I usually drink on a budget. So my vodka of choice is usually smirnoff. However, I managed to get my hands on Crystal Head Vodka, and I mainly got it because of the bottle. But when I chilled it and took a shot, man o man. What a vodka! This is the smoothest vodka i’v ever had. And it tastes great, though its not as tasteless as people on this forum seem to be saying. I think it has a very distinctly sweet taste which is hard to ignore and is actually pretty great! It definitely has a burn though, but its a much more bearable burn than the kind that lots of other vodkas on the market have. Personally I think that getting this Vodka is a MUST! That is if you have the money for it.

Perhaps the second-best vodka I’ve had, after Stoli Elit. On a fine-grained rating system, I’d give it a 4.7 or so, but that easily rounds up to 5.

This vodka is extremely smooth, with a tiny bit of flavour (actual flavour, not just burn). Absolutely no burn, even straight. A splash of tonic covers it incredibly well, you would never know there was vodka under there; an amazing mixer. I almost tasted a little bit of a sweet note, but haven’t been able to pin it down.

The price is high, but not outrageous, and the packaging is fun (does make pouring interesting, I prefer to pour over the front of the head).

I had an enlightening conversation with a liquor store operator today about Crystal Head vodka. He was surprised when I mentioned my fondness for the product and claimed that it is not a good seller. He stated that most customers do not have high regards for the vodka, but often buy the vodka for the fancy bottle. I am not too surprised at his comments based upon the feedback from this forum, but just goes against my taste buds. I find the martinis made with it to be exceptionally smooth and tasty. In fact, two other people that I know agree. One of them actually questioned if the cocktail had been watered down because it was so smooth. Perhaps some batches are better than others? Maybe it is just a great martini vodka? The strong polarization of this vodka’s reviewers just puzzles me. To each, his own.

Cheers!

Well, I finally had the great Jean Marc XO vs. Crystal Head vodka martini challenge. In the end, it was clear that each vodka had its distinct qualities and attributes, and they made martinis that were quite different from one another. I figure that it is easiest to compare them by breaking down each aspect of the cocktails they made.

1) Aroma: Both smelled extremely mild and pleasant. C.H. presented a very neutral subtle ethanol-like nose, while J.M. added a hint of the creamy vanilla-like flavor to come. Both are smooth and inviting.

Advantage: None.

2) The sip: C.H. was very smooth and neutral, with a very mild initial bittersweet flavor. As the sip flows toward the back of the tongue, there is no change in the flavor but there is a slight increase in harshness (though still very mild compared to most most other vodkas). The sip of J.M. was also very smooth, but presents an unusual slightly burnt rubber and vanilla extract-like flavor. As the sip flows toward the back of the tongue, the cocktail loses the slightly odd burnt rubber* aspect in favor of a sweetening of the vanilla portion of the flavor. Unlike C.H., J.M. maintains its supreme smoothness throughout.

Advantage: J.M. for smoothness/C.H. for flavor *(J.M. gets a demerit for the odd an slightly off-putting burnt rubber note)

3) The swallow: For C.H., if the sip was small and directed toward the the back of the tongue before the swallow, the cocktail was extremely smooth and had no real bite upon swallowing. If the sip was large or swished around the mouth before swallowing, a mild harshness and slight bite showed during the swallow. I happen to be among those who enjoy vodkas with a mild Russian vodka style bite, however. In contrast, J.M. was essentially nearly perfectly smooth and bite-free regardless of the sipping technique. J.M. was not smoother than C.H., but was better able to maintain its smoothness under different circumstances.

Advantage: J.M. for smoothness/C.H. for composed and desirable Russian style bite

4) The aftertaste: J.M. maintains the sweet vanilla flavor that develops during the sip even after the swallow. It is very pleasant and mild. C.H. has a slightly sweet aftertaste, but can add a mild bitterness if the sip is big.

Advantage: J.M.

The Verdict: If I give one point to each advantage, J.M. wins by one point. However, I am also penalizing J.M. one point for its off-putting transient burnt rubber flavor. Overall, I think that Jean Marc XO is the slightly more refined vodka. However, I still think that Crystal Head makes the more enjoyable martini because I prefer its very mild Russian vodka style flavor and bite. Maybe after a few more comparisons over time, I may alter my review and decision. It will be fun to keep taste testing these two vodka titans.

Cheers!

A great vodka. Smooth nearly flavorless gose down with minimal burn and hardly and aftertase. One of the only vodkas that I will drink straight. Pricey…yes. But well worth it. A vodka best left for speacial occasions.

