By Rob Pickard
This week at Bibendum HQ saw the arrival of none other than actor Dan Aykroyd, as he hit the UK for the official launch of his Crystal Head Vodka. Now the UK distributor for Crystal Head, Bibendum was set for a full on week as we lined up the official UK Launch with the big man himself. With a growing Spirits portfolio, our Spirits team know their stuff and are used to working with great products loved by the bar industry; Plantation Rum, Citadelle Gin and Pierre Ferrand Cognac are all legendary spirits. But when you start working with a Vodka which is bottled in a Skull, filtered through Herkimer Diamonds and made by a Ghostbuster, you know it’s not going to be any old product launch.
The official Launch took place on Monday at one of London’s newest venues, DSTRKT. Here we were joined by the who’s who of the UK bar industry and national press, who were all in attendance to sample this unique vodka and meet its Blues Brother creator. With over 200 people on the night, guests were treated to a cocktail list from our spirits boys, with classic drinks showcasing the purity of this amazing product.
One of Paul McFadyen’s creations was the Canadian Purity Serve, a homage to the spirit’s origin, it involves a shot of Crystal Head Vodka rolled around the mouth, followed by a sip of Canadian Ice Wine, before biting on a chilled grape. Amazing stuff!
With a packed venue, Dan joined the party with one serious entrance, immediately jumping on stage to join the band for a rendition of Born in Chicago (check out the video below). Dan later gave an interesting talk to the crowd on the history behind the product and its branding, plus all the info on its unique production in Canada’s Newfoundland.
Check out all the photos from the Crystal Head UK Launch on our facebook page.
So onto the spirit. Without doubt this is one of the world’s best vodkas, and behind all the hype that surrounds the arrival of Dan Aykroyd, what we have is a luxury vodka of the highest quality, and a production process unlike anything else available on the global vodka market.
The concept of the brand links back to the controversial archaeological mystery of the 13 crystal skulls, of which 8 are currently in the possesion of mankind and 5 are missing. Ranging from between 5,000 to 35,000 years old, the crystal heads have been found in regions around the world from the American southwest to Tibet, and strangely bear no tool marks to imply how they were made. The Crystal Head Vodka packaging has been expertly designed by leading American artist John Alexander, to replicate these mysterious heads, creating an awesome looking bottle which will be a striking addition to any back bar.
What seperates this vodka from within a very crowded vodka market is its level of purity. Dan and the Crystal Head team not only wanted to make a luxury vodka, but one that was unlike others before it, a vodka that offered a clean, high quality, pure spirit thus providing bar tenders and mixologists with the purest of products.
Crystal Head contains no additives, added sugar or citrus oils, all of which are common in many vodkas. Crystal Head is also made from the finest Canadian grain, another key component in vodka production which is often of low quality. This is then combined with some of the cleanest glacial water found on earth. This water is sourced around Crystal Head’s base on the island of St John in Newfoundland, 1200 miles from the nearest city.
The quest for purity continues as the spirit is distilled four times, before being filtered seven times, the last three of which involve filtration through Herkimer Diamonds from New York. This intense filtration process creates a fantastically creamy, smooth vodka. I am definitely no vodka expert, but this is unlike any other vodkas I have tried, and has fantastic viscosity to it, with a creamy mouth feel and very subtle citrus and aniseed flavours.
One tasting note by Tasting Panel Magazine’s Anthony Dias Blue reads – “Silky and smooth with vanilla; a clean, dry spirit with a kick of heat on the finish.” Recently the high quality raw materials and attention to detail through production has been given global recognition, with high praise from the 2011 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where Crytsal Head was winner of a Double Gold Medal.
So with the launch complete and Dan on his way into Europe, 2012 is going to be a good year for our Spirits team as they go about spreading the Crystal Head love around the UK. If you see Crystal Head within a bar, give it a go, it really is unlike any other vodka.
Check out the video below as I asked Dan about Crystal Head and the Vodka market -
Plus below is the video of Dan’s arrival at the Launch party -
Tags: Bibendum Spirits, Crystal Head Vodka, Dan Aykroyd, events, News, spirits
