Yerevan Brandy Factory Tours: Tastings, Prices and What to Bring Home

The short answer
Which factory: Yerevan has two. ARARAT (the Yerevan Brandy Company) has the polished museum and the famous brand. Noy, across the river, has older cellars built into the site of the Erivan Fortress.
What it costs: tasting tours start from about 4,500 AMD (around 1,200) at ARARAT and 5,000 ₹
AMD (around 1,350) at Noy. Tours last about an hour.
What to bring home: India allows 2 litres of alcohol per adult, duty-free. Buy at the factory shop and pack bottles in checked luggage.

Armenian brandy is the drink most visitors leave Yerevan with, and a factory tour is the best way to understand what you are buying. You walk past ageing barrels, hear the stories the factories like to tell, and taste several ages side by side before you choose a bottle.

This guide compares the two factory tours, explains the tasting options and prices, and covers the customs rules for bringing brandy back to India.

Yerevan brandy factory tours at a glance

•      Two factories: ARARAT, at 2 Admiral Isakov Avenue, and Noy, directly opposite across the Hrazdan River gorge

•      Distance from the centre: about 1.5 km from Republic Square, roughly a 20–25 minute walk or a short taxi ride

•      Tour length: about 1 hour for a standard tour with tasting

•      Languages: English, Russian, and Armenian at both factories

•      Age rule: tastings are for adults only. At Noy, under-18s may take the tour but not the tasting

•      Booking: book ahead, especially for weekends and from June to October

ARARAT or Noy: which brandy factory should you visit?

Until 1948, both buildings belonged to one brandy business, founded in the 1880s. Production was split in the Soviet period, and after independence, the two became separate companies. Both tell the same founding story, so do not be surprised when you hear it twice.

ARARAT (Yerevan Brandy Company)

•      Part of the French drinks group Pernod Ricard since 1998, and the maker of the ARARAT brand sold worldwide.

•      The museum is the more polished of the two, with archive photographs, award certificates, and a view through glass into the main ageing hall.

•      Best for first-time visitors who want the famous brand, a structured tasting, and an English-speaking guide.

Noy (Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory)

•      Owned by Multi Group since 2002. Its brandies are sold under the Noy label.

•      The building stands on the site of the sardar's palace of the old Erivan Fortress. In the cellars, you can see part of the old fortress wall among the barrels.

•      Best for travellers who prefer atmosphere and history, and for anyone who wants a tour without tasting.

What happens on the ARARAT tour

The guided tour walks you through the brand's history, the barrels and the blending process, and ends in a tasting room. Barrels are made from Caucasian oak, and the brandy is aged anywhere from three years to several decades. Tastings come with chocolate and water.

A 2026 travel guide lists three tasting options:

•      Standard, from about 4,500 AMD ( 1,200) ₹  :  ARARAT Three Stars and the 7-year-old Ani.

•      Extended, from about 10,000 AMD ( 2,650) ₹  :  The 10-year-old Akhtamar and the 15-year-old Vaspurakan.

•      ARARAT 10, from about 12,000 AMD ( 3,200) ₹  :  Three different 10-year-old brandies tasted side by side, including the collectible Dvin.

Prices and options change, so confirm them on the official ARARAT Museum page when you book.

What happens on the Noy tour

Noy's tour goes through the museum, which has nearly 900 exhibits of old equipment, barrels, certificates, and medals, and then down into the cellars. The guide explains how to read a brandy's aroma and age, and the tour ends with a tasting if you have chosen one.

•      Entry without tasting: 3,000 AMD (about ₹800)

•      Entry with tasting: 5,000 to 15,000 AMD (about 1,350 to 4,000), depending on the age of ₹  ₹ the brandies

•      Children: free up to age 9. No tasting for under-18s

•      Hours: Monday to Friday 9:00–18:00 and Saturday 11:00–16:00. Closed on Sundays. Source: Noy Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory Museum.

The stories you will hear on the tour

•      1887: merchant Nerses Tairyan began making brandy in Yerevan, a decade after he started making wine on the site.

•      1899: the Russian Shustov family bought the business and made the brandy famous across the Russian Empire.

•      1900: Armenian brandy is said to have won the Grand Prix at the Paris World's Fair, entered without naming its origin.

•      Churchill: the most famous story says Stalin sent Armenian brandy to Winston Churchill, who became a lifelong fan. It is a much-loved legend, not a documented fact.

•      The Peace Barrel: at ARARAT, a barrel set aside in 2001 during a visit by international mediators for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is still kept in the cellar.

Reading the label: stars, ages and the “cognac” question

Knowing the categories helps you choose at the tasting and in the shop.

•      Ordinary (3, 4 or 5 stars): aged at least 3 years, with the stars matching the age. Good for mixing or as an easy gift.

•      Vintage: aged at least 6 years in oak, such as Ani (7 years) and Akhtamar (10 years).

•      Collection: vintage brandy aged for at least 3 more years, such as Vaspurakan (15), Nairi (20) and Dvin.

Locals and older labels still call it “konyak”, or cognac. Under Armenia's agreement with the European Union, the name “cognac” is being phased out, because only brandy from France's Cognac region can use it. In English, call it Armenian brandy.

How to book and get there

•      Book ARARAT through its official website or a trusted booking platform, ideally a week ahead in summer and autumn.

•      Book Noy by phone or email through the museum's official page. Plan around its Sunday closure.

•      The two factories face each other across the Hrazdan gorge, near Victory Bridge. It is a pleasant walk from Republic Square, but the way back is uphill, so take a taxi if you have had a tasting.

•      Choose one tasting a day. Two full tastings in one afternoon is a lot of strong spirit.

What to bring home, and India's customs rules

Most travellers buy at least one bottle at the factory shop. Both factories sell their full ranges, including gift boxes of small bottles that are easy to pack. For other souvenirs, see our guide to shopping in Yerevan.

•      India's limit: up to 2 litres of alcohol per adult, within your duty-free allowance. Wine, beer and spirits all count towards the same 2 litres. Our guide to the duty-free limit for India return explains the full rules.

•      Pack in checked luggage: many routes from Yerevan to India connect through a Gulf hub, and liquids in cabin bags are screened again there. Ask the shop to pack bottles securely.

•      Airline limit: spirits above 24% alcohol are generally capped at 5 litres per passenger in checked baggage.

•      Buy from trusted sellers: the factory shops and large supermarkets are safest. Avoid street stalls, where fakes are a risk.

Add Yerevan's brandy factories to your Armenia trip