Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Retail priced at $200, this 80 proof, 25-year-old Ararat Armenian Brandy honors the life of Charles Aznavour.
Charles Aznavour was a famous French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor, and diplomat that lived to be 94 years old when he passed in late 2018. The master blender of the Yerevan Brandy Company (creator of Ararat Brandy) was inspired by the unique creative journey of the famous French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor, and diplomat, that in May 2017 they invited him to the cellars to help created his own 25- year-old Signature Blend. While they got the ball moving on it, collaborative products and blends take time, and it wasn’t ready by the time Charles passed. But before we dive into this brandy, let’s do a quick life history on the legendary performer. Charles was born in France in 1924 to Armenian immigrant parents that raised him in a musical household - his father sang in many restaurants until he was finally able to open his own. Charles’s singing talent was shining at an early age, and at age nine he dropped out of school, and took the stage name "Aznavour” in play performances. During the German occupation of France in World War II, Aznavour and his family hid “a number of people who were persecuted by the Nazis, while Charles and his sister Aida were involved in rescue activities which they would later be awarded honors for. He then began singing and would go on to become known as the French Frank Sinatra for his crooner style. Later in life he would go on to help the Armenian people by charitable works and activism. He did so much that he received Armenia’s highest award and there’s even a museum bearing his name in Yerevan, Armenia.
Okay, back to the Brandy. The unique blend includes rare vintage spirits, reflecting the dates of the important milestones of Aznavour’s creative life:
1956 - Notes of First Triumph: Debut Performance at the Olympia in Paris
1960 - Notes of Global Fame: The launch of "Je m'voyais déjà" song, Rise of International Recognition
1981 - Notes of Eternal Passion: Creation of a classic hit "Une vie d'amour."
Those vintages were blended together, and it was finally ready and released in his honor in 2019. Now for those of you doing the math, I’ll explain why the youngest vintage is 1981 and yet it’s labeled as only a 25-year-old. Many brandies will spend the majority of their lives in the barrels, but once they’re determined to have peaked or are becoming overly tannic, the master blenders will usually pull them from the barrels and store them in glass demijohns. So most likely, the 1981 was pulled from cask in 2006, place in a glass demijohn, and from there until 2019 it wasn’t technically aging anymore so they labeled it as a 25-year-old. The other two vintages could have also had similar journeys, but we can’t do that math since we don’t have all the details. Now let’s see if this bottle lives up to the name it bears. Well as always thank you for being here, and I’ll continue to release bonus content exclusively for my patrons as I can. I hope you enjoyed this review, and please remember to drink responsibly. Cheers!
My current YouTube goal is to release a new video every 2 weeks (on Thursdays)! I will be using my Patreon channel as a launch platform, so if you want to get at least a 2-week head start on seeing the review and hunting bottles, join us at patreon.com/liquorhound. Of course, my Patrons also get all the reviews add-free, access to the private review library, are able to message me directly, and when I find special things, I tend to just toss them into the Patreon winds. Regardless of where you’re watching, I want to thank all of my viewers! It’s that combination of my Patrons and the YouTube ad views that have allowed me to keep my independence and self-purchase the bottles I review. By doing so, I hope you feel safe in knowing you’re getting my 100% unbiased and honest opinions.
As of April 2021, my current bottle count is over 2,500. I am a Certified Specialist of Spirits and have also been accredited by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). I've been actively collecting for more than two decades and what started as a small basic home bar has transformed (with the help and understanding of my wonderful wife) into this collection and career. Speaking of my career, stay tuned for the August launch of the new “Saints Alley” project that I’m working on. Given my knowledge and high standards, you know I’m working hard with my team to give you some amazing releases! Thanks for watching and remember to please drink responsibly. Cheers!
Retail priced at $200, this 80 proof, 25-year-old Ararat Armenian Brandy honors the life of Charles Aznavour.
Charles Aznavour was a famous French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor, and diplomat that lived to be 94 years old when he passed in late 2018. The master blender of the Yerevan Brandy Company (creator of Ararat Brandy) was inspired by the unique creative journey of the famous French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor, and diplomat, that in May 2017 they invited him to the cellars to help created his own 25- year-old Signature Blend. While they got the ball moving on it, collaborative products and blends take time, and it wasn’t ready by the time Charles passed. But before we dive into this brandy, let’s do a quick life history on the legendary performer. Charles was born in France in 1924 to Armenian immigrant parents that raised him in a musical household - his father sang in many restaurants until he was finally able to open his own. Charles’s singing talent was shining at an early age, and at age nine he dropped out of school, and took the stage name "Aznavour” in play performances. During the German occupation of France in World War II, Aznavour and his family hid “a number of people who were persecuted by the Nazis, while Charles and his sister Aida were involved in rescue activities which they would later be awarded honors for. He then began singing and would go on to become known as the French Frank Sinatra for his crooner style. Later in life he would go on to help the Armenian people by charitable works and activism. He did so much that he received Armenia’s highest award and there’s even a museum bearing his name in Yerevan, Armenia.
Okay, back to the Brandy. The unique blend includes rare vintage spirits, reflecting the dates of the important milestones of Aznavour’s creative life:
1956 - Notes of First Triumph: Debut Performance at the Olympia in Paris
1960 - Notes of Global Fame: The launch of "Je m'voyais déjà" song, Rise of International Recognition
1981 - Notes of Eternal Passion: Creation of a classic hit "Une vie d'amour."
Those vintages were blended together, and it was finally ready and released in his honor in 2019. Now for those of you doing the math, I’ll explain why the youngest vintage is 1981 and yet it’s labeled as only a 25-year-old. Many brandies will spend the majority of their lives in the barrels, but once they’re determined to have peaked or are becoming overly tannic, the master blenders will usually pull them from the barrels and store them in glass demijohns. So most likely, the 1981 was pulled from cask in 2006, place in a glass demijohn, and from there until 2019 it wasn’t technically aging anymore so they labeled it as a 25-year-old. The other two vintages could have also had similar journeys, but we can’t do that math since we don’t have all the details. Now let’s see if this bottle lives up to the name it bears. Well as always thank you for being here, and I’ll continue to release bonus content exclusively for my patrons as I can. I hope you enjoyed this review, and please remember to drink responsibly. Cheers!
My current YouTube goal is to release a new video every 2 weeks (on Thursdays)! I will be using my Patreon channel as a launch platform, so if you want to get at least a 2-week head start on seeing the review and hunting bottles, join us at patreon.com/liquorhound. Of course, my Patrons also get all the reviews add-free, access to the private review library, are able to message me directly, and when I find special things, I tend to just toss them into the Patreon winds. Regardless of where you’re watching, I want to thank all of my viewers! It’s that combination of my Patrons and the YouTube ad views that have allowed me to keep my independence and self-purchase the bottles I review. By doing so, I hope you feel safe in knowing you’re getting my 100% unbiased and honest opinions.
As of April 2021, my current bottle count is over 2,500. I am a Certified Specialist of Spirits and have also been accredited by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). I've been actively collecting for more than two decades and what started as a small basic home bar has transformed (with the help and understanding of my wonderful wife) into this collection and career. Speaking of my career, stay tuned for the August launch of the new “Saints Alley” project that I’m working on. Given my knowledge and high standards, you know I’m working hard with my team to give you some amazing releases! Thanks for watching and remember to please drink responsibly. Cheers!
