Murphy & McNeil | Claddagh (Eisteacht) Cadman-Beau | Synthetic Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE Creed | Silver Mountain Water This was my first go with a Murphy & McNeil product, and it's quite positive. This is their "eisteacht" base which incorporates, among other ingredients, duck fat in addition to the beef tallow. This may be their premium base, as the listing for their other base does not mention duck fat. This is a very soft soap, but it's not quite cream. It loads easily, and while it functions with modest amounts of water, it actually needs quite a bit of water to become optimal. This has never been a mark against a soap for me. My only issue with thirsty soaps is when they don't get along with my hard water. I quickly discovered this is no obstacle for eisteacht. The volume of lather encountered when I was test lathering reached laughable levels. This was reminiscent to my first time using Barrister's Reserve. I actually started over once because the 24 mm knot wasn't able to handle the water ratio it demanded. Less product was the way to go. In fact, it is very much like Barrister's Reserve in this aspect as well, but then it surpasses it by yielding a slicker lather. I don't often like taking lather porn pics because it's so cumbersome, but I had to attempt to demonstrate the blinding sheen this lather boasts. I honestly don't think my photograph did it justice, however. In practice, via face lather, eisteacht goes from slurry to dense lather in very short order. First swipe and residual slickness are both upper tier. Post shave is also in line with all but the very top artisanal soaps. I've come to associate this particular feel to the inclusion of duck fat. My skin still seems to prefer jojoba for the most natural post-shave, but eisteacht is high level regardless. It was my understanding that Claddagh's fragrance was a nod to Creed's Silver Mountain Water. I had the opportunity to pick up an unused 2016 bottle, so I made a blind buy on the same day I ordered Claddagh. I wore SMW the day before trying the soap, and the approximation is close. Of course the EdP has much more depth and dynamic, but the profile is the same. It would seem Claddagh has a much earlier and substantial green tea presence than SMW, and I feel like it's closer to oolong. Otherwise, it opens with a controlled sweet and sharp citrus, leaning heavily to the orange end of the spectrum. Again, the tea butts in rather quickly and lingers throughout the shave along with a nonspecific dark fruity note that's almost fermented with minty vapors. Ultimately, it all gels in the end with a 90s vibe musk. This is a very good complement if not an outright dupe to my Silver Mountain Water which I thoroughly enjoyed. The splash is completely unnecessary given the post-shave qualities of the soap, but it does offer a nice feel in and of itself. I chose the "0.5" menthol option which offers a very gentle cooling effect. The scent strength of the splash is pretty bold and it was still quite present 4 hours later when I applied the EdP which then overrode it. The splash is actually dominated by the oolong note taking this a step further away from the intended target. Again, I'm basing this on my 2016 retail bottle of Creed Silver Mountain Water. Not to take this off the rails into a discussion about Creed's batch inconsistencies that I know is attributed to Aventus, but I have no idea if these same variations have invaded SMW as well. Regardless, the Claddagh splash is almost all oolong and strong. Murphy & McNeil's packaging is elegant and the execution is near-flawless. I don't have any bottles in my collection that are like this splash. I will note the glass has a slightly imperfect planar surface on the bottom that allows the bottle to wobble ever so slightly. It's not unstable enough that I would be concerned about it falling off a shelf, however. There was a single bubble on the side label. Also, the art on the splash label seems to be misaligned vertically. This is undoubtedly an easily remedied printer issue. I suppose it's evident that when my only nitpicks involve minor packaging imperfections, the product must be beyond reproach. In the case of Murphy & McNeil's Eisteacht base, this is precisely the case. Disclaimer: I purchased the aforementioned soap and splash set directly from the artisan for $50.86, of which $2.94 was sales tax, and the shipping was free. It's my understanding the 50% of the earnings after the cost was donated to "ACT: Autism Care Today". Bonus Lather Porn:
Some effort went into that great review, Great review like some other of yours on the Streamline razor that is in the background. Have some great shaves!
Excellent review Matt! Murphy & McNeil has a top notch soap base with a milky sheen to the lather. Picked up a sample of this scent and had no idea it was suppost to be like Creed Silver Mountain but now can see the similarity between the two. Free shipping and they have a Flea Market where people sell used gear which is pretty cool. Have exchanged emails with the owner and their customer service is incredible IMO. Look forward to see what other scents they come up with, a Rose Coffee scent would be cool.
I wear CSM and just bought Stirlings Mountain Man to extend the vibe. I love Stirlings soap to value and appreciate the large segment of wetshavers they support. However, I never have luck with their base. Was hoping for another clone in one of the top tier bases that I use. With these reviews need to find a way to break the sabbatical again. Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Tapatalk
