The recognized birthplace of cognac is the French province of the same name. However, the Armenians could well argue on this score, because they manage to compete on equal terms with the French in terms of the quality of this drink. In addition, historical facts suggest that Armenian cognac is older than its French counterpart.
Ancient Armenian cognac
The fact that the history of the existence of the Armenian brandy has more than one millennium has been established reliably. The Armenians themselves claim that it appeared in the days of Noah. According to one legend, Noah himself planted the first vine at the foot of Mount Ararat, from which they later began to make the famous drink. Whether it is true or not, it is now impossible to prove. However, it is known for certain that the first mention of Armenian cognac is contained in the annals of the ancient Roman historians Tacitus, Svyatonii and Plitus, who lived during the era of Emperor Nero.
In those days, according to the testimony of ancient historians, once the Armenian king Trdat arrived with his retinue to the Roman emperor Nero. The guests brought rich gifts with them. Among them was a drink called Meron. Hearing the name, consonant with his name, Nero rejoiced. And having tasted it, he rushed around the amphitheater in a chariot at a crazy speed. This drink, according to its production technology, was the first Armenian brandy.
The modern history of the famous cognac
The modern history of Armenian brandy begins at the end of the nineteenth century. Then for the first time its industrial production was founded by the Armenian merchant of the first guild Nerses Tairyan. However, under his leadership, the enterprise did not last long. A year later, the aged Tairyan gave it up to the Russian industrialist Nikolai Shustov.
The new owner of the cognac production has invested a lot of money in its modernization. But I spent even more money on the promotion of a new brand. Logos with the words "Shustov's Cognacs" could be seen everywhere. Shustov cognac became very popular in a short time.
However, the real world recognition for the Armenian Shustov brandy came only two decades later. In 1900, at an exhibition in Paris, this cognac literally struck all the venerable members of the tasting committee with its taste. He was unanimously awarded the Grand Prix. And in addition to this, for the first time in history, it was officially allowed to call it cognac, despite the fact that it was produced outside the French province of Cognac.
And in 1913, the Shustov and Sons digging company, thanks to its Armenian brandy, became the supplier of His Imperial Majesty. After the revolution, the Shustvo brandy factory was nationalized. But even in the Soviet years, the production of cognac was successfully developing here.
This is evidenced by at least the fact that at the Yalta Conference in 1945, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill highly appreciated the Armenian brandy. Yes, so high that later he began to give preference only to this drink. Specially at his request, the supply of Armenian brandy from the USSR was arranged for him personally.
Currently, Armenian brandy is the most exported commodity in Armenia. Its deliveries are carried out to dozens of countries around the world, and production is growing steadily.
