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Bootlegger's Bay Rum Bonanza

In the true B&B spirit of generosity, I was sent a sample pack of the entire Bootlegger's Bay Rum collection by OkieStubble(Rob). Handcrafted and unique. I can't express my gratitude enough. Thanks, Rob. I am going to try them all over the next week or so and post my thoughts.

I am dreaming of a bay rum Christmas.

Here is Rob's post describing the homemade bay rum concoctions in detail. I will get back to you folks with reviews. I think I will start with the original.

Bootlegger's Original Bay Rum: Equal parts: Pinaud Virgin Island Bay Rum / Masters Bay Rum / Superior 70 Bay Rum
It is the perfect bay rum for the holidays. All 3 bay rums mix together for a synergistic bay rum utopia! :) PVIBR has a lot of clove, but the Masters really tones the clove down to a perfect amount. The Masters has so much glycerin, it feels tacky going on. However, the Superior 70 really brings the glycerin down to the perfect level and also adds an authentic bay rum oil for richness and longevity of scent, in which most bay rums can't provide. Bootlegger's can be smelled for hours after putting it on.

Bootlegger's Lime Bay Rum: Same great Bootlegger's Bay Rum, but with Lime! Take the same recipe above, and add an equal part of Pinaud Citrus Musk. I tried many different lime aftershave's, before settling on this one, but Citrus Musk seems like it was made for Bootlegger's! Great reviews by everyone who has tried it. Great summer time bay rum.

Bootlegger's Perfecto: Many bay rum lovers want a summer time bay rum, without the heavy, cloying, scent of clove & spice. So I came up with a light & breezy bay rum, with a light masculine scent of Virginian leaf tobacco, (How it got it's name,"Perfecto") blended with a bright summer scent of orange citrus. Equal parts: Masters Bay Rum / Superior 70 Bay Rum / Vitos Colonia Tobacco

Bootlegger's Green Freeze:
I love Osage Rub. It's a cold blast during hot weather and it's cheap. But man, does it smell medicinal!
However, Wouldn't Osage Rub be perfect if they gave it a light summer scent like vanilla? Well, look no further! 50/50 mix Osage Rub / Mennen Skin Bracer. Perfect combo! They both have menthol, but the extra menthol and Eucalyptus in the OR, give it an extra cooling boost! The vanilla from the Skin Bracer blends in and totally eliminates any medicinal scent. Both AS's are green, so it mixes perfectly in color with no funky blue green look!. Many have tried it and agree, THE GREEN FREEZE IS AWESOME!

Bootlegger's Artic Lime Blast:
Want the power of artic cold with the power of lime? 50/50 mix Osage Rub / Pinaud Lime Sec.
The Lime Sec is a sweet lime, which blends perfectly with OR. The PLS eliminates the medicinal scent of OR and the color mixes perfectly, because their both still green! Great if your just looking for a cheap, cold, straight up lime scent.

Did I mention. these are all cheap to be had? But they don't smell or feel cheap. Hey, If I purchased a $30 bottle of aftershave and only got 4 oz of it? I'm not mixing it with anything either!!! For that price, it better do everything it advertises all by itself.

But what if you had an aftershave, That does everything you need it to, scent, longevity, skin feel? And you got a huge amount of it at a dirt cheap price? Don't mix it, just use it. Bootlegger's takes those aftershaves that while good, they just miss one of the important factors, from those 3 categories. Then mixes them, in a synergistic blend that makes them great in all those areas.

Anyone can mix cheap aftershaves together, but they might not come up with the right blend and amount of color, scent, longevity, skin feel and price. Where it doesn't seem like a mix of other brands, but actually seems to stand alone as it's own aftershave.
Lots of time is spent, researching & experimenting in order to find that just right mix, in order to give it the Bootlegger's moniker.



 
Gave the original a whirl this morning. I must admit. I was skeptical. Having used VIBR and Superior 70 as stand alone products, could combining them with Masters improve them? The answer is yes. Although I only trim my cheek and beard line these days, I still follow up with a splash. This juice had nice burn, and left my shaved area feeling healed in that bay rum antiseptic way. Let's talk about the fragrance. The best of three worlds. You get a strong cinnamon from the VIBR which dries down into an earthy 'bay' with a subtle sweetness. Not 'clovey' at all. This stuff really shines in projection and longevity of scent. Two hours from a bay rum is not shabby at all. These samples were sent in plastic spray atomizer bottles. A few additional spritzes on the chest were unique and delightful. I am still getting whiffs three hours later.
 
