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Availability of Bootlegger's components -- Again

First it was that Master's Bay rum was no longer available, now it is Superior 70 Bay Rum that seems to be out of stock everywhere I look, or at least almost. An Ebay seller listed it at something like $45.00 a bottle. Amazon has substituted Super 70 Bay Rum. When you search for Superior what pops up is Super.

My grandson reordered from Amazon and didn't notice the substitution. Both have a similar scent. Super has a slightly more prominent green tint. Both have the same alcohol content. Both claim to be based on the bay oil. although similar in scent, the Super has a decided sharper note, showing off the alcohol content.

Has anyone else run into this? is Super a reasonable substitute?
 
As long a I have the other components I went ahead and made up a small batch using Super 70. Small, that is with one tablespoon of each with a small squirt of glycerin. Firsts impression is favorable, although not quite a match. I'll use it off and on for the next week or so and report back. I have some old remnants of both Masters and Stephens blends to compare it to.
 
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Superior 70 can often be found at Hispanic markets or pharmacies. It's supposed to be very inexpensive, like $2 or $3 a bottle. The online sellers jack the price up to ridiculous extremes.

This is what Puerto Rican people call an alcoholado. It is usually just bay oil in alcohol. Sometimes there are other ingredients like eucalyptus and menthol. But most plain alcoholados should be similar.
 

nortac

"Can't Raise an Eyebrow"
I have the Super 70 inbound from Amazon and didn't notice the substitution either, but having never experienced the original Superior 70, hopefully it won't be a big deal.
 
I'm going to let it mellow a bit longer. So far it is still cloudy (as was the last batch using Superior 70 but it cleared up in a week or two). Also from past experience with Bootlegger from any mixture, the scent improves with a little aging.

So far, the scent is a little off. I'm thinking it will be close enough, especially after it mellows. My wife notices the difference and thinks it is inferior. I'll keep you posted.
 
Some follow up. A blended a small Cholola bottle (about 6 oz or less) or bootleggers using VIBR, Stephens Bay Rum, and Super 70. The mixture remains cloudy even though I mixed it about a week ago. Has anyone else observed this? The resulting mix seems to improve as it mellows. still not quite as nice as the original, but acceptable.
 
Some follow up. A blended a small Cholola bottle (about 6 oz or less) or bootleggers using VIBR, Stephens Bay Rum, and Super 70. The mixture remains cloudy even though I mixed it about a week ago. Has anyone else observed this? The resulting mix seems to improve as it mellows. still not quite as nice as the original, but acceptable.
I’ve noticed that as well. I’ve done two different batches of the OBR. Both have the VIBR and Superior 70. The only difference is one uses the Stephan bay rum and the other uses Gabel’s. The Stephan’s variant does get cloudy when you first mix it but settles down after awhile. I don’t have the cloudiness issue with the Gabel’s variant
 
I’ve noticed that as well. I’ve done two different batches of the OBR. Both have the VIBR and Superior 70. The only difference is one uses the Stephan bay rum and the other uses Gabel’s. The Stephan’s variant does get cloudy when you first mix it but settles down after awhile. I don’t have the cloudiness issue with the Gabel’s variant

Thank you!
 
A follow-up. At first I noticed a slight off note, sort of medicinal in character, with Super 70 that was not in Superior 70. When mixing it with VIBR and Stephens it first was slightly noticeable and slightly off-putting. As it mellows though, it is not nearly as noticeable and at this point I can't tell it apart from the original Bootlegger's.

I have also noticed the Stephens by itself is a very mild and pleasant product with a fair amount of glycerin, not as much as Masters, but still more than most. When I want a mild bay rum this one is great.

The cloudiness of Bootleggers with Stephens seems to take a few weeks to dissipate. Not really a problem, but still not expected.
 
I have also noticed the Stephens by itself is a very mild and pleasant product with a fair amount of glycerin, not as much as Masters, but still more than most. When I want a mild bay rum this one is great.
I’ve noticed that the Stephan’s really balances out the spice of VIBR. Makes a great version of the bootlegger’s blend
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
Happy New Years fellas! Bumping thread to ask what are all the Bootlegger’s doing for a Superior 70 alternative? The Super 70 referenced earlier in the thread doesn’t appear to be available anymore either.

I’ve been holding off on a resupply, hoping that whatever issue caused the Superior 70 shortage would work itself out. But it seems like it’s gone for good. And I’m getting desperate since I use it to treat all sorts of skin irritations, not just for AS.
 
I'm tempted to try VIBR with Stephens or Gabels and without Super or Superior. I have a big bottle of VIBR, Stephens, and Super so I'm going to work through that first. By the way, it is still cloudy. it seems to take a long time to diminish.
 
OK so what are the new available Bay Rums that are substitutes for the original Bootleggers BR aftershave mix?

I'm on my way with Pinaud lime sec, citrus musk and osage rub to mix some bootleggers, so will be following closely. Also English leather is like $30+ a bottle, is it out of production too or why is it so expensive?
 
I haven't seen Super 70 anywhere, but know of a place that has a bottle of Masters plus most of the Clubman line including VIBR. Is that worth getting? I don't know how old it is but the bottles look old to me, some of the other Masters bottles have collapsed in slightly. I have no experience with Bootlegger's.
 
I haven't seen Super 70 anywhere, but know of a place that has a bottle of Masters plus most of the Clubman line including VIBR. Is that worth getting? I don't know how old it is but the bottles look old to me, some of the other Masters bottles have collapsed in slightly. I have no experience with Bootlegger's.
Talk to us, is this place locally? I found a bottle thanks to a gent on here but it's $40 for 15 oz. this stuff use to be $5-$7 so i'd be interested.
 
The place is called Taylor Maid Beauty Supply (Provo, UT). They had a bottle a week or two ago, along with several other colors from Masters (I'm not familiar with that brand, so I couldn't tell you what they were). Should be easy to find their website, but my take is they only have a few select items online and not everything listed that they haveon the shelves. I have no idea on the price. Your best bet would be to call and see if they'll take an order and ship it to you. For example, both times I've been there (10+ years ago, and a week or two ago) they had pretty much the entire Clubman line, but I don't see that online. And I have no idea if they have more bottles in stock in the back, so your best bet is to call.
 
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