was used generically for brandy. With the agreement between the EU and Armenia, this comes to an end: new batches may no longer carry the name starting in 2032, and the name will be phased out entirely by 2043.
Tbilisi 1884: David Sarajishvili and Georgian brandy
The South Caucasus is an ancient wine region, and it was there, in the late 19th century, that the Tsarist Empire's first notable brandy houses emerged. On September 1, 1884, David Sarajishvili founded his company in Tiflis, today's Tbilisi. According to the company's history, the distillates were aged in barrels made of Caucasian mountain oak, and the brandy was shipped to many cities across the empire, from St. Petersburg to Odessa.
At the time, the label read "Cognac," as was common practice. Today the product is called Brandy. Georgia also has an entirely different spirit, Chacha. It is distilled from grape pomace and was registered as Georgia's first geographical indication on December 13, 2011. Chacha is thus a pomace brandy, related to the oak-aged brandy only through the grape.
Yerevan 1887: from Tairov through Shustov to Ararat
Industrial brandy production began in Yerevan in 1887. According to company and reference sources, Nerses Tairov founded the operation on the grounds of the former Erivan fortress. In 1899, Nikolai Shustov took over the distillery, first as a lessee, then purchasing it shortly after. These details come from secondary sources and have not been officially verified here.
Under Shustov, Armenian brandy became well known throughout the Tsarist Empire. After the founding of the Soviet Republic of Armenia, production was nationalized. Since 1940, according to the common account, the brandy has carried the name Ararat, after the mountain visible from Yerevan, which today lies on Turkish territory. The Yerevan Brandy Company, maker of the Ararat brand, now belongs to the French group Pernod Ricard.
Why konjak was a generic term in the Soviet Union
In Russian, "konjak" is still colloquially used today to refer to any brandy. In the Soviet Union, brandy was produced in several republics and sold under this name. French rules of origin did not apply there, and the name became generic, much like "German Cognac" in German before 1919.
After the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, these names collided with the world market. Within the EU, Cognac is a protected designation of origin, registered as a wine distillate from the Charente. An Armenian brandy labeled Cognac therefore could not be sold there, though it could be sold in many countries of the former Soviet Union, where it had its most important buyers. This created a conflict between old habit and new law.
EU agreement: Armenia gives up the name Cognac
The solution came with the Partnership Agreement between the EU and Armenia, signed in 2017 and in force since March 2021. In it, Armenia commits to giving up the name Cognac for its brandy. New batches may no longer carry the name starting in 2032, and the name must disappear entirely by 2043. The EU is providing €3 million to support the rebranding.
The long transition periods have an obvious practical background. Brandy often ages in the barrel for many years, and what is distilled today may not reach the bottle for a decade or more. Producers need time to change labels, brands, and contracts, and customers in the successor states of the Soviet Union need to become familiar with a new name. The transition period running until 2043 is therefore generously sized.
The correct terms are thus Armenian brandy or brandy from Armenia. "Armenian Cognac" is now, at most, a historical expression from the Soviet era. This renaming carries no judgment of quality. It merely states that the name Cognac belongs to the Charente, as France has enforced step by step since 1909 — against Germany in 1919, against Greece with Metaxa, and now against Armenia.
Anyone tasting Armenian or Georgian brandy should therefore not think of it as a substitute Cognac. It comes from different vineyards, often from different grape varieties, and ages in different woods. A Cognac, by contrast, promises the same basic framework on every label: wine from the Charente, double-distilled in a Charentais pot still, aged at least two years in oak. The comparison reveals differences, not rank.