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2+ hrs from a bay rum is not shabby at all. Very generous on Rob's part, and I look forward to more of the reviews!
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Great review Tony! I love the Bay Rum during Christmas time. Your review was spot on in my opinion, thank you for trying Bootlegger's and taking the time to tell us what you think of them.

Can't wait to read what you think of the rest of the collection.
 
Great review Tony! I love the Bay Rum during Christmas time. Your review was spot on in my opinion, thank you for trying Bootlegger's and taking the time to tell us what you think of them.

Can't wait to read what you think of the rest of the collection.

I am looking forward to The Perfecto because I like the name.
 
I've been using some advice I read from @turtle a while back. Basically doubling the application on my face - one splash for the skin, and one splash for the nose.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
I am looking forward to The Perfecto because I like the name.

The name comes from the tobacco note. Of all of them, I think this is the one I am most interested to hear your thoughts on. Don't be surprised to find it is nothing like the original bay rum. The original is a heavy, colder weather type where this is a summery, light & breezy but still masculine scent.

Because it was designed to be a warm weather bay rum, don't expect longevity of scent. Just a light, masculine scent that while, like most bay rums, fades quickly, later whiffs regenerate by slight moisture. My thoughts, of this when testing and experimenting with it, was a picture of a warm, breezy & sticky humid night in Cuba, sitting at a bar on an outside veranda, wearing a straw hat and a woven button up Guayabera shirt, puffing on a dark perfecto while sipping a rich bourbon.
 
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The name comes from the tobacco note. Of all of them, I think this is the one I am most interested to hear your thoughts on. Don't be surprised to find it is nothing like the original bay rum. The original is a heavy, colder weather type where this is a summery, light & breezy but still masculine scent.

Because it was designed to be a warm weather bay rum, don't expect longevity of scent. Just a light, masculine scent that while fades, quickly, later whiffs, regenerate by slight moisture. My thoughts, of this when testing and experimenting with it, was a picture of a warm, breezy & sticky humid night in Cuba, sitting at a bar on an outside veranda, wearing a straw hat and a woven button up Guayabera shirt, puffing on a dark perfecto while sipping a rich bourbon.

Oh boy! Perhaps a subtle Special Reservish scent.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Something like that, yes, very subtle, but not as dark. I actually have a new Bootlegger's in the making that uses Special Reserve. If you find the Perfecto to your liking, I would love to use you as a guinea pig for the new Bootlegger's testing? :)
 
I've been using some advice I read from @turtle a while back. Basically doubling the application on my face - one splash for the skin, and one splash for the nose.

From my research while making my own aftershave, west indies bay isn't a scent that should last long. It's called a "top note" or "head" scent, which fades (semi) quickly and is usually paired with other scents that are "heart/mid note" and "base note".

It's why mixing these together gives good results. Taking different notes from the different splashes.
 
From my research while making my own aftershave, west indies bay isn't a scent that should last long. It's called a "top note" or "head" scent, which fades (semi) quickly and is usually paired with other scents that are "heart/mid note" and "base note".

Precisely. When it comes to Bootlegger's it is most likely the cinnamon and other 'exotic spices' in the VIBR that present middle to base. Deep down in there I still get bay late but it is very faint and slightly 'woody'/'earthy'.
 
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I am also guessing the high alcohol content and 'pure bay' in the Superior 70 give these splashes that classic 'sting'. Rounding out and tempering/neutralizing down the other oils in the Masters and VIBR while providing a heavier dose of 'pure bay'.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
From my research while making my own aftershave, west indies bay isn't a scent that should last long. It's called a "top note" or "head" scent, which fades (semi) quickly and is usually paired with other scents that are "heart/mid note" and "base note".

It's why mixing these together gives good results. Taking different notes from the different splashes.

The pure bay oil that is in Superior 70 is Puerto Rican, not West Indies. It is the richness of this oil that gives Bootlegger's it's deeper, rich authentic appeal. :)
 
The pure bay oil that is in Superior 70 is Puerto Rican, not West Indies. It is the richness of this oil that gives Bootlegger's it's deeper, rich authentic appeal. :)

Now I have to do a comparative study of volcanic soils in Puerto Rico and The West Indies to determine the impact on the bay rum tree(Pimenta racemosa).


I have obviously gone mad and I blame you all.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Now I have to do a comparative study of volcanic soils in Puerto Rico and The West Indies to determine the impact on the bay rum tree(Pimenta racemosa).


I have obviously gone mad and I blame you all.

Lol'd, My bad, I was just mentioning where it was manufactured.
Puerto Rico Distilling Co. Ponce, Puerto Rico. :lol:
 
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