The KVINT distillery is Tiraspol's most famous institution, a cognac and brandy producer that has operated since 1897 and survived revolution, two world wars, Soviet collectivisation, and the collapse of the Soviet state. Guided tours are offered daily in English and Russian, walking visitors through the cellars where hundreds of oak barrels age the spirit, explaining the local grape varieties and the distillation process, and concluding with a tasting.
The factory shop sells the full range at prices that are not available anywhere else — the economic embargo means Transnistrian products cannot be legally exported in commercial quantities. A standard 5-year brandy costs around 150 Transnistrian roubles (roughly equivalent to $5); the top-of-the-range 20-year KVINT is around 1,500. Most visitors leave with bottles. Bring roubles, which you can exchange at the border or in the city centre.