Shustov Cellars and Brandy Heritage

Why is it significant?

You have descended into the vaulted subterranean cellars of the Noy complex, tunneled directly into the volcanic bedrock.

Key Facts

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You have descended into the vaulted subterranean cellars of the Noy complex, tunneled directly into the volcanic bedrock. Here, deep beneath the earth, a natural year-round microclimate maintains a steady temperature of fourteen degrees Celsius and eighty percent humidity—the ideal conditions for aging fine spirits in oak wood. Rows of massive wooden casks crafted from slow-growing Caucasian and European oak stretch into the dim shadows, quietly exhaling the legendary 'angels' share' of evaporating alcohol.

In 1900, Nikolai Shustov anonymously entered his Armenian brandy into the blind-tasting competition at the prestigious Paris World Exhibition. The international French jury of master sommeliers unanimously awarded the anonymous spirit the coveted Grand Prix, declaring it superior to France's finest cognacs. When the judges discovered the winner hailed from Yerevan, they granted Shustov the extraordinary legal privilege to label his product as 'Cognac' rather than brandy—an honor never before bestowed on a non-French distiller.

In the deepest vault rests the famous 'Barrel of 1924,' an untouched cask of vintage fortified Muscat wine laid down during the early Soviet era. Shustov's master blenders also supplied spirits to the imperial court of Tsar Nicholas the Second, who granted the firm the prestigious status of Official Purveyor to the Imperial Court in 1912. The antique tasting room preserves the ornate carved chairs, crystal carafes, and silver spittoons of that gilded pre-revolutionary era.

The profound quiet of the stone vaults, coupled with the rich bouquet of vanilla, dried plums, and toasted oak, creates an unforgettable sensory impression. Walking among these historic barrels connects you with over a century of world-class Armenian artisan tradition. Walking among these blackened oak casks, one is struck by the timeless artistry of Caucasian cellar masters who turned mountain grapes into spirits celebrated across the capitals of Europe.

Return to the surface and walk north toward the monumental stone parapets of Victory Bridge.