Stirling Bay Rum (??)

[tm3]

Just tried my first Stirling soap, bay rum. I like the packaging and really like the performance. Bay rum is probably my all time favorite shaving scent and in my experience they all smell different whether QED, Mama Bear, Ogalalla, Pinaud, Master, etc. Stirling is different, all right, way different. It smells ...... strange. Not close to any other bay rum aroma I've ever encountered. Fortunately the scent is not real strong so I think that I can use it rather than ditch it, but boy this stuff is odd.

I realize that this is probably the YMMV factor, but just wondering what others think of this Stirling scent.

 

[KenM]

I was just about to start a thread about Stirling Bay Rum and this came up. I think you may have answered my question but if you don't mind I'll piggyback a little. It have never tried a Bay Rum scented anything. I bought a sample of Stirling witch hazel Bay Rum. If this is Bay Rum, Bay Rum isn't for me. If I wanted to try a representative Bay Rum which one should I get?

 

[CANES]

They definitely are all different. I've tried several and prefer the ones without much clove. The absolute best Bay Rum for my tastes is from Pete Hendrix of HCC soaps. He uses bay leaf oil with the tiniest touch of citrus. It is extremely unique and is probably the most accurate (historically) of what Bay Rum should smell like. The stuff is fantastic.

 

[BanjoCowboyMartaTobes]

The above advice sounds great. I’ll add, I have been disappointed with half a dozen BR tins and samples. Captains Choice BR soap is by far my favorite and the performance is excellent! Great luck in your research.

 

[Tanuki]

My opinion - Captain's Choice Bay Rum AS will define a stripped to the essentials bay rum. Once Caribbean bay is part of a soap scent or a complex AS, all bets are off. Not a bad thing, just not a well-defined target.

 

[Tiny]

I second the Hendrix Bay Rum offering.....I don't like Bay Rum at all, but received a sample of it with a recent order and I gave it a try.

The scent was good and the soap was fantastic!

 

[muzichead]

I realize that this is probably the YMMV factor, but just wondering what others think of this Stirling scent.

As you said YMMV and you can ask 10 different people the question and you'll get 10 different answers but about 5yrs ago I went on a quest to find another Bay Rum and came up completely empty as there was just something, special to me, about the Stirling scent that was so different from everyone else's that I just couldn't replace or add something new...

In a few conversations with Rod I found out what it was that made it so unique to me from others and where most people think it has a very forward clove scent, it's not, it's actually nutmeg that Rod uses and that is the scent that I key in on the most when using it and what all the others lacked in my opinion.

 

[tm3]

Makes me want to try both CC and Hendrix since I like Bay Rum so much, but after this Stirling experience, I doubt that I will try any more sight-unseen (or should I say smell-unwhiffed?).

I was in the Caribbean once and smelled a leaf from a bay rum tree, so that was authentic. Around that time I bought a bottle of Royal bay rum AS and thought that it was pretty close, so that is my benchmark. Comparing the Stirling to Royal I detect a hint of a bay rum with the Stirling but it's got what I would describe as a sour overtone ...... as I said, it's just -- odd.

But I used it again yesterday and it sure performs nicely!

 

[tm3]

As you said YMMV and you can ask 10 different people the question and you'll get 10 different answers but about 5yrs ago I went on a quest to find another Bay Rum and came up completely empty as there was just something, special to me, about the Stirling scent that was so different from everyone else's that I just couldn't replace or add something new...

In a few conversations with Rod I found out what it was that made it so unique to me from others and where most people think it has a very forward clove scent, it's not, it's actually nutmeg that Rod uses and that is the scent that I key in on the most when using it and what all the others lacked in my opinion.

OK you motivated me to raid the spice drawer and enlist my wife's nose to help sort this out, and you are correct, sir -- Stirling BR is much more nutmeg-like than clove-like while I would say that other BR such as Pinaud and QED are more along the clove line.

However, I like nutmeg aroma but I still get that "sour" (?) overtone from the Stirling and that's what I really don't like. Plus I don't consider it close to my benchmark Royal AS as far as "authentic." But again and as always, YMMV.

 

[Beefdrippings]

I love bay rum and my favourite is Dr Jon’s Anne Bonny. Nice and sweet with no clove. The only thing Bay Rum I have from Stirling is the Witch Hazel and it smells like traditional bay rum to me.

 

[muzichead]

OK you motivated me to raid the spice drawer and enlist my wife's nose to help sort this out, and you are correct, sir -- Stirling BR is much more nutmeg-like than clove-like while I would say that other BR such as Pinaud and QED are more along the clove line.

