As one of the most beloved names in entertainment, Dan Aykroyd has won over the world with his comedy and music. It’s no surprise that he also leads the charge in celebrity-owned brands. But, much like his ownership in House of Blues, Dan isn’t just a silent partner — he has worked with an incredible team of artists and distillers to bring his vodka brand to life. We sat down with him to learn more about Crystal Head Vodka and what inspired this now-iconic vodka brand.
WHAT INSPIRED YOUR WORK IN THE SPIRITS INDUSTRY?
Well, I guess it really goes back to me wanting to just get access to a better tequila. I initially just wanted to make a better tequila available in Canada for my margaritas at the dock. That’s the entire reason that I got into this business. So, I met JP DeJoria, the owner of Patrón tequila when he helped us open The House of Blues. He was one of our first investors.
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One night I was with him, and we were hanging out at The House of Blues in Los Angeles. And he introduced me to Patrón tequila; this beautiful smooth, white, smoky tequila that I had never even heard of before. I knew of it, but I hadn’t really tasted it. And I tried it, and it completely changed my view of tequila. I had the residual view of tequila as a bad hangover. You know, the technicolor mural in the backyard of a Mexican bodega kind of association. And I wasn’t really a tequila fan back then. But I did like margaritas.
I only had the two inferior brands, so I said to JP, “Can I bring the Patrón into my little government liquor store in Canada?” And he said, “Well you have to bring it to the whole country.” So, he granted me the importation license of Patrón for Canada, and I was able to bring it into the country. Over a period of about six years, I turned it into one of the top luxury brands in Canada.
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Other luxury brands are in there now, but now Canadians can enjoy what Americans have for years. This beautiful clean taste of Patrón and then I had the better fluid to work with at the dock, and I turned it into a great success for them. Bacardí bought out Patrón a couple of years ago. I’m out of that equation now, but that’s what got me started.
It was going, the Patrón, because Canadians were tasting this beautiful fluid that they’d never had before. And I was quite happy with that success and was able to kind of let it rest a bit and look to other categories now.
WHAT LED YOU THEN INTO THE VODKA SPACE?
I tasted a lot of vodkas, just looking at another category, and all of them seemed to have no taste at all, or a scratchy taste like the roughness of a cat’s tongue, or an over-viscosity, or a bad smell. I mean, it was amazing to discover the seemingly lack of appeal to me in these leading brands. And so I inquired, “why doesn’t vodka taste like it’s supposed to?” According to regulations, it’s actually supposed to be tasteless, odorless and colorless — but vodka should have a taste.
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