We relaxed a bit more on Day 2 since we had done so much walking the first full day we were there. To help us relax, we went to visit the famous Armenian brandy factory – Ararat. This visit consisted of a tour and tasting. (Short video here)

The tour was very informative. Our guide, who gave the tour in English and Russian (as well as answered my dad’s questions in Armenian), had a good sense of humor which I suppose you need when you are working with these crowds. The brandy tour included a visit to their resting room, where the spirits are aged and obtain their flavor and color. There was a great quote on the entrance to the aging room – something to the effect of ‘time is the place for building mastery and creativity’ (not exact but something to that effect. The oak barrels inside were of all sizes – normal size you see in average wine tours and huge barrels that went from the floor to the ceilings (at about 20′ high!). Brandies and cognacs are made by distilling wine twice and then aging the pure spirit, which I learned is clear in color, like water (it’s the barrels that give it the color). Apparently Armenian brandy dates back to the time when their brandy was considered cognac. It was after the French decree that the title “Cognac” could be given only to that which was produced in that region. Thus, Ararat’s cognac became considered brandy. That isn’t to lessen its quality – the factory has received many presidents and diplomats, each with their own barrels on display and photos. Boris Yeltsin among many others were pictured, and there were any number of references to Winston Churchill’s daily bottle of Ararat brandy. Apparently, even today, 72% of their brandy is exported to Russia. After all this fact finding and education in the aging room which was filled with the scent of their brandy, it was certainly time for tasting. We tried 3 cognacs – the 3 year, the 10 year Akhtamar, and the 20 year Nairi. I really enjoyed the Akhtamar and Nahiri, especially with the truffles they served. After the tour, our driver brought us to a restuarant overlooking the river that flows between the Ararat factory and the city center. We sat outside, overlooking the river and the soccer stadium, and enjoyed a feast of tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, chicken kebabs, pork & beef, basturma, and more. It was a beautiful spot to sit and enjoy a meal. After a long day, we decided to get to sleep early for our tours the next day.