The house
They say stone remembers more than people do.
For thousands of years tuff has been part of Armenia: its homes, its churches, its streets. It has watched generations follow one another, carrying on their work with respect, keeping their traditions and their bond with the land. TUFF is a brandy made in the same spirit: slowly, by hand, with nothing to hide.
Everything of value takes time
Stone, vine, master
- MillenniaThe stone
Tuff is volcanic ash and pumice, pressed and cooled over thousands of years into a soft, warm stone the colour of the land.
- A yearThe vine
Grapes need a whole season under the Ararat sun to gather their memory: volcanic soil, hot dry summers, cold snowy winters.
- YearsThe master
It takes years to become a master of the stone and of the cellar. That is why no one hurries here: time cannot be replaced.
The land
From the Ararat valley
Armenian brandy is distilled twice from white grapes of the highlands, among them native varieties such as Voskehat, “the golden seed”, and Garan Dmak, then left to mature in Caucasian oak. Time opens the aroma, shapes the character and turns grapes into true Armenian brandy.
The craft
The master of the stone
Every cap is measured, cut and finished by hand. The master of the stone talks about tuff: why Armenian churches sound the way they do, and why a house of tuff breathes.
The cap
Every cap is a piece of Armenia
The Armenian Highland holds some 28 shades of tuff, from the pink stone of Artik to the ochre of Ani and the black and red of Yerevan. It is light, warm and porous, easy to carve and made to last: the churches of Ani and the walls of Yerevan were built of it. Every TUFF cap is cut from this stone and finished by hand by a master mason.
- 01Quarried
Volcanic tuff from the Armenian Highland.
- 02Cut
Into a precise block that echoes the bottle.
- 03Finished by hand
Shaped, polished and sealed by a master mason.
- 04Crowned
Set on the bottle, to stay with you for years.
And when the story of the brandy ends, it returns to where it all began: the hollow cap stays with you, a keepsake and a small piece of Armenian land.
In the master's words
A gift to the Armenian people
The master believes the particular acoustics of Armenian churches owe much to tuff.
In a house of tuff, he says, you do not notice your own breath. No concrete building gives you that.
Fruit, vegetables and water carry the minerals of the volcanic earth.
Volcanic tuff in this form is characteristic of Armenia: it is the stone of its highlands.
“This stone was a great gift to the Armenian people.”
The master of the stoneTUFF Heritage
A thousand-year story, carved in stone
TUFF Heritage caps are carved by hand in real tuff, after the reliefs of Armenia's great monuments. Each edition takes the colour of the stone its monument was built from.
Aghtamar edition
Surb Khach Church, Aghtamar · 10th century
Not only to taste history, but to hold it, keep it and pass it on.
Tasting notes
Warm like the stone at sunset.
Serve neat at room temperature, in a tulip glass.
All bottles- Colour
- Deep amber with golden highlights.
- Nose
- Dried fruit, candied apricot, toasted almond and a hint of cinnamon.
- Palate
- Velvety caramel, dark chocolate, vanilla, dried fig and creamy toffee over gentle oak.
- Finish
- Long, smooth and warming, with a delicate sweetness.
Tuff: a story that begins with the land and ends with its touch.