I love the scent of Bay Rum and could just roll in the stuff. In particular, I savor the true West Indian Bay note itself and always feel like I have a fresh scent on me anytime I wear it. However, finding a version that Cindy can tolerate is tough, as clove is one of her scents for me to avoid (other notes include sandalwood, lavender and amber). Likewise, finding a version that lasts on me is also difficult, as my body chemistry really sucks the life out of true Bay oil.
Done right, a good Bay Rum is made with just the leaves and/or berries of the West Indian Bay tree (Pimenta Racemosa) and alcohol. Please note that there is some confusion by some with the culinary Bay Laurel (Laurus Nobilis), which is never used in a proper Bay Rum scent. Other Bay Rum components may include citrus and spice oils of clove and cinnamon, though many of the cheaper Bay Rum versions will largely substitute clove oil for a quality Bay oil. And yes, clove is somewhat similar to Bay oil in smell, though it has a much oilier and much heavier aspect to it. Bay oil is more astringent, lighter, more complex and dries down fairly quickly.
Since I really wanted a Bay Rum in my scent wardrobe, I decided to get as many samples and/or bottles as I could, and work my way through to the ones that Cindy could tolerate. Fortunately, Barclay Crocker has a Bay Rum sampler set that contains 13 different versions in it from 9 different brands - each in a tiny .03 oz vial. I also had other Bay Rums to pull from and have included them here.
In this mass review, I spent several days testing, wearing and comparing all of them. Most lasted just minutes to maybe an hour, but a few had better longevity. All required heavy application - enough to drop a horse with a regular cologne. There were also a few surprises to share, so without further rambling - here are the reviews - and as always, YMMV:
- Bonny Doon Farm / Meehan Bay Rhum Cologne Splash - Emptied the entire .03 oz sample on me. Goes on very strong and sharp, with a quick dry down of the Bay scent. More of a splash than a cologne. The remaining notes of strong clove and a hint of cinnamon linger for hours. so maybe it could be called a cologne after all. Made from "essential oils from the leaves and berries of the native Dominica, Montserrat, St. John, and St. Lucia bay trees, Bulgarian rose water and spirits of cane". I didn't get a single whiff of rose water and I distinctly smell a slight cinnamon note.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 5/10 (too clovey); I give it - 7/10
Longevity: 3 to 4 hours for the clove and cinnamon
No Basenotes information.
=====================- Caswell-Massey / Michelsen Bay Rum Cologne - Emptied the entire .03 oz sample on me. More of a splash than a cologne, unless you like clove. Very strong alcohol blast, followed by a nice Bay oil scent with a hint of orange zest. Pretty fast dry down, with both the Bay and orange gone within 35 minutes - after that it becomes clovey. Not as good as other citrus Bay scents, but not bad. Supposedly made from the same unique Bay tree (Pimenta Acris) as the St. Johns Bay Rum.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 6/10; I give it - 7/10
Longevity: 2 to 3 hours
From Basenotes:
No fragrance notes listed.
=====================- Colonel Conk / Bay Rum Aftershave Cologne - This is supposed to be a Bay Rum aftershave cologne - dunno what I received, but it looks like a liquid soap (light to medium pink) and smells like something I'd wash dishes with. Seriously, there is *no* Bay oil scent in this sample, which came as a package of Bay Rum scent samples from Barclay Crocker. All I get from it is soap, soap and more soap.
Rating: Cindy gives it - n/a; I give it - 0/10 for lack of Bay oil of any kind
Longevity: 10 minutes or less for me. YMMV.
From Basenotes:
No fragrance notes listed.
=====================- Dominica / Double-Distilled Bay Rum Aftershave - Emptied the entire .03 oz sample on me. Correctly labeled as an aftershave, but incorrectly labeled on some websites as having come from the culinary Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) leaf instead. Rest assured - Dominica Bay Rums are distilled from the leaves of the West Indian Bay tree (Pimenta racemosa).
Wow - this juice smells GREAT! If you want to educate yourself and smell true Bay scent with nothing else added, this is it. According to the Dominica website, it contains "purest of alcohol and the leaf oil extract from the Caribbean bay tree (Pimenta racemosa)" and "no artificial dyes, fragrances, or synthetic enhancers of any kind". Very clean, with no other notes of cloves or cinnamon. Also very fleeting, as the scent had vanished in 7 minutes to the point that Cindy could barely detect it when smelling my arm directly to her nose.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 8/10; I give it - 8/10 due to longevity issues
Longevity: 7 minutes on my skin; YMMV
No Basenotes information.
