Help me find a Bay Rum

[TR10]

Yes, I admit to being a Bay Rum lover. Since hurricane Sandy and the destruction of many of the trees producing the essential Pimenta Racemosa essential oil in most classic Bay Rums, finding a natural smelling, long, lasting Bay Rum has been quite difficult. Looking for your best recommendations on the best Bay Rum scents that could be purchased today with a natural and authentic note rather than just throwing some Bay Leaf in a base concoction. Meehan’s was my go to Bay Rum years ago.

 

[tspencer]

My go to,

Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements - Atomic Age Bay Rum

Natural ingredients, barrel aged. Well accented spices and notes.

 

[The Cologne Cabinet]

My go to,

Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements - Atomic Age Bay Rum

Natural ingredients, barrel aged. Well accented spices and notes.

+ 1

 

[StylinLA]

I've seen more than a few discussions about bay rum here and in wet shaver forums over the years. I have not personally undertaken much of a search. I do like my Clubman Bay Rum aftershave. Lubin Idole EdT was kind of, sort of bay rum-ish.

I just don't think there are many mainstream EdTs that are bay rum focused. I believe it's also a fairly fleeting note.

I have seen tpsencer flouting Atomic Age Bay Rum a few times and think it is probably one of the best out there. He's a pretty hardcore wetshaver and I'd trust his two cents on bay rums.

 

[Brooks Otterlake]

Yes, I admit to being a Bay Rum lover. Since hurricane Sandy and the destruction of many of the trees producing the essential Pimenta Racemosa essential oil in most classic Bay Rums, finding a natural smelling, long, lasting Bay Rum has been quite difficult. Looking for your best recommendations on the best Bay Rum scents that could be purchased today with a natural and authentic note rather than just throwing some Bay Leaf in a base concoction. Meehan’s was my go to Bay Rum years ago.

Meehan's is still available, though supplies are limited. I went on a bay rum quest and, based on what I sampled, you won't do better.

(That is, unless you can con someone into giving you some of D.S. & Durga's limited edition release, Barbados. But if you can find a source for that, I congratulate you.)

 

[Brooks Otterlake]

I have seen tpsencer flouting Atomic Age Bay Rum a few times and think it is probably one of the best out there. He's a pretty hardcore wetshaver and I'd trust his two cents on bay rums.

It's good (I picked it up on his rec), but a bit heavy on the spices for my taste.

 

[hednic]

Bay Rum by Cavalera is what you're looking for.

 

[tspencer]

It's good (I picked it up on his rec), but a bit heavy on the spices for my taste.

Douglas Smythe of PAA spent years perfecting Atomic Age Bay Rum. He based his fragrance base on Burt's Bees Bay Rum, which he considers the reference, greatest bay rum scent of all-time, then he tweaked and tweaked until he had improved on the original fragrance concept. Atomic Age Bay Rum's additional touches are barrel-aging in real spirit barrels. He prototyped batches of Atomic Age Bay Rum for more than 3 years (probably 4 years) before releasing it in 2017. Douglas Smythe leaned on many lessons he learned in Central/South America to make Atomic Age Bay Rum. There really is no other Bay Rum like it. Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements also has many other Bay Rum creations. Classico, Boomtown Bay (with gun smoke and leather), Pineapple Bay, Coconut Bay with Lime and Captain Smythe's Reserve (another leather bay rum). IMO, Atomic Age Bay Rum beats the alternates.

 

[bokaba]

St. John's Bay Rum

 

[starry night]

C.O. Bigelow is my favorite, but Beach Geeza also makes a very nice one in an EDP.

 

[Mr. dB]

Another +1 for Atomic Age. Also, the pineapple one in the splash is a nice one for when you might want a more tropical feel.

Gilbert Henry offers a nice EDT that is quite long lasting and a bit heavier take on the style. Plus, it's got real bits of panther naturals in it so you know it's good.

 

[TRBeck]

There are some vintage bottles of Burt’s available on the auction site at the moment (eBay rum, if you will) and they are pricy, but not as expensive as Meehan currently is.

I can’t comment on the PAA stuff, as I won’t buy anything from that house, but it may be good if based on Burt’s (I know Smythe claims it is, but he claims a lot of things). More spices than in Meehan, but very good and natural-smelling stuff, the Burt’s Bees product.

 

[Padron]

Some different Bay Rum offerings are available at Pasteurs…

This one from Sterling claims to have the essential oil you mention and appears to have a very natural ingredient list.

Stirling Soap Co. Bay Rum After Shave 100ml

Our take on the classic Bay Rum scent. Bay West Indies (Pimenta Racemosa) essential oil is blended with Orange, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and a hint of Clove to provide a very complex and masculine aroma.

pasteurshaving.com

I personally haven’t tried this one yet, but enjoy some of their other products.

 

[TR10]

There are some vintage bottles of Burt’s available on the auction site at the moment (eBay rum, if you will) and they are pricy, but not as expensive as Meehan currently is.

I can’t comment on the PAA stuff, as I won’t buy anything from that house, but it may be good if based on Burt’s (I know Smythe claims it is, but he claims a lot of things). More spices than in Meehan, but very good and natural-smelling stuff, the Burt’s Bees product.

Not to get into any drama here , but I've been a wet shaver for 30+ years and I also will not purchase from PAA.

Ordered samples from Stirling (great people), Beach Geeza and looking for Cavalera. Hednic's + Bokaba's recommendations are always worthwhile.

