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==Awards==
==Awards==
*2022 Sip Awards, Gold Medal - Original
*2022 Sip Awards, Gold Medal - Aurora
*2022 Sip Awards, Gold Medal - Onyx
*2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, SILVER MEDAL - Crystal Head Vodka - Original
*2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, SILVER MEDAL - Crystal Head Vodka - Original
*2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, GOLD MEDAL - Crystal Head Vodka - Aurora
*2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, GOLD MEDAL - Crystal Head Vodka - Aurora
Line 66: Line 69:
*2022 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge, Platinum Award
*2022 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge, Platinum Award
*2022 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge, Best Vodka Award
*2022 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge, Best Vodka Award
*2021 Sip Awards, Innovation Award - Onyx
*2021 Sip Awards, Platinum Medal - Onyx
*2021 Sip Awards, Package Design, Double Gold Medal - Onyx
*2021 World Vodka Awards, Best Canadian Varietal - Onyx
*2020 Blue Lifestyle Seal of Approval, Double Gold Medal - Onyx
*2020 Sip Awards, Gold Medal - Aurora
*2020 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, Gold Medal - Aurora
*2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Gold Medal - Aurora
*2019 International Spirits Challenge, London, Gold Medal - Aurora
*2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Gold Medal
*2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Gold Medal - Aurora
*Frontier Magazine Buyer's Forum Winner
*2013 The Vodka Masters, Gold Medal, Super Premium
*2013 Prodexpo Moscow, Russia, Gold Medal, "Excellent Taste"
*2011 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Double Gold Medal
*Australian Liquor Industry Awards, New Product of the Year Luxury Spirit $75+
*2013 TheFiftyBest.com, Gold Medal, Best Premium Imported Vodka
*Time White - The Australian Financial Review, "The Purest of them all"
*Anthony Dias Blue - The Tasting Panel, "Silky and Smooth with Vanilla; A clean dry spirit with a kick of heat on the finish"


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 20:38, 23 June 2022

Crystal Head Vodka
Crystal Head Vodka
TypeVodka
ManufacturerGlobefill Inc.
Country of origin Canada
IntroducedSouthern California, 2008
Alcohol by volume 40%
Proof (US)80
ColorColorless
Variants
  • Original
  • Aurora
  • Onyx
Websitecrystalheadvodka.com

Crystal Head Vodka is a brand of vodkas manufactured by Globefill Inc. in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It was conceived and founded by actor Dan Aykroyd and artist John Alexander in September 2008.

The blends are quadruple-distilled and seven times filtered, with the final three filtrations through Herkimer diamond crystals, which are actually a type of double-terminated quartz rather than diamond.[1]

The Crystal Skull bottle was designed by John Alexander[2] and is manufactured by glass-manufacturer Saver Glass.[3]

History

Dan Aykroyd and John Alexander

Actor Dan Aykroyd and artist John Alexander conceived Crystal Head Vodka in 2008. Due to the lack of additive-free vodka on the market, Aykroyd decided to make one himself. Alexander designed the bottle based on the pair's shared fascination with the legend of the thirteen crystal skulls.[4]

Crystal Head Vodka was in development at the same time as the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Sensing a conflict, Aykroyd arranged to meet with director Steven Spielberg to discuss resolving the issue. To Aykroyd's surprise, Spielberg suggested that he would have liked Crystal Head Vodka to be served at the premiere.[5]

In 2010, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario refused to carry Crystal Head Vodka in its stores, saying that people might find the bottle offensive.[6] They reversed their decision after a change was made to the box design.[7]

In May 2011, 21,000 bottles of the vodka were stolen from a warehouse in Southern California. Aykroyd joked that he was "happy that some consumers will be afforded the opportunity of tasting it at significantly lower than retail price".[8][9]

As of 2013, Aykroyd was spending over 90 days a year on the road promoting the vodka through signings and appearances.[10] The brand was the official vodka of the Rolling Stones' 50th Anniversary Tour in 2013.[11]

Varieties

As of November 2020, three varieties of the vodka are for sale. The original formula, which comes in a colorless bottle, is made from Canadian “Peaches and Cream” sweet corn.