Last night I had a chance to try a martini, straight up with olives, made with Crystal Head at a local steak house. WOW! It reminded me of Tito’s: very smooth, very neutral, and very little alcohol burn on swallowing, but with a slightly sweet taste that I felt made the martini even more pleasant to sip that those I have had made with Tito’s. WOW!! Crystal Head is now my new favorite! Unfortunately, at over twice the price of Tito’s, I doubt that it will ever supplant Tito’s as the vodka that I will keep in my freezer at home.

I don’t know about anyone else, but this was THE most disappointing bottle of ANY KIND OF liquor I’ve ever bought… it’s cool as far as the bottle goes, but other than that, I was let down. Contrary to the first review on this vodka, I found the smell to be overwhelmingly like ethanol… as if I were smelling a bottle of rubbing alcohol. The mouthfeel for this bottle was atrocious. Just like the smell… it felt like I had rubbing alcohol in my mouth. It was flavorless all right, but burned worse than any $6/ fifth vodka I’ve ever had (I’m in college, and during my first couple years, I had my share of Five O’Clock and Mohawk). Not trusting myself on this one, since after all it IS a $50 bottle and I expected more, I had 7 friends over to try it out. Of these people, absolutely none of them thought it was worth the price point, and they all agreed with me on it being the WORST vodka they’ve ever had. I am very disappointed and will be advising everyone I can to avoid this epically overpriced vodka at all costs. As the old adage goes, You can put lipstick on a pig, (put nasty vodka in a nice bottle) but it’s still a pig.

I was given the 1st bottle I tried as a gift. Honestly I figured , novelty bottle = rubbing alcohol. Wow , was I wrong. I ended up with an abscess tooth shortly after and this was what was on hand. I wanted fast relief so with a cringe I grabbed a smallish glass and poured a triple shot. Waiting , cringing , almost pre vomiting in my mouth…..for an effect that never came. This is tap water smooth. The lightest of light weights would enjoy a chilled shot of this. No noticeable burn , no dollar store rubbing alcohol smell or after taste. I assume better vodka exist for extravagant prices but I can’t imagine how they improve much on this. It sells around $40 where I am in MI so when you figure in at least $20 back on eBay for the bottle this is a super premium (imo) vodka at alley swill prices. Honestly , what more could you ask for. I did not make any mixers as I was just so amazed it was so smooooooth it never crossed my mind. Seriously $15 to $20 after you unload the empty……no thousand dollar of vodka satisfies like that. Hell , my 1st wife didn’t satisfy like that. Or my 2nd.

Had it over ice and was completely surprised at how smooth it was compared to the cheaper brands. Hardly any after taste or smell. It was certainly strong but smooth enough to drink over ice! I really enjoyed it.

Surprised by the favourable reviews for Crystal Head. I challenge anyone to do a side-by-side taste test with something like Lukasawa or Tito’s. Yes, Lukasawa is a potato vodka and Tito’s uses corn, so there is a major difference, but we are talking vodka here. As far as grain vodka’s, even Pinnacle or Sky have this beat. It’s just not good. I would suggest there is a psychological element of people expecting it to be good because it comes in a cool bottle and costs $50 for 750ml. Taste this blind, and it is average at best.

I just had a shot of Crystal Head from the 50ML bottle. I’m not a heavy drinker, in fact, all I’ve had ever is a few sips of beer. It definitely burnt my throat, and the aftertaste wasn’t enjoyable, but it felt nice after a couple minutes. I’ve tried Captain Morgans spice rum and enjoyed it, but not as much as this.

I just finished another magnificent Crystal Head vodka martini! Mmmm!

I belong to a motorcycle group with a skull as a primary part of our logo. I began giving bottles of Crystal Head as gifts from the chapter that was met with constant approval.
I’ve been drinking this stuff myself for about a year, and it’s the best shooting vodka I’ve ever had. (Since I’m a habitual whiskey drinker, this doesn’t say much)
I’ve had it in a few mixed drinks and it’s pretty good, but it excels in one drink. White Russians. (I guess it would be more of a White Canadian, but who cares) The smooth, silky, almost light vanilla aftertaste mixes wonderfully with the creamy goodness of the drink. It’s the only vodka I’ll ever use in a White Russian anymore.
As far as the spirituality of the crystal skull legend, all I can say is I have brief flashes of intense anger after having 3 or 4 of these. I don’t know if I just don’t work well with vodka, or those are some pissed of stones they filter this through. Either way, Dan Akroid did a hell of a job.

