DAN AYKROYD VIDEO

dustry when I brought Patron tequila to Canada. That’s where it all started. We built it into Canada’s #1 luxury tequila brand. I then started looking into other categories. To me, vodka always had this fake, overly viscous, artificially sweetened taste and smelled like perfume. So, with ours, we set out to create a pure and clean liquid - free from all additives.

ATOTK: So ‘Crystal Head’ puts in no additives, why do others and you do not?

DA: Well, other brands use additives and sugars to either mask the taste or create flavors. Being additive and sugar-free is our identity. We use only the highest-quality ingredients to create unique expressions of ultra-premium vodka. Rather than using additives, we distill our vodka from different raw materials. Our original vodka is crafted from locally sourced Canadian corn, offering a silky-smooth vodka with a hint of sweetness and vanilla.

ATOTK: I’ve heard you say that the water is a key factor in the manufacturing process. Can you explain?

DA: Water makes up 60% of vodka, so blending Crystal Head with the best water is essential. Canada has some of the purest water sources in the world. For all our expressions of vodka, we chose to source our water from St. John’s Newfoundland.

ATOTK: The vodka is filtered seven times, through layers of Herkimer diamonds?

DA: Yes, our filtration process is unlike any other. The Herkimer diamonds guarantee clarity and offer a hint of minerality to the final taste.

Continued from page 19

ATOTK: The bottle itself is so cool. Who created it?

DA: Well the concept for the bottle was designed by renowned artist, John Alexander, and inspired by the legend of the thirteen crystal skulls. I am fascinated by these stories and the acceptance that there is more to life than reality. Over half the world believes in some type of phenomenon. It was essential to create something with meaning. Our bottle is a symbol of life, reflecting power and enlightenment. These heads are a source of knowledge and allow us to connect to a higher power and purpose. The liquid was made with the bottle in mind, something to match the purity and innovation of the bottle.

ATOTK: So that being said between life and reality, will there be a new Ghostbusters film in the future? Everyone loves the series.

DA: I’ve heard that before (Laughs). Yes, Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2 is scheduled to release in

Canada in December.

ATOTK: Awesome! Now where do you manufacture the bottles?

DA: We create our bottles from leading glass manufacturers in Europe. Our bottle’s complexity and commitment to high quality compels us to reject and re-melt over 40% of all glass made. The average bottle has a rejection rate of about 0.5%. Every bottle of is hand sorted and checked for defects before leaving the factory.

ATOTK: Was it John’s idea or yours to create such a piece of art for a product?

DA: Well, John enjoys going to the day of the dead in Mexico and loves the sugar skulls. He told me about the idea of the skulls with alcohol in them, and it was a great idea. The rest is history so to speak (Laughs).

ATOTK: How has the company grown from its inception?

Blues Brothers

DA: In the 15 years we have been selling, we have grown to over 20 people (not including the fine people at the NLC that bottle the product for us), and we are selling in about 75 countries. We started with one product in one size and now have over a dozen SKUs.

ATOTK: Taxes on spirits are insanely high. Were you aware of this going into it?

DA: Well truthfully I had yet to learn how high the taxes would be. I always figured it wouldn’t be cheap, but until you get into the industry, you don’t know how high the taxes are. Taxes aside, it’s a pretty exciting and dynamic industry. The people are interesting, and it can be fun at times. The government’s presence forces companies to be more creative to earn a profit than in other industries.

ATOTK: If you had 100 empty bottles on display, would you say a person has a drinking problem or becoming a hoarder (Laughs)?

DA: (Laughs) Well, we would thank them for their business first off. But that’s the thing about Crystal Head. You get an additive-free, no-sugar, award-winning vodka, and after you finish drinking it, you still have this fantastic artist-designed skull bottle. You certainly don’t see many of our bottles in recycling bins (Laughs).

ATOTK: Worst gig ever?

DA: Blues Brothers concert for Cadillac retailers - no one got up and danced.

ATOTK: Favourite character?

DA: Of all the great characters, I have to go with Beldar Conehead.

ATOTK: Now, some quick questions. Best gig ever?

DA: Blues Brothers opening for Rolling Stones in Chicago. It was amazing.

ATOTK: I won’t take up anymore of your time, Dan, I know how busy you are. Thank you for the insight on your tasty, unique business venture. Last words for our readers?

DA: Well, who doesn’t love the Kawarthas? Enjoy your spectacular surroundings, don’t take them for granted and treat them respectfully.

Crystal Head Vodka www.crystalheadvodka.com

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by Margaret Swaine

J ust about any type of traveller, from adventurers, honeymooners, families and solo backpackers to seniors can find a place to please them in Belize, a former British colony where the official language is English. Forbes magazine named this small Central American country, one of the “Best Places to Travel Around the World in 2022”. Its Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the second-largest coral reef system on the globe. There are multiple Maya archeological sites, tropical jungles, rainforests, miles of sandy beaches and cultural experiences that connect with and support indigenous communities such as the Garifuna people.

I chose to visit for two weeks with a mission to inspect four hotel members of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group (SLH). SLH is an association of over 500 independently minded small luxury properties in about 90 countries. To maintain their Quality Assurance Program, they have a 100-strong team of travel connoisseurs trained as mystery inspectors. I’ve been a member of their team for well over a decade and have inspected dozens of properties. It’s a fun side-gig to my writing and often gets me travelling to out of the ordinary places.

