I lost the opportunity to track the delivery status of my Sir Hare Bay Rum soap. I know I'll be getting one item on the 17th; wouldn't it be great if the Sir Hare Bay Rum soap showed up on that day, too?!

Stranger things have happened.

So, it was pretty easy - I’ve determined some preferences. Definite thumbs up for Barrister & Mann, D.R. Harris, Fine Accoutrements and Ogallala (standard, and sage and cedar). Still quite a few more to try out. Captain’s Choice and the PAA samples remain, but I can only shave once a day so it’s going to be a while. I’d like to eventually check out the Stephan brand (but their bottles are bigger than everyone else’s, so that’s an obstacle to get around). Does anybody know of a reasonable source where one might find some Dominica or Grand Bay?

Course I don't mind the "obstacle" of the large Stephan bottle.

I was asked for my thoughts over at ATG, and offered some fleshed out thoughts and opinions. I’d like to share them here as well for the sake of consistency, clarity and complete communication. Dang, that’s a lot of /k/ words.

I’ve settled on a few preferences so far. The ones I like are probably best listed in alphabetical order, as I enjoy them all. Barrister and Mann has a robust citrusy component, likely orange of some sort. I find myself going back to the bottle 30 minutes later just for another shot. D.R. Harris also has a citrus thing going on, which smells more lime-like than orange. There’s also an element of something green and herbaceous which I can’t quite put my finger on, but like a lot. DRH is the weakest and shortest lived scent of the bunch. Fine Accoutrements smells more like a “bay” than the others - literally. There’s something in it that evokes walking along the shore in my nosebrain. That fades pretty quickly and then the pimenta racemosa steps forward. This one changes the most before it fades away. No citrus detected in this one. I’m also enjoying Ogallala, which was in a 5 pack of 2 ounce samples. I kept the cologne, the regular splash and the sage and cedar. I’m thinking of blending the Ogallalas together for a real hearty experience.

Two I didn’t get on with, St Johns and Barberry Coast, had sweet components that I wasn’t fond of - primarily vanilla and musk. I think many people like the added complexity found in those formulas, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. That said, I have to tell you that the owner of Barberry coast dot com went way above and beyond what I could have ever imagined an artisan/vendor would ever consider doing. A few days after the bottle arrived I received an email asking me to leave a review on his website. I replied to the email and explained that I couldn’t leave a fair review because I didn’t actually use his splash, as I found the vanilla to be not to my taste. So this nice man offered to exchange, replace, refund, you name it. His willingness to provide total customer satisfaction was both surprising and refreshing. I wound up opting for a replacement with another of his scents, and PIFfed the bay rum splash. PSA: They have a number of scent options, so if anyone is looking to try something new and different, why not check them out; barberry coast dot com - one word, not “dot.” Got it?

The Virgin Island Bay Rum smelled very sharp and syntheticky and was not enjoyable to my nose. Captain’s Choice Cat O’ Nine Tails I didn’t understand. It was trying too hard to impress, know what I mean? Too much effort involved, I couldn’t be bothered, being that there are others that didn’t require such an olfactory break-in period. Then finally, I have a bunch of samples still to try, the regular Captain’s Choice splash, as well as a bunch of varieties from PAA. Frankly, I may not get to all of them for a while, but plan on doing so at some point in the near future.


Okay, I got that out of my system. Now I feel better

Encouraging commentary of the Fine Accoutrements BR.

It’s insidiously intoxicating.

@Paul Turner Paul, you are a friend and enabler! Thanks for the tip

You're most welcome! I have the Gabel's, along with Stephan. I can sense a little more clove in the Gabel's than in the Stephan(though I'm sure there is some in the latter, but it doesn't "jump out at me"). Never tried Suavecity.

I figured as long as I’m paying for shipping, the right thing to do was to add the Suavecity to the order. I like that name better, btw.

Any update?

The owner e-mailed me back to say she would look into the problem and get back to me. Nice of her to reply so quickly. I got the other item-Caswell Massey's Jockey Club Bar Soap.

Williamsport Barber will be my website for Stephan Bay Rum, always.

Enjoy them all .

Thanks, I already do

Sunday, August 25

Mike's Bay Rum~~Semogue SOC Boar~~Gillette #44 RFB/Personna 74~~Dominica Bay Rum
A traditional and satisfying bay rum shave today.​

Gotta get my hands on some of that Dominica…

Time for a

Stephan is righteous stuff. It’s not very bay rummy, imo. However, it epitomizes classic barbershop scent to my nosebrain. It’s what Pinaud Clubman wishes it was. My only complaint is that it fades almost completely in three minutes. By the five minute mark it’s just a beautiful memory. Like the first time you French kissed that dreamy blonde in junior high. I’ve already bought a second bottle

Gabel’s presents with what my now somewhat more discerning nose finds in other, perhaps more commonly familiar Bay Rums; namely pimenta racemosa. If I may say, Gabel’s isn’t complex. It’s really just got the one thing going on. I’d venture to say that at this price point it’s likely a fragrance oil. Pretty much all of the smaller bottled/more expensive splashes are more complex as they dry down compared to Gabel’s. Like Stephan, Gabel’s fades very quickly. 5-6 minutes longevity at most. I’m passing up the opportunity to insert a self-deprecating remark here. Use your imagination

Suavecito I’ve used only once. It’s reminiscent of Ogallala. I need more time with the Suavecito.
I’ve also used the Captain’s Choice once. I’m not sure, but I think I detected a note of black pepper…

That’s all for this evening. Now I’m off to check for a status update on my lost-in-transit Sabre