The second formula, known as Aurora, is made from English wheat and has a flavor described as drier and spicier than the original. The Aurora bottle has an opalescent finish that is meant to evoke the aurora borealis.

The most recent addition to the line, introduced in October 2020, is a blue agave based vodka branded as "Crystal Head Onyx" and comes in a black bottle.[12]  The blue agave is grown in Mexico's Jalisco region, and is one of the first agave-based vodkas available commercially.[13] All three varieties are made with Newfoundland water.[14]

Bottle design

Aurora bottle

The original bottle is manufactured by Milan-based glass-manufacturer Bruni Glass[15] and designed by Aykroyd's friend, the artist John Alexander.[16]

Bruni Glass also manufactures the Aurora bottle. In this process, the original Crystal Head Vodka bottle is placed in a sealed chamber and electrically charged. Two metals in powder form are then activated and released into a pressurized chamber. The powder is drawn to the electrically charged bottle, completely coating it. The bottles are then baked at a high temperature melting the powder and creating the iridescent metalled finish. No two Aurora bottles are alike.

The defect rate on the bottle production is about 40% on the 750 ml[17] and higher on the larger sizes. The 3 litre size is closer to 70%. This can be compared to the less than 0.5% defect rate on normal bottles.[citation needed]

In 2014, forensic artist Nigel Cockerton used clay to make a muscle, skin and hair construction on one of the skull bottles to see what it would look like if the bottle had been an actual person. The result resembled a laughing man.[18] Dan Aykroyd was pleased with the face, although he had previously thought of the bottle as being feminine due to its size, and had nicknamed the bottle Joy due to the joy it brought him. He said he was relieved that the face didn't turn out to look like him.[19]

In 2018, the limited edition John Alexander artist series was created, in commemoration of the tenth year of business. Only 25,000 bottles were produced. They are hand decorated with John Alexander's expressive painting “Dancing on the waterlilies of life”.[20]

In 2020, Crystal Head Vodka released its limited-edition rainbow-hued Pride bottle in celebration of diversity, equality and to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.[21]

Production

The three quartz filters used in Crystal Head Vodka's filtering process

Crystal Head Vodka is manufactured by Globefill Incorporated at the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation distillery called Rock Spirits in Newfoundland, Canada. Ontario sweet corn grown in the Chatham-Kent region of Ontario is processed and distilled four times and not aged, to produce a neutral grain spirit at 95% alcohol by volume. The raw spirit is then reduced with Newfoundland water to 40% alcohol by volume. The liquid is then filtered seven times of which the last three are through Herkimer diamonds. These raw stones are quartz crystals, which have been ascribed untested, unfounded healing properties such as "amplifying spirit energy" by some new age belief systems.[22] This proprietary filtration process claims to account for the smoothness of the vodka, however this has yet to be verified by any type of study. Crystal Head does not use any additives—glycerol, citrus oil, or sugar—in the production of their vodka.[23] The factory and product is certified kosher,[24] as well as gluten-free.[25]