I have been cycling through martinis at home amongst the various vodka bottles I currently have: Americana Luxury Vodka, Crystal Head, Jean Marc XO, Luksusowa, Sobieski, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Most of the time I have Sobieski and Luksusowa because they are affordable and very enjoyable. For the first time in a few months I am drinking a Crystal Head martini at home, and I have to say that it is spectacular! It is so smooth, mildly sweet, and burn-free that it puts my other favorites to shame (except for Jean Marc XO). 6 stars!

I had a chance to compare a Crystal Head martini extra dry up with olives to one made with Grey Goose at a local restaurant’s bar last night. I watched the bartender make the drinks from unopened vodka bottles (just by lucky chance) so I know that the vodkas were legitimate.

The Crystal Head martini was instantly superbly pleasant; so smooth and softly bittersweet. There was no burn on the swallow, and the aftertaste was exactly the same as the wonderful flavor of the first sip. The martini was amazing, start to finish. As I’ve written on this forum previously, if I could, I would select 6 stars to rate Crystal Head.

Next, I had a Grey Goose martini, which was also very nice. The flavor was a bit more pronounced and a little more “minty”, for lack of a better description. However, it was surprisingly smooth; not Crystal Head smooth, but very smooth. There had nearly no burn on the swallow, but there was a slightly “off” aftertaste that degraded the experience a little. Without a doubt, Crystal Head made the better martini, but there truly is something surprisingly good about a Grey Goose martini, too. I am tempted to increase my 3 star rating for Grey Goose to 4 stars, but I will have to shuffle over to the Grey Goose thread for that.

Cheers!

Bought this for the awe some bottle… I have Stoli gold, elite, Belvedere, and Grey Goose in my bar right now. Got to say… the CH cost more than Stoli elite ( US Virgin Isle)…God, what an average Vodka…. Typical neutral on the nose, a bit sweet on the first taste, and kind of harsh getting out…. average…Wedding well stuff- mix with tea or orange juice. I’m just not that rich. Will fill my bottle with the very nice Stoli gold and tell my friends I spent $55 for this tasty stuff…lol. Before that I will serve the real CH in highballs… as Smirnoff.

What a nice bottle. If the taste was as good as the bottle itself, this vodka would be perfect.
It tastes just like Purity Vodka made in Sweden. It tastes like a ethanol and I didn´t like it.

There are several ratings about this vodka and other vodka drinks by mixing with martini.

Drink without mixing.

The best vodkas I have ever had are Kauffman Vodka (soft and hard), Stoli Elit, ZYR, Beluga Gold Line and Smirnoff Black.

These Russians truly beat Crystal Head Vodka by a mile.

Anyway, Crystal Head Vodka has the nicest bottle.

When I saw the skull on the shelf at my likker store — I bought it in spite of the $53 price tag — I wanted the vodka to use as a Toast at my upcoming Jazz Funeral (Fri, Dec 21 – 2012) — upon finding that Dan Aykroyd was the head honcho, I invited him to partake in my New Orleans style Jazz Funeral to be held in the Ozarks — unfortunately he will be out of the country – but was kind enough to send the “Big Bozo” which I will use as a pre-funeral kick-off honoring my 25 pallbearers — and the bottle? — I will use as my Urn to capture the ashes from my burning effigy. Oh, what a grand time we will have in Eureka Springs, AR — my new home since Hurricane Katrina. I have a funeral website that you can find if you go to my Dan Ellis website. Laissez les bon temps rouler! and a happy Crystalhead junkie I now am!

I was going to buy this bottle, but after all these reviews I am going to pass. Glad I checked.

If they made the vodka grey goose level or better I’d drop $100 just to try the cool bottle, but I’m not going to waste $50 on garbage.

I have tried numerous vodkas. Everything from really cheap to expensive. This is an expensive bottle of vodka. With that said, this is one of the best vodkas I have ever had as well. It has a nearly flavorless taste and mixes well with various juices. It has a slightly sweet flavor which doesn’t smell all that great in the bottle but goes well when mixed or even on its own. It goes down smooth with only a touch of burn. If you enjoy vodka it is worth it to try it at least once. The bottle makes for an interesting presentation and conversation piece. The drink itself was an unexpected pleasure.

I actually didn’t know that the bottle came in a larger size, I saw a smaller version at a store around the corner with the other mini’s and I thought it was adorable. It was only $10 so I think I’m going to go give it a try sometime soon!

I work for a vodka distillery, and as a vodka drinker I have to say this Crystal Head Vodka is not the best I’ve had. It’s the worst I’ve had for the price tag. Crystal Head, As a grain vodka, tastes like a grain vodka even filtered with crystal. Potato vodka and corn vodka, both have a much cleaner taste and are more neutral, comparatively. I have to say the only reason i would buy this vodka in the future is if I wanted more heads. I’m sticking with potato vodka even if it’s not crystal filtered.