=====================- Dominica / Lime Bay Rum Aftershave - Emptied the entire .03 oz sample on me. Correctly labeled as an aftershave, but - again - incorrectly labeled on some websites as having come from the culinary Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) leaf instead. Rest assured - all Dominica Bay Rums are distilled from the leaves of the West Indian Bay tree (Pimenta racemosa).
Wow - double whammy for me - Bay Rum AND lime! This juice smells GREAT as well, though this version has a much lighter Bay scent than the Double-Distilled version. Quite refreshing. 3 minutes for the Bay to vanish on my skin; however, the lime lightly lingers for HOURS - very surprising for a citrus note. The lime in this really has amazing staying power for me and it has just a hint of spiciness to it.
I don't know what it is with Cindy and citrus Bay Rum scents, but she scored all of them very low.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 0/10; I give it - 9/10 because I wish the Bay were a little heavier.
Longevity: 5 to 6 hours for the light spicy lime to waft away
No Basenotes information.
=====================- G.F. Trumper / Bay Rum Cologne - Emptied the entire .03 oz sample on me. More of a splash than a cologne. Very strong alcohol blast, followed by an odd smell - medicinal in nature. Burns my skin after a few minutes. Doesn't smell at all like Bay oil to me; more like a toned-down clove splash. Different type of clove oil - say clove stem oil, rather than clove bud oil? Really weird scent - like a machine oil - compared to all the others I've tried in this list. Don't like it and want to scrub it off.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 4/10; I give it - 1/10 as I never smelled any Bay in it at all
Longevity: 1 to 2 hours
From Basenotes:
No fragrance notes listed.
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All of my Ogallala mini-reviews are under the umbrella of the one for "Special Reserve", as they are very similar to one another in scent.
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=====================- Ogallala / Bay Rum Aftershave - Very nice as an aftershave. Goes on with a blast and dries down fast.
Note: Ogallala Bay Rums MUST be shaken thoroughly before being applied, as the Bay oil separates out from the rest of the composition and hugs the bottom of the bottle.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 5/10; I give it - 7/10
Longevity: 15 minutes on my skin
No Basenotes information.
=====================- Ogallala / Bay Rum Cologne - Liked it, but it faded fast.
Note: Ogallala Bay Rums MUST be shaken thoroughly before being applied, as the Bay oil separates out from the rest of the composition and hugs the bottom of the bottle.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 5/10; I give it - 7/10
Longevity: 30 minutes to an hour
No Basenotes information.
=====================- Ogallala / Bay Rum "Special Reserve" Cologne - I've got a huge 17.5 oz cobalt blue bottle of this stuff, so applying it heavy is *not* an issue; I pour out some into the palm of my hand and just slather it on.
Note: Ogallala Bay Rums MUST be shaken thoroughly before being applied, as the Bay oil separates out from the rest of the composition and hugs the bottom of the bottle.
I want to *roll* in this Bay Rum. I have a real affinity for resinous scents like turpentine, pine sap, rosemary, yarrow, eucalyptus, bay leaf and others, so Ogallala is a good match for me. I've actually got some on as I type this and am practically swimming in the headiness of it. Can you drink this stuff? Yum!
So far I found the Special Reserve to be the longest lasting version of the Ogallala product line. Unlike most of the other Bay Rums I've tried, which usually have a strong Bay top note that fades quickly into a different middle and base note, Ogallala remains true throughout the dry down - it just fades in intensity. Still plenty of cloves in it though.
The Special Reserve is seriously potent when it first goes on, but it fades to a nice level within 20 minutes on my skin.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 5/10; I give it - 8/10
Longevity: 5 to 6 hours
No Basenotes information.
=====================- Ogallala / Bay Rum, Limes & Peppercorns Aftershave - Another citrus Bay shot down by Cindy; she felt this one had sandalwood in it.
Note: Ogallala Bay Rums MUST be shaken thoroughly before being applied, as the Bay oil separates out from the rest of the composition and hugs the bottom of the bottle.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 3/10; I give it - 7/10
Longevity: 1 to 2 hours
No Basenotes information.
=====================- Ogallala / Bay Rum & Sandalwood Aftershave - Smells good to me, but Cindy wanted it gone due to the sandalwood.
Note: Ogallala Bay Rums MUST be shaken thoroughly before being applied, as the Bay oil separates out from the rest of the composition and hugs the bottom of the bottle.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 0/10; I give it - 7/10
Longevity: 1 to 2 hours
No Basenotes information.
