Armenia trip -- Day 4b, Ararat Distillery

Armenia is famous for its brandy, so I thought I'd check it out. One of the people I was working with recommended the ֏10,000 ($25) tour, so that's what I did.

The distillery is located on the west side of town, but there are facilities throughout Armenia.

The tour of the museum takes about an hour.

Vodka is made from potatoes. Whiskey is made from corn. Brandy is made from distilled wine, and -- like whiskey -- it is stored in charred oak barrels.
This is the "peace barrel." It will only be opened when the Artsakh/Nagorno-Kharabakh conflict ends.
The different brandies have different tones to their flavors. These represent the different aromas the different brandies have. These are the different types of brandy that they bottle. The three on the left with the 10, 15, and 20 were the ones that we got to try with the $25 tour I did. After the tour, we went to the tasting room. We tasted the three ages in turn, building up to the 20-year "Nairi." Afterward, I visited the gift shop. When I saw the price on the Nairi, I was really grateful that I'd taken the advice to do the more expensive tour, because that is likely to be the only time in my life that I will try it.