Yerevan Brandy Factory: Armenian Brandy Tasting Tour

Ararat museum and degustation

it was a great excursion on the Ararat factory museum. A special thanks for our gide Gemma. Her talent, knowleges and artistic desenvolvment permitted us to enjoy that exelent time inside the museum

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Title: Excellent tour by Helen — but unacceptable behaviour from another staff member

Title: Excellent tour by Helen — but unacceptable behaviour from another staff member Review text: We arrived 30 minutes early for our confirmed reservation for a group of seven. Only shortly before payment did we realise that the tour was in English — an oversight on our part. However, this was not a problem for us: one member of our group speaks English fluently and was ready to quietly translate everything into Russian for the others. We were fully prepared to cooperate, follow all rules, and join the tour without disturbing anyone. Unfortunately, the first staff member we encountered — a woman in a blue shirt — behaved unprofessionally from the very beginning. Her attitude made it seem as though she did not want our group on the tour at all, especially after she realised we were a Russian‑speaking group. She gave inconsistent information, refused to allow us to join despite our willingness to comply with all requirements, and when asked to provide her refusal in writing, she declined and walked away. She also refused to give her name. This behaviour was unnecessary, unhelpful, and completely out of place for a museum of this level. Fortunately, another guide, Helen, stepped in and saved the situation. She was polite, calm, and professional, conducted an excellent and very informative tour, and treated us with respect. The tour itself was truly worth attending, and it would have been a real pity to miss it because of the behaviour of the first staff member. Helen deserves full recognition for her work. Management should be aware of the stark contrast between these two staff members. Helen represents the museum well. The behaviour of the first staff member needs to be addressed so future visitors do not experience the same treatment.

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Advertisement disguised as a tour

The company has obviously put a lot of thought into making this tour, however it is tastelessly optimized for profit, rather than customer experience. The staff is cold and at times rude at the reception, but sparks to life once they begin reciting the meticulously crafted tour script, giving you just enough interesting information to feel like a tour, while also sneaking in as much advertisement and corporate speak as they can. The groups are much too large, few people at a time can view what is currently being shown unobstructed. Often times we could not hear the speaker, not that it mattered much. But everyone could see the special new bottle that was presented as part of the tour, some new blend that they will happily sell you for a steeper price. If you paid for the sampling tour, at the end you get three glasses of konyak to try, but they are not 3 different flavor varieties, they are simply increasing in age. And of course the later ones are more pleasant than the first, but the only dominant feeling was the disappointment that they would use the tasting to yet again try to upsell you to buy their more expensive aged bottles. At least the staff at the store is nice and the prices are lower than you would get at the airport, but not by much.

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Overated

I don't see how the other reviews gave 5 stars. The "private" English tour was close to 40 people. It lasted only 60 minutes and consisted of a short video, walking past some barrels associated with notable politicians, a small display of antique equipment and a display of awards. That was the tour. We did have a tasting of two brandies - a 3 and 5 year. Both were acceptable but not outstanding. The gift shop is filled with 10, 15 and 30 year old brandies. You would think that these could be sampled. I definitely think the Ararat Brandy Factory is overrated. Next time I am going to Noy

Response from the operator: Dear Guest, Thank you for sharing your review. We believe there may have been a mix-up, as the experience you describe does not match our Ayrarat Tour: Armenian Brandy Tasting program. 1. Our tour is clearly listed on TripAdvisor and Viator as a shared group tour, not a private one. 2. The brandy tasting included in our package features the premium “Ararat,” “Akhtamar,” and “Dvin” cognacs, ranging from 3 to 30 years of age, not only 3 and 5-year-old brandies. 3. Many visitors book similar tours through different distributors of the Yerevan Brandy Factory, which may explain the difference in expectations. We truly value every guest’s experience and invite you to join our official tour for the complete program we proudly provide. Warm regards, Ayrarat Tour Team

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An Excellent Experience!

We greatly enjoyed our tour at the Ararat Distillery. Our guide was quite knowledgeable and the brandy was excellent. We even brought home a few bottles! A must visit, when in Yerevan.

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