I’d been to Belize before but only to one property and had concentrated on visits to Maya archeological sites, local food markets and cultural experiences such as Maya chocolate making. This time I would be crisscrossing the country including taking ferries to and from Ambergris Caye, the largest of the country’s some 450 small sandy islands found off its roughly 386 km of coastline.

Celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, who bought Blackadore Caye, have plans to turn some of the undeveloped islands into eco-resorts. (Though from what locals tell me, not all is going according to plan.) Francis Ford Coppola leased the two-and-a-half-acre Coral Caye island for six years in southern Belize. Other celebrities who have owned or spent time on the Belize islands include Tiger Woods, Giselle Bundchen and Ivanka Trump.

However, I wouldn’t be going there to celebrity spot. I’d have a rating form of 750 criteria to fill for each hotel inspection. Leaving no stone unturned, I’d be checking out the spa, bar, restaurants, room service, housekeeping, grounds, beach, pool and much more at each property.

Belize is a compact country, slightly smaller than the US state of Massachusetts, with just under 420,000 people so self drive is a viable option. However, while some areas are serviced by newly built, modern highways, others still have dirt and gravel roads. I decided to hire a private tour and transport company, Shuttle Belize, to drive me from place to place. The drivers, including Josh Trapp, the owner/operator were excellent and that meant stress free travel.

“Which of these resorts do I recommend? It depends on what you are looking for.

The first hotel to inspect was Itz’ana on the palm fringed peninsula of Placencia. We took the new coastal highway from Belize City and were there in just over two hours. As we drove along the 19-mile long peninsula with the Caribbean Sea on its east flank and a lagoon on the west, I saw mega mansion after mega mansion. This was clearly a place where expat money came to rest.

The resort itself lined a sandy beach with a row of luxurious one and two bedroom villas. Our room was in the main building by the pool and when we were upgraded the next day to an ocean front room (thanks to my Indulged level membership in SLH), the constant sea breeze was perfect for sitting outside enjoying the views. Food was excellent here and included Belizean specialties such as Fish Sere, a creamy fish chowder that comes from the Garinagu people, shrimp aguachile and Belizean BBQ.

My days were kept busy with the inspection, though no complaints when that included an excellent massage, swims in the pool, drinks at the bar and tasty meals. The only major disappointment was the sargassum, a floating brown seaweed that has been plaguing the Caribbean beaches with a pungent thick carpet of decaying algae and tiny sea creatures. Clearing the beaches of it is a round-the-clock job for most resorts. It did mean I could not swim in the sea.

The next resort was a 90 minute water taxi away from Belize City to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye where Matachica’s private speedboat picked my husband and me up for the ten minute trip to our island paradise. Matachica is a collection of comfortable thatch roofed cabanas painted in tropical colours. Ours was right on the beach with a private jacuzzi and large deck for viewing the stunning sunsets and sunrises. It was barefoot luxury at its best.

Yet again sargassum was an issue, but there was a large, beautiful pool and boats to take guests out beyond the seaweed to the coral reefs where the pristine water was teaming with colourful fish and other sea creatures. It was heaven for snorkelers and scuba divers.

We ate a lot of fresh delicious seafood here: crab ravioli, banana leaf snapper, Deep Blue seafood dish, fish tacos and more. The spa had its own pavilion and Tiffany gave me a thorough and excellent mani-pedi. We enjoyed a special manager’s table Belizean meal with other guests who signed up and we danced to live Saturday night Cuban music. All in all a lovely, well run resort.

Once back on the mainland, we headed to the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve to enjoy the rainforest experience at Gaia Riverlodge. Gaia is a Green Globe Award certified eco-lodge with individual thatch roof casitas and gorgeous views overlooking the Five Sisters Waterfalls. Most of their fruits and vegetables are farmed on site in their Mayan organic garden.

We took the mini tram down from the lodge to the waterfall area where I had a swim, then enjoyed a picnic lunch and drinks with my husband surrounded by the sounds of rushing water. Nature at its best. The lodge offers a vast array of adventure activities in the area, but ‘I had to work’. More spa, more great meals and tasty signature cocktails and the only hard part – lots of time filling out forms on the computer and posting illustrative photos.

The final stop was Ka’ana Resort in San Ignacio near the Guatemala border. This is the perfect launch pad for a tour of the world famous Tikal, the site of an ancient city in a rainforest in Guatemala, about an hour and half drive from the resort. It’s one of the largest archeological sites and urban centres of pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Tikal National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. I visited Tikal from Ka’ana on my previous visit to Belize, and it’s really a wonder of the world that’s a must see.

Ka’ana resort has an assortment of villas and rooms, some totally luxurious and others much less so. Their spa is charming, and I highly recommend the Mayan stomach massage. I learned things about my innards and uterus that I found fascinating.

Which of these resorts do I recommend? It depends what you are looking for. For laid back indulgence –Itz’ana. For the ultimate snorkeling and scuba excursions –Matachica. For jungle adventures –Gaia Riverlodge. For Maya archeological sites –Ka’ana. Or take a couple of weeks and do it all.