On 4 July 2025 China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) published its final ruling in the anti-dumping investigation into brandy from the European Union. From the next day, EU brandy in containers under 200 litres carries an anti-dumping duty on import into China, for five years. For importers of foreign spirits in China, that is a reason to review the range, and Armenian brandy is one option to consider.
What changed
- In force from 5 July 2025, for five years.
- Dumping margins set in the final ruling range from 27.7% to 34.9%; the rate for each company is listed in the MOFCOM notice.
- MOFCOM accepted price undertakings from EU industry associations and companies. Brandy exported at or above the agreed minimum price is not charged the duty. The large cognac houses, including Hennessy, Rémy Martin and Martell, are in this group.
- The duty is charged on the customs value and becomes part of the base for import consumption tax and VAT.
Which rate applies to a given brand or shipment is a question for your customs broker.
What it means for importers
The large houses keep duty-free access by agreeing to a minimum price, so their landed prices are unlikely to fall. Smaller EU brands outside the undertakings pay the duty on top of their existing costs. Either way, there is less room on price for mid and upper range EU brandy.
For scale: the World Health Organization estimates that people aged 15 and over in China drink about 4.6 litres of pure alcohol per person a year (2020). Recorded spirits alone come to about 2.3 litres per adult (2022). Sources: WHO data on Our World in Data, total consumption and spirits.
That makes long-aged grape brandy from outside the EU worth a look. Armenian brandy is one option. The measures cover only brandy originating in the EU, and Armenia is not an EU member.
What Armenian brandy is
Armenian brandy is made from local grapes such as Voskehat, Garan Dmak, Mskhali and Kangun. The wine is distilled twice and aged in Caucasian oak.
Industrial production began in 1887, when the merchant Nerses Tairyan started making brandy at his Yerevan works. From 1899 the factory was run by the Russian producer Nikolay Shustov. In Armenia and the former Soviet countries it is often called Armenian cognac.
How it differs from cognac
Cognac can only come from the Cognac region of France and is made mainly from French varieties such as Ugni Blanc. Armenian brandy uses Armenian grapes and Caucasian oak, so the origin, the raw material and the taste are its own. The method is related: double distillation and long ageing in oak. More in Brandy or cognac.
Where TUFF fits
TUFF is an Armenian brandy house from Yerevan with two products:
| TUFF XO | TUFF Heritage | |
|---|---|---|
| Ageing | 20 years in Caucasian oak | 30 years in Caucasian oak |
| Format | 700 ml in a gift box; 50 ml miniature | 700 ml, limited, dark blue case |
| Editions | Ani and Aghtamar | |
| Strength | 40% | 40% |
Both are made from Mskhali and Kangun grapes from the Ararat valley and distilled twice. Every cap is cut from Armenian volcanic tuff and finished by hand, so no two are alike. The packaging, by Backbone Branding of Yerevan, won a Red Dot Award 2024 and Pentawards 2024 Silver and Bronze. For gifting and premium on-trade, it is a story a shelf can tell on its own.
Next step
The trade page has product sheets in Chinese (PDF), high-resolution images, EAN codes and logistics data. For prices or samples, write to [email protected], add us on WeChat (ashotgasparyan), or use the contact page. Tell us your city, your sales channels and the brands you work with.
Questions
Does the anti-dumping duty apply to Armenian brandy?
Not directly. The measures cover brandy originating in the EU, and Armenia is not an EU member. Check the duty, consumption tax and VAT that apply to Armenian brandy with your customs broker.
What are the minimum prices under the undertakings?
MOFCOM has not published them. Companies exporting at or above the agreed price pay no anti-dumping duty; if they breach the undertaking, the final duty rate applies.
Can Armenian brandy replace cognac on a list?
Both are long-aged grape brandies and can sit in the same price band and occasions for customers to compare. They differ in origin, grapes and taste, so they should not be sold as the same thing.
Where is TUFF sold today?
In shops in Yerevan and at Zvartnots airport duty free; online delivery is within Armenia only.
