Boduen Extra Old Black Edition Armenian Brandy
This brandy is a product of the Armenian wine-and-brandy factory Shaumyan-Vin, in the Ararat Valley. The distillery was established in 1927 and reconstituted in 2002.
Shahumyan-Vin uses five grape varieties for its brandies: Kangun, Rkatsiteli, Azateni, Megrabuyr, and Mskhali. These are grown in the Ararat Valley, and harvesting begins around mid-October. The grapes are hand-picked, sorted/inspected, gently pressed, and fermented in 50 to 200 hectoliter vessels.
Shahumyan-Vin uses traditional copper pot stills—alambics—and double distillation. After distillation, the spirit goes into barrels made from Artsakh oak. The oak is seasoned outdoors for at least five years before the barrels are used. Armenian/Caucasian oak can induce more assertive wood notes, spice, toasted/nutty flavors, and eventually the dried-fruit character that shows up so prominently in older Armenian brandies.
Shahumyan-Vin possesses a large library of distillates of different ages, some up to 100 years old. This gives Boduen considerable blending options. Separately aged spirits of different ages and different grape varieties are selected and blended. After blending, the assembled brandy isn’t immediately bottled. It undergoes another 3 to 12 months of “marriage,” allowing the individual components to integrate.
Boduen Extra Old Black Edition Armenian Brandy
The fruit for this brandy is Kangun, one of Armenia’s principal brandy grapes: relatively neutral, high-yielding and capable of retaining enough acidity to make a good distillation wine. Black Edition as a blend of selected 14-year-old spirits.
In the Armenian/Russian brandy tradition, the master blender/technologist is enormously important. The blender is selecting barrels according to grape, distillation character, age, oak development, and aromatic profile, then assembling them into a house style. Boduen’s chief technologist is Ms. D. Kostandyan. She created the blend, the culmination of her work after 45 years of experience in Armenian winemaking/brandy production.
The maturation and blending side is Armenian: local grapes, Caucasian/Artsakh oak, relatively long age statements, considerable use of older blending stocks, and a style aimed at richness, dried fruit, nuts, honey, caramel and pronounced mature oak.
This brandy pours a deep rich mahogany in the glass. Unfortunately, Bouden doesn’t clarify if this is honestly due to 14 years in barrel, or if caramel coloring has been added. The nose delivers aromas of mature wood, almond, and sweet fruit. On the palate there is oak, honey, caramel, and peach, plus some spicy zing. The velvety mouthfeel carries on to a nice long finish. At about $40 it ain’t exactly cheap, but an excellent value nonetheless. The ABV is the usual 40%.
For more detail on the history of Armenian brandy, and how it is similar to but distinct from Cognac, click here.
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