I've never tried Bay Rum. Where to start?

[DaveHStone]

They are not the same plant, which was the point I was trying to make before. Bay oil from the Caribbean smells different from bay laurel from the Mediterranean. It smells spicier, with notes similar to allspice or nutmeg.

Bay laurel (on left), aka Greek Laurel (Greeks used it for making wreaths for athletic contests) is a shrub native to the Mediterranean.
Order: Laurales; Family: Lauraceae; Genus Laurus; Species: Laurus nobilis

Bay tree (on right), aka Spice Tree is native to the West Indies.
Order: Myrtales; Family: Myrtaceae; Genus Pimenta; Species: Pimenta racemosa

View attachment 1216465View attachment 1216466

They are different plants, as you can see.

You could always send an email to Italian Barber. They might be able to resolve some of those assumptions you have made.

I'm not denying these are different plants. I merely said, they were somewhat similar. That's all.

 

[DaveHStone]

I do want staying power in an aftershave. That's what I like about the standard pinaud clubman, stays for days. So it think the pinaud bay rum may be off the list as clearly it's a bit gutless after a few minutes and most likely I'm gonna wait until there is stock of the atomic bay rum instead. Still interested in suggestions though, especially cheap options due to my budget.

Sadly I also cannot find that superior 70 stuff in the UK so I can't make the bootlegger stuff which really does sound like fun..

For "staying power" aka silage & projection, you use EdP or EdC, not an aftershave, just sayin' you know...

 

[JCarr]

As far as the "American style" Bay Rum mentioned in the RazoRock Black Bay description goes...Captain's Choice Bay Rum is American and it steers clear of a lot of added fragrances. It's fairly pure as Bay Rums go. This is also true of Barberry Coast Bay Rum...a very pure, unadulterated Bay Rum.

They would be good bets for a Bay Rum that has little else other than the Pimento Racemosa scent.

 

[Atlantic59]

...Sadly I also cannot find that superior 70 stuff in the UK so I can't make the bootlegger stuff which really does sound like fun..

Being in the UK is a bit of a problem for bay rum, maybe. Wonder what they have at Boots, or at your local barber supply shop?

 

[Samon]

For "staying power" aka silage & projection, you use EdP or EdC, not an aftershave, just sayin' you know...

Yeah I know I will get more from a true perfume but that's not what I'm interested in. I want a practical product for my freshly shaved face that has a good scent for a few hours. If pinaud clubman can do it for £16 per 450ml and aqua velva musk can do it for £4 per 150ml then I can't help but expect a more premium product to do the same. And I simply don't have the money to buy the aftershave and the cologne version.

 

[DaveHStone]

As far as the "American style" Bay Rum mentioned in the RazoRock Black Bay description goes...Captain's Choice Bay Rum is American and it steers clear of a lot of added fragrances. It's fairly pure as Bay Rums go. This is also true of Barberry Coast Bay Rum...a very pure, unadulterated Bay Rum.

They would be good bets for a Bay Rum that has little else other than the Pimento Racemosa scent.

Yeah, it's kind of confusing, isn't it?

I mean you're saying just the opposite of what @razorboi stated here: I've never tried Bay Rum. Where to start? - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/ive-never-tried-bay-rum-where-to-start.602235/post-11106866

On top of that, from RR description it seems as if they used to make the the Captain's Choice Bay Rum soap at some point, before 2017...??

 

[DaveHStone]

Yeah I know I will get more from a true perfume but that's not what I'm interested in. I want a practical product for my freshly shaved face that has a good scent for a few hours. If pinaud clubman can do it for £16 per 450ml and aqua velva musk can do it for £4 per 150ml then I can't help but expect a more premium product to do the same. And I simply don't have the money to buy the aftershave and the cologne version.

I hear what you are saying, but I'll tell you this: I wouldn't put Pinaud Clubam on my face, if you paid me $16 each time to use it. Firstly, I find the scent (smell!) awful, but more importantly it's all artificial garbage and loads of alcohol, none of which is good for the skin. I know, I know... YMMV and all that

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I do want staying power in an aftershave. That's what I like about the standard pinaud clubman, stays for days. So it think the pinaud bay rum may be off the list as clearly it's a bit gutless after a few minutes and most likely I'm gonna wait until there is stock of the atomic bay rum instead. Still interested in suggestions though, especially cheap options due to my budget.

Sadly I also cannot find that superior 70 stuff in the UK so I can't make the bootlegger stuff which really does sound like fun..

The PAA Clásico Bay Rum is quite good, too. I like it a lot, and I'm a big Atomic Age Bay Rum Fan. It's similar but different.​

 

[Ron R]

I've not tried the soap, but the Colonel Conk Bay Rum After Shave is some potent stuff, worth mentioning here for those so inclined to bold olfactory statements.

Soap is overly bearing, at least the older version.

 

[razorboi]

Bay-rum dates to the early 1800's in the West Indies, of colonial origin. It was used as a toilet-water, but also warded off biting insects, such as mosquitos.

The toilet-water was originally produced by mascerating the leaves (not seeds) of the bayberry, bay, or bay-rum tree (genus: Myrica), which was indigenous to the islands, into a pot of rum. The resulting filtered elixir was bay-rum, simple as that!

The light spicy notes and nose of clove all came from the oil. Smoky and woody tones came from the rum, stored in oaken casks. Some concoctions added West Indian lime (oil), also indigenous, but nothing else comprised traditional bay rum.

Modern formulations derive the oil by steam or alcohol distillation, or substitute synthetics. I don't believe Mediterranean bay-laurel is used as a substitute, as it is too dissimilar. The naturally occurring spice/clove notes of bay-rum are to-day sometimes augmented with other spices and/or real clove (or synthetics), to emphasise certain notes or create a novel profile.