Awards

  • 2022 Sip Awards, Gold Medal - Original
  • 2022 Sip Awards, Gold Medal - Aurora
  • 2022 Sip Awards, Gold Medal - Onyx
  • 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, SILVER MEDAL - Crystal Head Vodka - Original
  • 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, GOLD MEDAL - Crystal Head Vodka - Aurora
  • 2022 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge, Gold Award
  • 2022 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge, Platinum Award
  • 2022 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge, Best Vodka Award
  • 2021 Sip Awards, Innovation Award - Onyx
  • 2021 Sip Awards, Platinum Medal - Onyx
  • 2021 Sip Awards, Package Design, Double Gold Medal - Onyx
  • 2021 World Vodka Awards, Best Canadian Varietal - Onyx
  • 2020 Blue Lifestyle Seal of Approval, Double Gold Medal - Onyx
  • 2020 Sip Awards, Gold Medal - Aurora
  • 2020 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, Gold Medal - Aurora
  • 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Gold Medal - Aurora
  • 2019 International Spirits Challenge, London, Gold Medal - Aurora
  • 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Gold Medal
  • 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Gold Medal - Aurora
  • Frontier Magazine Buyer's Forum Winner
  • 2013 The Vodka Masters, Gold Medal, Super Premium
  • 2013 Prodexpo Moscow, Russia, Gold Medal, "Excellent Taste"
  • 2011 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Double Gold Medal
  • Australian Liquor Industry Awards, New Product of the Year Luxury Spirit $75+
  • 2013 TheFiftyBest.com, Gold Medal, Best Premium Imported Vodka
  • Time White - The Australian Financial Review, "The Purest of them all"
  • Anthony Dias Blue - The Tasting Panel, "Silky and Smooth with Vanilla; A clean dry spirit with a kick of heat on the finish"

References

  1. ^ Crystal Head Vodka official website
  2. ^ "Drinksdaily.com". Archived from the original on 2011-08-15. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  3. ^ Saverglass.com
  4. ^ Kleinman, Geoff (2010-09-23). "Dan Aykroyd Talks About Crystal Head Vodka". Drink Spirits. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  5. ^ "Dank Akroyd: The Big Interview - Ghost Busters 3, James Brown, & Carrie Fisher". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15.
  6. ^ Beppi Crosariol (18 May 2010). "Ontario bans Dan Aykroyd's skull-shaped vodka". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  7. ^ Beppi Crosariol (18 October 2011). "How Dan Aykroyd finally got his skull vodka unbanned from the LCBO". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  8. ^ "Dan Aykroyd - 21,000 BOTTLES of Vodka ... STOLEN". TMZ.com. 2011-12-05. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  9. ^ "Dan Aykroyd has 21,000 bottles of vodka stolen | CTV News". Ctvnews.ca. 2011-05-12. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  10. ^ Leong, Melissa (2013-03-18). "Dan Ackroyd's Crystal Head Vodka: Celebrity builds brand awareness | Financial Post". Financial Post. Business.financialpost.com. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  11. ^ "Crystal Head vodka joins forces with The Rolling Stones-Stockhouse news". Stockhouse.com. 2013-05-31. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  12. ^ "Crystal Head unveils agave-based vodka Onyx". October 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  13. ^ "INTRODUCING CRYSTAL HEAD ONYX, AN AGAVE-BASED VODKA". Food & Beverage Magazine. 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  14. ^ Crosariol, Beppi (2016-09-20). "Crystal Head Aurora Vodka, Canada". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  15. ^ Bruniglass.com
  16. ^ Creative, The Uprising. "Joe Rogan (Podcast Site)". Joe Rogan (Podcast Site). Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  17. ^ "The Price of Vodka". www.simple.com.au/blog. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  18. ^ Estes, Adam Clark (2014-02-18). "Forensic Artist Reveals the Face of That Skull-Shaped Vodka Bottle". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  19. ^ "Dan Aykroyd loves new 'face' of Crystal Head Vodka". CBC News. 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  20. ^ Bellwood, Owen (2018-04-10). "Crystal Head Vodka launches TR-exclusive bottling". The Spirits Business. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  21. ^ "Crystal Head Vodka Launches Limited-Edition Pride Bottle #MadeWithPride". 14 May 2020.
  22. ^ "Herkimer Diamond Meanings and Uses". Crystal Vaults. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  23. ^ Childers, Linda (2011-05-09). "Celebrities' secret businesses". CNN Money. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  24. ^ "Crystal Head Vodka Awarded OU Kosher Certification". Ou.org. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  25. ^ "Crystal Head Vodka". Crystal Head Vodka. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
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