However, I like nutmeg aroma but I still get that "sour" (?) overtone from the Stirling and that's what I really don't like. Plus I don't consider it close to my benchmark Royal AS as far as "authentic." But again and as always, YMMV.

One other thing I neglected to mention is that in general Bay Rum is usually marketed around the Caribbean and IMO, should have some spice to it and that is where I think Stirling excelled and some others fell flat. Not to mention most Rums on the market are spiced to some degree so there's that too. You can't have a Bay Rum that only smells like a Bay leaf with the word rum in it, right? They need to come up with a new name for a spiceless bay leaf only scent... That would solve a lot of these conversations!!

 

[jonwilson]

stirling's bay rum is nice. I believe it has CLOVE IN IT. I recently purchased a tub of barrister mann's bay rum which has a more sweeter type bay rum scent. I like it very much and prefer it to stirling's bay rum.

 

[edw]

The only Bay Rum soap I bought is Stirling, I must admit I really disliked the scent.

Will only use it that INFLUZENZA days where I can smell nothing.

 

[JCarr]

I happen to like Stirling's take on Bay Rum very much. I would never want to be without a bottle.
It's a unique, nutmeg-heavy, Bay Rum scent.

There are a number of Bay Rum aftershaves that offer a more tried and true Bay Rum scent. A few that come to mind are: Captain's Choice, Fine, Taylor of Old Bond Street, Thor's Hammer, WSP (this has lime), Grand Bay, Superior 70 Alcoholado (this is not marketed as an aftershave, but can be used as one).

A few of my favorites besides Stirling are: Barrister and Mann Bay Rum, Bootlegger's (a mix of three products), St. John's Bay Rum, Pinaud Clubman Virgin Island Bay Rum, Barberry Coast Bay Rum, Thor's Hammer Lime Bay Rum, Gabels Bay Rum.

There are so many. I've never even heard of Hendrix. I'll be looking for it shortly.

 

[Big Jim]

Mystic Waters is my favorite Bay Rum shaving soap. To me it has a cleaner note to it than Stirling and seems to perform on par. To me, there seems to be a musky note in Stirling and that is what I don't like. I don't care for Captains Choice but may here do. I think it has a heavy clove note and would be better with less or even none.

I'm waiting the Fine to finally introduce their Bay Rum shaving soap. It was announced that it would hit the market in October. The month isn't over yet.

 

[JCarr]

I happen to like Stirling's take on Bay Rum very much. I would never want to be without a bottle.
It's a unique, nutmeg-heavy, Bay Rum scent.

There are a number of Bay Rum aftershaves that offer a more tried and true Bay Rum scent. A few that come to mind are: Captain's Choice, Fine, Taylor of Old Bond Street, Thor's Hammer, WSP (this has lime), Grand Bay, Superior 70 Alcoholado (this is not marketed as an aftershave, but can be used as one).

A few of my favorites besides Stirling are: Barrister and Mann Bay Rum, Bootlegger's (a mix of three products), St. John's Bay Rum, Pinaud Clubman Virgin Island Bay Rum, Barberry Coast Bay Rum, Thor's Hammer Lime Bay Rum, Gabels Bay Rum.

There are so many. I've never even heard of Hendrix. I'll be looking for it shortly.

Disregard my entry...it's aimed at aftershaves rather than soaps. Happy Shaves!

 

[Dogrescuer]

Question for those of you with experience with Stirling SS. Can I make a decent lather directly from its vessel or is using a bowl recommended? I prefer softer easy to work with soaps/creams/hybrids with my physical limitations. Please and thanks as always.

 

[muzichead]

Question for those of you with experience with Stirling SS. Can I make a decent lather directly from its vessel or is using a bowl recommended? I prefer softer easy to work with soaps/creams/hybrids with my physical limitations. Please and thanks as always.

You can certainly load your brush from the container but I would doubt you'd be able to build the lather from it as that would be quite a mess overall, unless you have no problem with that!! I load from the tub and face lather with all my Stirling soaps and have been doing that for 5+yrs now and has been very successful so far...

 

[Dogrescuer]

You can certainly load your brush from the container but I would doubt you'd be able to build the lather from it as that would be quite a mess overall, unless you have no problem with that!! I load from the tub and face lather with all my Stirling soaps and have been doing that for 5+yrs now and has been very successful so far...

Thanks, that helps a lot . I guess, yes I am a face lathering beginner.

 

[muzichead]

Thanks, that helps a lot . I guess, yes I am a face lathering beginner.

Just be careful not to use too much water when you are loading from the tub and you should be successful every shave...