This is seriously one of the best vodkas I’ve ever had. I was honestly expecting less. It feels just like water, it doesn’t burn. It has delicate, sweet flavor and it’s so refreshing!

I finally found a 1.75L bottle of Crystal Head. It looks the same, just bigger.

BTW, I finally experienced a slight bitterness and bite that might be what some folks have found offensive about Crystal Head. It seems to show up for the first few sips of my martini if, and only if, I do not add any vermouth to the cocktail. After the first few sips, my mouth must get conditioned by the vodka and this subsides. This is totally absent when there is even the slightest hint of vermouth added to the drink. Finally, it doesn’t always happen, so there may be some affect of salivary or food chemistry on the flavor of Crystal Head.

Well I agree that this bottle is worth 50$ but I don’t agree with the taste. It tastes like some one put Bartons vodka in my bottle but oddly it got me drunk off 3 shots. And the glass skull looks cool as a decoration when bottle is finally empty

I loved this vodka. It has peppery nodes towards the back of the pallet that are very enjoyable, and a very smooth clean light after taste. As supposed to Sobeiski, which has a more full mouth feel.

If it was 20 bucks, I would buy this everyday. Great stuff.

I had not drunk vodka since high school (now 68 yrs old) when I came upon a bottle of Crystal Head and could not resist buying it for the bottle. However, I flipped out when I actually tasted the vodka. I thought it was excellent. For fun I bought a bottle of Vodka of the Gods from Trader Joe’s. Well, forget it! It’s fine in a Bloody Mary but straight up, no way. I am spoiled forever now with Crystal Head which needs no mixer. Thanks, Dan. I wish I had your money to buy lots of it!

I am very surprised to see all the negative feedback about this vodka. Believe me, I am the first person to be negative about anything being sold by a celeb which claims to be “elite,” because the opposite is generally the case. For example, I would never buy a watch branded by Louis Vuitton, because LV are master luggage makers, not watch engineers. Similarly, Dan Akroyd branded wine actually makes me look elsewhere, because it wreaks of a well marketed poorly produced product.

When it comes to Crystal Head, however, it seems to be the proverbial exception to the rule. When I first tried it, I had no idea about it’s origins or celebrity ownership. I was at a Vodka bar in Toronto, called Pravda. It’s next door to my office. I am a salesman, and work with a few other sales people in our office – as you are aware, salesmen enjoy the odd drink. I’ve tasted more or less all of the vodkas offered at Pravda at one point or another. From $5 a shot to $50 a shot, and I can confidently say that Crystal Head is extremely enjoyable, and well worth the cost.

The only downside is that the LCBO, Ontario’s only source for spirits, refuses to carry the brand because they feel the skull associates the consumption of alcohol with death.

Instead, I buy Kettle One, which is a very decent and slightly lower priced alternative.

I’d be very interested to see which brands the nay-sayers in this thread prefer to Crystal Head – because I truly believe that anyone who thinks it’s anything less than very good has no idea what they’re talking about.

Best,

JT – Toronto, Canada.

This Vodka is absolutely horrible, crack a bottle of rubbing alcohol instead. The bottle it comes in is extremely cool though…

Wow. Best. Vodka. Ever. Not only is the bottle wicked, it’s the finest vodka I’ve ever had. Clean, smooth, flavorless, no burn, just a light, cool, refreshing feeling after it goes down. Great for sipping straight. Cost is rather prohibitive though, most of us won’t be willing to shell out $50 to always keep this one stocked.

I had another Crystal Head martini while out at dinner, and it reinforced my impression that this vodka is far superior to any other that I have tried! So smooth, no burn, and a nice mildly sweet flavor; just great! I am now curious how it compares to the also very highly regarded Jean Marc XO. However, at approximately $60 a bottle, I doubt that I will have an opportunity to try it any time soon.

I got a bottle of Crystal Head for my 21st birthday…and I was not as swept off my feet as people all seem to be. It seemed unnaturally harsh, with a bitter taste to it. The burn was that of a low-grade vodka, I felt like I had just taken a shot of monarch. I would definitely prefer a mid like svedka over crystal head after that experience. Did I just get a bad bottle or something?

I found the bottle to be very nice but the vodka inside…not so much.

My wife bought me a bottle for my birthday. I wasnt expecting much but holy shit that is the absolute best vodka I have ever had. It was smooth and almost no after taste. Definitely not one that I can afford to drink but for special occasions definitly worth it. Dont share it with someeone who hasnt acquired the taste for vodka.

