A delicate, flavorful, and perfectly-aged dram that is a fine Cognac in all ways but by name. Yerevan Brandy Company has been producing “the pride of Armenia” Brandies since 1887. Armenia is actually ideally suited for grape growing since it has rich volcanic soils, sits at the same latitude as Italy and Spain, and has large bodies of water on both sides that moderate it’s continental climate. The grapes grow in a valley at the foot of the famous Mount Ararat — where Noah’s Art is said to have landed after the Great Flood. And Yerevan has named their exceptional line of ArArAt Brandies after the great mountain. ArArAt Brandy 5 Year is the most popular and widely distributed of Yerevan’s spirits. It’s popularly called “5 Stars” due to the five-star icons on the label. Since ArArAt Brandies are not produced in the Cognac region of France they cannot use that term. But ArArAt Brandy 5 Year is made from fine Armenian grapes from some of the oldest vineyards in the world, fermented with local yeast strains, distilled in small batch copper pot stills, and aged a five full years in Caucasian oak casks — some of them centuries old — so you be the judge. If it were made in France it would undoubtedly qualify as a VSOP Cognac… and tastes as good as the best of them. Smartass corner: The Caucasus is a region in central Asia encompassing northeastern Iran, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. So even though we often use the word “caucasian” to refer to skin color, the word actually refers to anything native to or originating from this region. Thus, Caucasian oak casks. "