Some makers are now adding ingredients hitherto never contemplated in a bay rum, such as cinnamon, cocoanut, menthol, nutmeg, pine-apple, &etc. It only remains for some one to come out with a Christmas-themed "egg-nog" bay-rum!

Finding a strictly traditional bay-rum to-day may pose a challenge. The naturally-occurring notes of bay-oil may prove too understated for some modern tastes, and, of course, nobody is actually using rum anymore!

 

[andromeda673]

start with the following bay rums.

Clubman Virgin Island Bay Rum
Phoenix Artisan Accountments Atomic Age Bay Rum
Phoenix Artisan Accountments Boomstown Bay Rum

They aren't boozy, they are pretty straight forward, and literally smell like the old west.......which in my opinion is a good thing.

 

[DE Steve]

Gabels Bay Rum

 

[Settling for DFS]

Bay-rum dates to the early 1800's in the West Indies, of colonial origin. It was used as a toilet-water, but also warded off biting insects, such as mosquitos.
View attachment 1216769
The toilet-water was originally produced by mascerating the leaves (not seeds) of the bayberry, bay, or bay-rum tree (genus: Myrica), which was indigenous to the islands, into a pot of rum. The resulting filtered elixir was bay-rum, simple as that!
View attachment 1216784
The light spicy notes and nose of clove all came from the oil. Smoky and woody tones came from the rum, stored in oaken casks. Some concoctions added West Indian lime (oil), also indigenous, but nothing else comprised traditional bay rum.
View attachment 1216772
Modern formulations derive the oil by steam or alcohol distillation, or substitute synthetics. I don't believe Mediterranean bay-laurel is used as a substitute, as it is too dissimilar. The naturally occurring spice/clove notes of bay-rum are to-day sometimes augmented with other spices and/or real clove (or synthetics), to emphasise certain notes or create a novel profile.
View attachment 1216773
Some makers are now adding ingredients hitherto never contemplated in a bay rum, such as cinnamon, cocoanut, menthol, nutmeg, pine-apple, &etc. It only remains for some one to come out with a Christmas-themed "egg-nog" bay-rum!
View attachment 1216774
Finding a strictly traditional bay-rum to-day may pose a challenge. The naturally-occurring notes of bay-oil may prove too understated for some modern tastes, and, of course, nobody is actually using rum anymore!
View attachment 1216779View attachment 1216785View attachment 1216786
View attachment 1216765View attachment 1216766

PAA did come out with an EggNog Bay Rum: Space Nog!

sounded yummy and I ordered a sample. Thank goodness I didn’t splurge on the big bottle, because wife told me it was disgusting and to wash it off. but she hates Bay Rums anyway.

I was hoping to love it, but I’ve had better Bay Rums. Oglalla and Chiseled Face to name a couple.

 

[JCarr]

PAA did come out with an EggNog Bay Rum: Space Nog!

sounded yummy and I ordered a sample. Thank goodness I didn’t splurge on the big bottle, because wife told me it was disgusting and to wash it off. but she hates Bay Rums anyway.

I was hoping to love it, but I’ve had better Bay Rums. Oglalla and Chiseled Face to name a couple.

Wow! I love that one! My wife doesn't like Bay Rum, but Space Nog she doesn't mind too much. She likes Bootlegger's Bay Rum, but not too many others.

 

[Settling for DFS]

My wife doesn’t like AS that smells like food.

I do.

 

[OkieStubble]

Wow! I love that one! My wife doesn't like Bay Rum, but Space Nog she doesn't mind too much. She likes Bootlegger's Bay Rum, but not too many others.

Smart lady. You have like every Bay Rum known to man. I don’t how you use them all.

 

[JCarr]

Smart lady. You have like every Bay Rum known to man. I don’t how you use them all.

It isn't easy, but I am slowly working my way through! It's really great!

 

[Settling for DFS]

Smart lady. You have like every Bay Rum known to man. I don’t how you use them all.

Says the man with the lifetime supply of Shulton OS!

May you live a long life!

 

[OkieStubble]

Says the man with the lifetime supply of Shulton OS!

May you live a long life!

Lol’d. Yeah, but if you think about it, a lifetime supply could easily be just 3 bottles if they are rotated with other aftershaves.

How many companies or brands are making Bay Rum? @JCarr has a lot of Bay Rum!

But to be honest, I have over 200 modern and vintage aftershaves. Somewhere between 12-15 of those are Shulton OS.

 

[JCarr]

I've never counted, but I currently have around twenty plus bay rum aftershaves right now and have had ten plus others I no longer have. And still there are many I haven't yet tried.

Ogallala
Gabels
Pinaud Clubman VIBR
WSP
Barrister and Mann
Superior 70
Masters
Captain's Choice
Captain's Choice Cat-o-Nine Tails
Black Ship Grooming Black Beard
Black Ship Grooming X Anniversary
Barberry Coast
Soap Commander Purpose
Stirling
Lucky Tiger
PAA Captain Smythe's Reserve
Bootlegger's
Bootlegger's Lime
Space Nog
C.O. Bigelow
Dr. Jon's Anne Bonny
PAA Atomic Age
Colonel Conk

I have had, but no longer have in my collection:
Black Magic
Royall Bay Rum
PAA Classico
PAA Boomtown
Chiseled Face
Taconic
Lustray
Gilbert Henry
Murphy and McNeil Bad Mor
Layrite #9

I've had certain Bay Rum scents only in a soap as well. The world of Bay Rum...diverse...vast...fun!