Aykroyd/ Alexander
Crystal Head Vodka 40%

Is the brain child of the actor Dan Aykroyd and the artist John Alexander who took inspiration for this project from the legend of the 13 crystal heads that have been found in various regions of the world, from the American southwest to Tibet. These heads are rupededly between 5,000 and 35,000 years old have are believed to have been polished into shape from solid quartz chunks over time. According to expert engineers from Hewlett Packard they bear no tool marks. The heads are thought to offer spiritual power and enlightenment to those who possess them, and as such stand not as symbols of death, but of life.

Production of Crystal Head Vodka starts with the finest grains that are grown in the region of Chatham, Ontario. These grains are then processed and distilled four times to produce a neutral grain spirit at 95% alcohol by volume. The raw spirit is then reduced down to 40% alcohol by volume. Hidden deep in the Newfoundland, Canada countryside is an aquifer which slowly releases the perfectly pure water that forms the heart of Crystal Head Vodka. This water seeps to the surface through a bed of porous rock which serves as a natural filter as it has done for many thousands of years. It is this water that is used to reduce the high proof alcohol down to the legal limits required by law.

Crystal Head is quadruple distilled, then triple charcoal filtered. Finally, every drop is filtered three times through 500-million year-old crystals know as Herkimer Diamonds. These quartz crystals are found in very few places in the world, including Herkimer, New York and regions in Tibet and Afghanistan. Perhaps because they share the raw material from which the original crystal heads were carved, they are thought to have similar spiritual qualities. The production process is carried out at one of the last government owned distilling facilities in the world – The Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation.

The stunning skull shaped bottle was made by Milan based manufacturer Bruni Glass, and they have declared it to be a bottle of unsurpassed complexity and quality, and it looks pretty cool as well! Thankfully the spirit inside matches the quality of the bottle.

Crystal Head Vodka 40%
Tasted: Sept 2011
Quite a corn fat nose with some lovely sweet edgy rye-like grains and a tense minerality. The palate is soft, full and rounded again quite corn fat with a milky/ creamy mouth-feel. There is a pleasant nip from the alcohol. Good length with a touch of citrus and minerality in the finish. Lovely purity and character.