Bay Rum Bay Rum Bay Rum

I shaved today with MacDuff’s Birch and Root which is a root beer scented soap and I followed up with the matching splash. It was very nice but I thought it needed a little more gravitas so I applied a couple of shots of Stirling Bay Rum EDT. Perfect. Bay Rum is like cowbell- you can always use more.

This is a slightly more refined bay rum from D. R. Harris. 

I used this PAA limited release bay rum soap a week or so back. It’s decent although I wouldn’t put it at the top of PAA’s many bay rums. It has some scent notes in common with atomic pumpkin and I gingerbread man and is nothing like classico. It also ranks pretty high on the weirdest label scale. You know how some soaps have such great labels that you prop them up so you can see them while you shave? This isn’t one of those! The second pic is the inside of the lid showing it’s release number. 

Whether you like it or not, you got to hand it to PAA for their commitment to bay rum. I don’t have them all but almost.  I passed on bay gum. I have boomtown but not crazy about it because of the leather. I’ve toyed with buying Captain Smythe’s barrel aged bay rum but can’t get past the (again) leather. If anyone has that one I’d appreciate your opinion on it generally and on the strength of the leather specifically. I don’t care much for leather. It’s ok in vanishingly small amounts but more than that’s a deal breaker for me. 

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It’s been generally quiet on the bay rum front lately. Too quiet. I think we need some more. Maybe an over the top, eye watering, paint peeling bay rum beauty. You know, one made for the guys who love a good strong bay rum. I may have said this before but it bears repeating, the last thing I want to see in the description of a new bay rum is “here’s a bay rum for those guys who don’t like bay rum”. Seriously? Who cares about those guys? You’re just casting pearls before swine. Let them use stuff they do like and focus on making actual bay rum for the guys who like it, will buy it, use it and speak favourably about it in the forums. 

"A good, strong bay rum".

Does such a thing exist? I mean strong in a real bay rum kind of way, not in a VIBR bay rum kind of way (Don't get me wrong, I like VIBR).

"A good, strong bay rum".

Does such a thing exist?  I mean strong in a real bay rum kind of way, not in a  VIBR  bay rum kind of way (Don't get me wrong, I like VIBR).

Yes there are some out there. Stirling’s bay rum is a good example. Captain’s Choice. There’s a Layrite bay rum No. 49 I think and PAA Classico and Atomic Age. Krampert’s Acadian Spice and Ogallala especially their double strength. Chiselled Face makes a good , strong bay rum. I’ve got a couple of HTGAM bay rums that are very potent. I consider VIBR to be a bay rum in name only. Not a bad scent but not really a bay rum.  There’s a bunch more excellent bay rums out there that I’d put into the not strong category.

Marko I have a new Bay Rum infusion I started a couple of weeks ago and this one should be quite a bit different than any Bay Rums I’ve seen. I’m calling it Berry Bay Rum and the infusion starts with the Traditional ingredients and then I’ve added both a Fresh variety of berrys, dried berries and some new natural Berry distillates. Only two weeks into the infusion but I’m really digging the mixture so far. I’ll post updates along the way. I’m going to let it infuse until late winter and release it in the spring. No synthetics in this blend.

Oh and a foot note: both the Traditional Bay Rum EDP and the Tortola EDP keep gaining strength so there are some alternatives out there if someone wants stronger.

Have a good one!

Marko I have a new Bay Rum infusion I started a couple of weeks ago and this one should be quite a bit different than any Bay Rums I’ve seen. I’m calling it Berry Bay Rum and the infusion starts with the Traditional ingredients and then I’ve added both a Fresh variety of berrys, dried berries and some new natural Berry distillates. Only two weeks into the infusion but I’m really digging the mixture so far. I’ll post updates along the way. I’m going to let it infuse until late winter and release it in the spring. No synthetics in this blend.

Oh and a foot note: both the Traditional Bay Rum EDP and the Tortola EDP keep gaining strength so there are some alternatives out there if someone wants stronger.

Have a good one!

Frank, I knew I could count on you to constantly push the envelope. I’m looking forward to giving the berry bay rum a run  

That’s interesting about your traditional bay rum and Tortola gaining strength over time. Is there a limit? Or will it continue until they reach BAY RUM NIRVANA!!  Hmm, that sounds like a good name for a bay rum

Marko I have a new Bay Rum infusion I started a couple of weeks ago and this one should be quite a bit different than any Bay Rums I’ve seen. I’m calling it Berry Bay Rum and the infusion starts with the Traditional ingredients and then I’ve added both a Fresh variety of berrys, dried berries and some new natural Berry distillates. Only two weeks into the infusion but I’m really digging the mixture so far. I’ll post updates along the way. I’m going to let it infuse until late winter and release it in the spring. No synthetics in this blend.

Oh and a foot note: both the Traditional Bay Rum EDP and the Tortola EDP keep gaining strength so there are some alternatives out there if someone wants stronger.

Have a good one!

Frank, I knew I could count on you to constantly push the envelope. I’m looking forward to giving the berry bay rum a run  

That’s interesting about your traditional bay rum and Tortola gaining strength over time. Is there a limit? Or will it continue until they reach BAY RUM NIRVANA!!  Hmm, that sounds like a good name for a bay rum

Hi Mark 

Thanks for the encouragement my friend. When it comes to Bay Rum I try to think outside the box without losing the foundation of a authentic Bay Rum. 

An I’m not sure if the 2 EDP’s will get any stronger but at this point I’d say they are at least double strength from when they were made and maybe even more. Every once in a while I open the big bottle of it and take a sniff and I noticed this a few months ago. So I’ll have to test them again to see if they increased even more. 

All the best 

Frank

Never been a fan of the European take on Bay Rum. West Indies...that's my thang (sic).

A very nice bay rum. Every collection should include at least the splash. Tha balm is nice too and I’m generally not a balm guy