BEST bay rum?

[RicoSuave]

To my fellow experienced wet shavers, what would you say is the BEST bay rum scented soap currently on the market?

Bay rum is such a ubiquitous scent in wet shaving that I'm afraid too many of us have been exposed to (and turned off by) the cheap stuff.

IMO, probably Ogallala's reigns supreme, esp. since they seem to SPECIALIZE in the scent, with their various bay rum aftershave options as well.

I'm also aware that "Fine's" released a version last year, which should be of exceptional quality, given their track record (esp. with their lovely "American Blend" series).

So, what, in your opinion, would you consider to be the APEX of bay rum scented soaps?

Thanks for sharing, gents!

 

[Sherlock40]

Ethos Grooming Essentials makes a high quality Bay Rum product.

 

[emwolf]

Captain's Choice has a one-of-a-kind Bay Rum that doesn't smell like other bay rums, yet at the same time it does. I really like it.

 

[Lockback]

I've only tried one: Stirling Soap's. And I love it.

 

[Beefdrippings]

Ogallala’s is not my favourite scent but, the splash actually has a great face feel. My favourite bay rum scents are Fine and Stirling. I also love Dr Jon’s but they’re no longer making soaps.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I enjoy Bay Rum but have only one soap, Paradesha Farms, which was a gift from my wife. Good luck trying to buy it as I believe it is only available in the Philippines where it is produced. It has a wonderful scent and performs surprisingly well despite having olive oil in the ingredient list.

 

[bubo_strix]

Turtle Ship does a stellar bay rum soap. Their inventory has been hit/miss lately but the bay rum is stocked up at the moment.

 

[Bsamps]

I love the scent and, have used a few. Some are over-powering and others are under-performing. This one is by far my favorite. This gal does a phenomenal job in her formulation.

 

[Hak.1963]

I was gifted a Mystic Water Soap Bay Rum a while ago and it's the only one I ever tried, but I like it a lot.
I think I will buy Stirling Soap's Bay Rum next

 

[Sascoman]

My GOAT Bay Rum

 

[FarmerTan]

View attachment 1778115
My GOAT Bay Rum

I can only imagine that these products are very nice, in many ways.

 

[SDK]

If you are looking for scent, it’s very hard to beat Barberry Coast. It’s a premium, all natural BR and the aftershave is the best BR scent in my opinion. The shave cream is very high quality as well.

The scent of the Stirling BR is very nice as well, but not quite where Barberry Coast is. The soap does have better performance (for me. YMMV). The Stirling pairing is also significantly less expensive. I pick up my Barberry Coast products when they have sales…

Having said that, both brands will give you a great Bay Rum shave, and at two different price points. I own both, love and use them all regularly and have no regrets on either purchase.

 

[RicoSuave]

Having read all the previous posts with all the wonderful, previously unknown (to me) selections, I wonder if I should also ask if there is such a thing as an "IDEAL" bay rum scent that almost everyone should be attempting to achieve?

I know that a BAD, cheap bay rum will smell almost MEDICINAL, not the most appealing scent for personal grooming of any kind.

Wonder if the IDEAL bay rum scent adheres as close as possible to the ACTUAL vegetation upon which it's based, or whether that would prove to STRONG to be tolerable?

 

[Don_Mino]

I've only tried one: Stirling Soap's. And I love it.

Just put one on order we'll see how it goes

 

[SDK]

Having read all the previous posts with all the wonderful, previously unknown (to me) selections, I wonder if I should also ask if there is such a thing as an "IDEAL" bay rum scent that almost everyone should be attempting to achieve?

I know that a BAD, cheap bay rum will smell almost MEDICINAL, not the most appealing scent for personal grooming of any kind.

Wonder if the IDEAL bay rum scent adheres as close as possible to the ACTUAL vegetation upon which it's based, or whether that would prove to STRONG to be tolerable?

They are all variations on the same theme, so I would say try any one of the good ones. If you like Bay Rum, you can then expand out. The one that becomes your favorite is 100% going to be personal preference...

One thing I read about is some feel it is too clove forward, and you will need to like that for any bay rum. The true East Indian Bay Leaf has a clovey scent that is nothing like bay leaves used for cooking, which I think throws some folks expectations off. There are definitely differences in the balance between brands, and some are "spicier" than others. I own, or have owned most of the good ones, and have my preferences for sure, but none of them were bad. I even like the Clubman Bay Rum once in a while...

 

[Bsamps]

I started out with samples and then found the right one that suited me. I would be more than happy to send you a sample of what I have.

 

[Zora]

Has anyone mentioned PAA Atomic Age and variants? Superb soap and great scent.

 

[nlife]

I really enjoy bay rum. I haven't tried them all, but sure would love to! From what I have:

Taconic Bay Rum: I haven't used this one yet, but as a soap in the container, I don't really find it to resemble bay rum at all. This was one my wife picked up for me. I guess I'll just have to try it and see what it smells like when lathering.

Catie's Bubbles - Bargenat Bay: I find this one reminds me more of coke bottle gummies than it does of bay rum. It's still pleasant, just not what I think of when I think of bay rum.

PAA Bay Rum: I find this one is similar to Caties bubbles in that it reminds me more of coke bottle gummies than it does bay rum.

Stirling Bay Rum: This is clove forward and is one of the most frequent comments I've read in reviews. It was one of the first Bay Rum soaps I've tried and I am partial to it. I'm near out of the sample I picked up some time ago.

B&M Bay Rum: This is perhaps my favorite smelling bay rum soap I have. I'm starting to see the bottom of the container now I use it so often. It's like a slightly milder version of Stirling in that it's not nearly as clove forward.

Noble Otter - Plunder: This one takes some time to get used to, but I've come to enjoy it in its own right. They weren't kidding when they said it 'slight bay rum elements heavy on the wood smoke'. This is another one that doesn't really remind me of bay rum.

I don't have a lot of experience with aftershaves, but I do have a few.

Ogallala Bay Rum Lime and Peppercorns: I like the initial smell of this when you put it on. Over time I find this ends up with a pretty strong chemical/perfume smell.

Clubman Pinaud Virgin Island Bay Rum: I really like this one, though I wouldn't mind a bit more clove to it and a little less sweet.

PAA Bay Rum: Like the soap, this one has a coke bottle gummy smell to it. Kind of a sweet smell to it.

Royall Bay Rhum '57: This is my absolute favorite of the bay rum after shaves I have. I REALLY like the scent and how great my face feels the day after using it.

​

 

[DougK]

I love the basic Ogallala bay rum soap (no lime, peppercorns, etc.). I haven't used it for a long time but I remember that my wife liked it quite a bit and it shaved well.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Having read all the previous posts with all the wonderful, previously unknown (to me) selections, I wonder if I should also ask if there is such a thing as an "IDEAL" bay rum scent that almost everyone should be attempting to achieve?

I know that a BAD, cheap bay rum will smell almost MEDICINAL, not the most appealing scent for personal grooming of any kind.

Wonder if the IDEAL bay rum scent adheres as close as possible to the ACTUAL vegetation upon which it's based, or whether that would prove to STRONG to be tolerable?

The original bay rum is just the essential oil from the Caribbean Bay Tree (aka Spice Tree pimenta racemosa) in ethyl alcohol plus water. Sometimes, people describe the scent as clovey, but that's because the Bay Tree is related to allspice, and has some of the same scent compounds.

There's countless variations using basic bay rum as a starting point. Usually some kind of spices will be added like nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, clove and maybe citrus like lime, lemon, orange, etc. I don't think there is an ideal version. Bay rum is not usually a long-lasting scent like cologne, which disappoints some people.