I never drank Vodka I didn’t like – until now. Crystal Head is WAAAYYY overpriced. It starts out with an aftertaste that resembles charcoal. I normally enjoy sipping vodka while having a beer, but the only way I was able to finish the bottle was to mix it with orange juice. For my money, Gilbey’s is a much better vodka for a whole lot less money.

I am an avid reader of this site and I was super excited to try this vodka. Ever since I bought a bottle of Ciroc Vodka (yes, because of Jay-z), I found a new love for vodka and spend way too much money on it. I have to say though, this vodka was not as smooth as people describe. For whatever reason, it burned my mouth and had a big after burn in my esophogus. I would much rather drink kettle1

This one is a strange one. I’ve had 3 bottles of this so far. 2 of the 750ml, and 1 of the big daddy 1.75ml head. All 3 bottles experienced the same result. I keep my high end stuff on top of my fridge at room temperature, and thats where these were all stored. They all started out great, with a taste that agrees with all of the positive reviews on this page. Fantastic stuff. But after about a month or so, the aftertaste began to become so bad that I had to use this vodka in only mixers. Even the smell of the vodka became strange. Did this happen to other reviewers?

my understanding is that crystal head vodka is mainly manufactured in usa and canadian content only needs to be 10% by law. am inquiring about this for the truth.marketing hype or other.Will advise.

Keep in mind crystal head is distilled 4 times and Jean Marc xo is distilled 9 so that could be the explaination for the smoothness comparison.

I wasn’t overly impressed. This vodka was far from flavorless in my opinion and had a funky after-taste. My wife, brother and sister-in-law all agreed. Maybe we got a “skunked” bottle. If it wasn’t for the autograph by Dan Akroyd, I doubt we would have bought the other two bottles. Bluntly – I’ve had better for less.

I would like to say that using Simply juices (orange or lemonade or any other) as a mixer just ends in disaster. I’ve used them for several types of alcohol and they always had a weird and bad flavor.

I purchased this stuff years ago and never opened it until recently n it is pure Ethenol. I drank it while camping and I used it as kerosene. I first purchased this in New Foundland where it is made for 40 some bucks and I seen the price for 70 in British Colombia, absolutely insane. The only reason I purchased this product was for the skull it was a total impulse buy. I read that it is triple distilled and then distilled once more in crystals maybe this is was it’s so pungent.

Great bottle…horrible vodka. This will probably be a dead horse in a few years.

I tried a bottle in Chicago last month. Everyone who had it hated it, and I am the same. I usually do Tito’s or something similar to Monopolowa. I read that its a love/hate kind of thing, but everyone I knew who tried it before hates it. I want to do a blind test with this, but I am not going to shell out 60 dollars again for it.

I recently got into Vodka’s and have been a fan of Goose and Ketel One. A buddy of mine recommended Crystal Head for me. I have seen the bottle in advertisements at bars and resturants but never had the opportunity to try it until recently.

At Xmas I picked up a bottle of it for my friend that recommended it to me. He cracked it open there and I tried it and was very very impressed. Very smooth stuff. Enjoyed it unchilled and straight up right out the bottle.

I highly recommend it.

I just recieved a Crystal Head gift box from my wife as an anniversay gift and I love the little Skull glasses. I have yet to try the spirit itself though since it is quite expensive. I’m planning to save it for New Year’s eve. From what I’ve read online and you good people, you either like it or you dont. My usual vodka is Svedka and I prefer drinking it like a man; straight and neat. I’ll give my thoughts soon enough…Knowing myself I’ll probably crack that baby open before New Years Haha

I would love it if some of you vodka snobs would try tasting this stuff in a blind test. Vodka loyalty is probably 95% due to marketing strategies, which explains the popularity of this stuff. Tasted objectively, Crystal Head can be compared to $6 well vodka. Chilling vodka kills a lot of the aftertaste, and mixing vodka pretty much eliminates all differences between top and bottom shelf varieties. If you like Dan Ackroyd, then by all means drink Crystal Head. If you prefer drinking your vodka straight at room temperature, I would suggest the excellent-tasting midrange vodkas such as Svedka, Tito’s, or Absolute.

I have Crystal Head Vodka avail autographed by Dan Aykroyd. Comes with pic of him sighning bottle. Have 3 good signiture and two smudged. Contact me @ [email protected]

@Robert, I noticed recently that the forum’s rating of Crystal Head had dropped from a deserved 5 star rating to 4 stars. However, I just noticed that it was bumped up to 5 stars again today without any obvious review or rating additions. How does the forum’s star rating system work? BTW, if it is not already abundantly clear to those reading this thread, I love Crystal Head, and would give it 6 stars, if that were an option. ;-)