Crystal Head Vodka, the quadruple distilled and triple filtered vodka has been awarded the top award in the 2012 Australian Liquor Industry Awards.
Actor Dan Akroyd, is the founder of the popular vodka which took 2 awards at this year’s ceremony, held in Luna Park. The vodka has grown in popularity since its release and in fact is one of the growing ultra-premium vodka brands on the market. The vodka is made by filtering it through Herkimer diamond crystals and presented in a glass skull. It is made from water sourced from a glacier lake in Newfoundland, Canada and it sugar, glycerine and citrus oil free.
The crystal skull vodka doesn’t come cheap, but it you can’t tell a cheap vodka from a premium one, there are a few points you should learn. Vodka is a good liquor to drink because it does not cause a hangover as severe as a darker liquor would. Also because it is fairly tasteless, it’s excellent with mixers and cocktails, because it lends itself well to the other flavours and doesn’t over power the drink although most vodka lovers in the Eastern Europe region prefer it neat.
Choosing a vodka may be confusing, should you choose a triple distilled, double distilled, what does that even mean?
Well according to vodka experts, triple distilled vodkas are the best and the most expensive because it goes through the process of distilling 3 times. Distillation is the process of heating a liquid that has alcohol in it to the point that the alcohol (which boils at a lower temperature than water) evaporates and is captured before it condenses back into the liquid from which it came. Second and third distillations heat the captured alcohol under narrower and narrower heat ranges so that only the alcohol remains. Many impurities are removed by this process and the result is much smoother liquor and a much higher alcohol content.
There are a number of ways to choose a vodka, based on various criteria,
Price. Selecting a vodka based on price will ensure you get a drink that suits your pocket. If you have deeper pockets it will ensure you get a good quality liquor. For a party you may want to opt for a mid-range vodka.
Region. The majority of vodkas come from Russia, Poland and other Eastern European countries but nowadays there are good vodkas coming from all over the world. If you want a traditional vodka, Russia, Poland and Eastern Europe are the best, their vodkas are usually only distilled once.
Alcohol content. This can range from 30 per cent to 60 per cent but most are around 40 per cent alcohol.
Ingredients. Cheap vodka is made with cheap ingredients like sorgum or corn. Premium vodkas are made from a single ingredient such as wheat or potatoes.
Flavour. Nowadays vodkas come in a variety of flavours and infusions. These are a good way to may speciality cocktails.
The best thing about vodka is that there is a brand for everybody. If you can’t afford the Crystal Skulls varities, there’s always something a bit more in your price range.