All things Grooming Dept

I was really looking forward to getting the Mallard Coconut Rum especially after I've seen so many talk about how nice the scent is but all I'm getting is some kind of Fall/Christmas candle scent

Interesting.  My jar recently arrived, so I haven't shaved with it yet, but it does not smell like what I was expecting off the puck.  Nevertheless, scent off the puck does not always match scent on the brush, and certainly does not suggest less than excellent performance.  Coconut Rum was in the batter's box for me, until I read Dan's post. ...

Let it breathe.  Was disinterested when first opening the Coconut Rum jar but after being open 3-4 days it really came together

Good to know.  I will try that and come back to Coconut rum in a few days.

Certainly shows how folks can perceive scents so differently.  To me, the Coconut Rum in no manner smells like a candle scent.  I'm not exactly sure how I would describe it but it has an earthy quality and a tanginess -- coconut / rum plus fat, I guess -- that is nothing (to me, again) like a scented candle.

Yeah, I basically get no coconut at all, but I have aired pucks out in the past and it's helped. I hope my comment didn't imply any suggestion that the performance would be any less due to the scent as I have had nothing but great shaves with Grooming Dept products

Oasisdave You’re not alone. I did get some candle-esque vibes at first, but airing and using it a few time have let the scent evolve. Not sure if you’ve lathered yet, but the scent changes completely. Off the puck I was totally unsure if I was even going to keep it; once lathered, I never want to let it go.

Oasisdave You’re not alone. I did get some candle-esque vibes at first, but airing and using it a few time have let the scent evolve. Not sure if you’ve lathered yet, but the scent changes completely. Off the puck I was totally unsure if I was even going to keep it; once lathered, I never want to let it go.

I’ll piggyback on your comments.  When I initially got a whiff I thought maybe this one I wouldn’t like. I also let it air out a few days & it is much better now. Used today for second time & it was great! I would not hesitate recommending it.

GroomingDept I just received Corretto in the mail today, it smells amazing off the puck. I haven’t smelled one that I don’t like from Mo’s last Mallard release. I still need to put my nose on Strawberry Rhubarb and Kulfi, I own all of the others. Corretto and Almond Vanilla have been my surprise favorites so far. I’ve been a huge fan of Earl Grey Gelato from its previous release, so was really excited to replenish the Den with that one. Love the performance on the Mallard base, easily one of my favorite if not the favorite Grooming Dept base.

Oasisdave You’re not alone. I did get some candle-esque vibes at first, but airing and using it a few time have let the scent evolve. Not sure if you’ve lathered yet, but the scent changes completely. Off the puck I was totally unsure if I was even going to keep it; once lathered, I never want to let it go.

I’ll piggyback on your comments.  When I initially got a whiff I thought maybe this one I wouldn’t like. I also let it air out a few days & it is much better now. Used today for second time & it was great! I would not hesitate recommending it.

Good to hear guys, I haven't lathered it yet but now will put it on deck.

I was really looking forward to getting the Mallard Coconut Rum especially after I've seen so many talk about how nice the scent is but all I'm getting is some kind of Fall/Christmas candle scent

Interesting.  My jar recently arrived, so I haven't shaved with it yet, but it does not smell like what I was expecting off the puck.  Nevertheless, scent off the puck does not always match scent on the brush, and certainly does not suggest less than excellent performance.  Coconut Rum was in the batter's box for me, until I read Dan's post. ...

Let it breathe.  Was disinterested when first opening the Coconut Rum jar but after being open 3-4 days it really came together

Good to know.  I will try that and come back to Coconut rum in a few days.

I followed Dan's advice, and it was good advice for me, since it led me down a trail to a happy ending.  I should preface the rest of my remarks by saying (as I often do) that my nose knows what it likes, and not much else.  

So after five days, the scent had quieted down a bit, but it still had the same character.  Upon arrival, the principal note off the puck was a powerful whiskey-like note which could certainly be rum.  Other than that, I smelled a note like something sweet baking or maybe fresh out of the oven, and a faint trace of caramel.  No coconut.  After five days of airing, the whiskey note had notably subsided, I thought the resulting balance was quite an improvement, but I still wasn't sold on the scent.  In any case, at this point it was shave time.

No problems lathering, and I would up with a no-doubt-about-it BBS and no blood either.  If you run across my SOTD post, you might notice that no AS was listed, because - as some of you may have already surmised - none was needed.  The only thing I was not expecting is the somewhat low viscosity of this lather.  Here again, I should mention that our water is very hard, and I always add citric acid when shaving, so perhaps YMMV.  In any case, I do not see low viscosity as a bad thing.  I occasionally shave with a straight or shavette, and like some folks, I prefer a less viscous lather when I do.  I will keep Coconut Rum in mind for that application.

Okay, so back to the scent.  Later last night, after shaving, I was going though some things at the computer.  The Coconut Rum jar was close at hand, having been used in the photo and not yet put on the shelf to air out.  After a while, I realized that I had been picking the jar up, taking a whiff, and putting it down.  Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.  I'm not sure how long this went on before I realized that I liked the scent.  Perhaps in my case not a to-die-for scent, but good enough to enjoy.  "Coconut Rum" might not have been my choice of moniker, but this Coconut Rum is still a win for me.