=====================- Royall Lyme of Bermuda / Royall Bay Rhum All Purpose Lotion - I have a full bottle of this, so I spritzed 2 times on both arms and 3 times on my chest. Accurately labled as a lotion and not a cologne. Not as spicy on the skin as in the bottle or on paper. Also not a simple Bay Rum composition - very complex. Quick Bay dry down; a moderate amount of cinnamon and cloves afterward. Crisp, not sweet or powdery. Lasted 40 minutes on my skin. The Royall website claims to have menthol and mint in their Bay Rhum composition, but I didn't catch either of them as the clove and cinnamon overwhelmed everything after the Bay dried down. Cindy caught a lavender note and dinged them for it.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 1/10 (lavender, clove and other spices); I give it - 7/10
Longevity: 2 to 3 hours
From Basenotes:
No fragrance notes listed.
=====================- St. Johns / Bay Rum Cologne - Emptied the entire .03 oz sample on me. Potent clove cologne. The nice Bay notes dries down very quickly, leaving very strong cloves - which lasted about 3 hours. St. Johns makes some unique claims; that it takes 30 minutes to hand weave a palm frond onto each bottle (what does that have to do with what's inside?) and that their Bay Rum is made from the unique Pimenta Acris tree, rather than the Pimenta Racemosa tree that most other Bay Rums are based upon. Is there a difference? Yes, but subtle. If I want a really nice, clean Bay scent - devoid of anything else - I still prefer the Dominica Double-Distilled as my Bay Rum of choice.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 4/10; I give it - 6/10
Longevity: 3 hours
From Basenotes:
No fragrance notes listed.
=====================- St. Johns / Bay Rum with Grapefruit Cologne - Emptied the entire .03 oz sample on me. This could be called a cologne. The nice Bay and grapefruit notes dry down very quickly, leaving cloves - which faded quickly and lingered about an hour and a half before wafting away. The grapefruit scent in this cologne was not as noticable as the lime scent in St. Johns' other version. Likewise, the clove scent was amped down quite a bit as well. Not bad, but not for me.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 5/10; I give it - 6/10
Longevity: 1-1/2 hours
No Basenotes information.
=====================- St. Johns / Bay Rum with Lavender Cologne - Emptied the entire .03 oz sample on me.
Rating: Cindy gives it - n/a (she can't be around lavender); I give it - 6/10
Longevity: 1-1/2 hours
No Basenotes information.
=====================- St. Johns / Bay Rum with Lime Cologne - Emptied the entire .03 oz sample on me. The Bay combined with the lime smells good, but is gone in a flash - 8 minutes flat by my clock, and that's being generous. The rest is a linear dry down of moderate clove, about the same level as the grapefruit version. Doesn't hold a candle to the Dominica / Lime Bay Rum Aftershave; the Dominica version has both a better, cleaner lime scent and it lingers much, much longer.
Rating: Cindy gives it - n/a (she can't be around lavender); I give it - 6/10
Longevity: 1-1/2 hours
No Basenotes information.
=====================- Saint Charles Shave / Bay Rum Cologne - This one is best addressed by others. I liked the initial Bay scent when it went on, but then everything fell apart when it mixed with my body chemistry. Cindy recoiled from it.
Rating: Cindy gives it - Negative marks; it was repellent to her; I give it - 3/10
Longevity: 4 to 5 hours
No Basenotes information.
=====================- Saint Charles Shave / Bay Rum with a Twist Cologne - This one is best addressed by others. I liked the initial lime top note when it went on, but then everything fell apart when it mixed with my body chemistry. I knew I was in trouble when Cindy recoiled and went into a protracted coughing fit.
Rating: Cindy gives it - Negative marks; it was even more repellent to her than the regular SCS Bay Rum; I give it - 5/10
Longevity: 4 to 5 hours
No Basenotes information.
=====================- St. Thomas / Bay Rum Cologne - Emptied the entire .03 oz sample on me. Seemed average at best, in all aspects. The Bay oil was gone quickly and the cloves came on strong afterward.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 3/10; I give it - 3/10
Longevity: 15 to 20 minutes
No Basenotes information.
=====================- Taylor of Old Bond Street / Bay Rum Cologne - Emptied the entire .03 oz sample on me. Not much Bay punch; pretty soft actually. Very fast dry down, one of the fastest for the Bay oil. Softer overall scent than most, but still has notable cloves after the Bay has dried down. Completely gone from my skin in under 10 minutes.
Rating: Cindy gives it - 3/10; I give it - 3/10
Longevity: 10 minutes
From Basenotes:
No fragrance notes listed.
My bottom line?
I'm getting a bottle each of the Dominica Double-Distilled and Dominica Lime. If she ultimately doesn't like the Lime, maybe I'll just wear it when she's not around, because I love the stuff.
Oh, and as always - YMMV.
Great Review.