While I do enjoy St. John's, it is very fleeting on my Mediterranean skin.

 

[TRBeck]

Not to get into any drama here , but I've been a wet shaver for 30+ years and I also will not purchase from PAA.

Ordered samples from Stirling (great people), Beach Geeza and looking for Calavera. Hednic's recommendations are always worthwhile.

I agree, Stirling is good people. I'll be curious how the samples you ordered turn out. I had a bottle of Meehan's once upon a time, and foolishly I let it go. This was prior to the P. racemosa shortage. I was still swimming in Dominica splash and thought I could always buy another Meehan down the road. Whoops.

I also made some bay rum for myself with some pimenta racemosa oil a few years back. I still have a bit of the bay rum and a bunch of the oil. I used Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum, perfumer's alcohol, bay oil, and a few other EOs and absolutes (orange, bergamot, nutmeg, ho wood, benzoin), plus a touch of rosewater like Meehan does. It was/is pretty dang good. I may have to attempt another run of that eventually. I don't feel like you need much to prop up the pimenta racemosa, but I do enjoy a touch of citrus, and the benzoin rounds things out well. The price of the oil is high, but it might be worth it to play around with if you're a bay rum aficionado, as you can make something at edt concentration without spending nearly what you might on a full bottle of Meehan.

 

[UESNYC]

Yes, I admit to being a Bay Rum lover. Since hurricane Sandy and the destruction of many of the trees producing the essential Pimenta Racemosa essential oil in most classic Bay Rums, finding a natural smelling, long, lasting Bay Rum has been quite difficult. Looking for your best recommendations on the best Bay Rum scents that could be purchased today with a natural and authentic note rather than just throwing some Bay Leaf in a base concoction. Meehan’s was my go to Bay Rum years ago.

Ogallala would be my pick

 

[hollywoodforever]

Bay Rum by Olympic Orchids - it's wonderful.

 

[tspencer]

Ogallala is pretty good too.

 

[TR10]

Bay Rum by Cavalera is what you're looking for.

This is proving difficult to find…but I enjoy a challenge

Picked up a Burt’s Bees bottle & Olympic Orchid sample

 

[slpfrsly]

Booze & Baccy by Captain Fawcett is a good thick modern take on a bay rum despite the name suggesting something else.

 

[slpfrsly]

Not to get into any drama here , but I've been a wet shaver for 30+ years and I also will not purchase from PAA.

I can’t comment on the PAA stuff, as I won’t buy anything from that house...

Fill us in? Link?

 

[Mythrol]

Douglas Smythe of PAA spent years perfecting Atomic Age Bay Rum. He based his fragrance base on Burt's Bees Bay Rum, which he considers the reference, greatest bay rum scent of all-time, then he tweaked and tweaked until he had improved on the original fragrance concept. Atomic Age Bay Rum's additional touches are barrel-aging in real spirit barrels. He prototyped batches of Atomic Age Bay Rum for more than 3 years (probably 4 years) before releasing it in 2017. Douglas Smythe leaned on many lessons he learned in Central/South America to make Atomic Age Bay Rum. There really is no other Bay Rum like it. Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements also has many other Bay Rum creations. Classico, Boomtown Bay (with gun smoke and leather), Pineapple Bay, Coconut Bay with Lime and Captain Smythe's Reserve (another leather bay rum). IMO, Atomic Age Bay Rum beats the alternates.

Well this just sold me on buying a ton of samples from them.

Edit / Update: I ended up ordering 15 samples and I could have easily gotten double that but gotta save some for a rainy day.

 

[tspencer]

Well this just sold me on buying a ton of samples from them.

Edit / Update: I ended up ordering 15 samples and I could have easily gotten double that but gotta save some for a rainy day.

I think you'll find quite a few of the samples will be something you enjoy. I've found many 'misses', but didn't really 'hate' any of them. The construction of the fragrances seem to be old-world perfume style. There are quite a few of their creations that I like.

 

[TRBeck]

Fill us in? Link?

artisanwiki/paa - Wetshaving

r/Wetshaving: A community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor.

www.reddit.com

Long story short: about a decade ago, the guy who runs PAA allegedly did some shady marketing stuff, including allegedly creating fake accounts and pretending to be a military veteran, allegedly interviewing himself under a pseudonym on a podcast, etc., to promote his fledgling brand(s), then called How to Grow a Mustache. He was exposed, made excuses, and still allegedly promotes nonsense on the regular (e.g., he had a FB video touring his workspace in which he allegedly claimed to be aging pineapple essential oil and some other stuff in a blend. If pineapple EO exists, I’ve never seen nor smelt it, but Creed should’ve been banging down his door).

He has a cult following and at least as large a cult of haters, of which I am allegedly a member.

 

[tspencer]

artisanwiki/paa - Wetshaving

r/Wetshaving: A community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor.

www.reddit.com

Long story short: about a decade ago, the guy who runs PAA allegedly did some shady marketing stuff, including allegedly creating fake accounts and pretending to be a military veteran, allegedly interviewing himself under a pseudonym on a podcast, etc., to promote his fledgling brand(s), then called How to Grow a Mustache. He was exposed, made excuses, and still allegedly promotes nonsense on the regular (e.g., he had a FB video touring his workspace in which he allegedly claimed to be aging pineapple essential oil and some other stuff in a blend. If pineapple EO exists, I’ve never seen nor smelt it, but Creed should’ve been banging down his door).

He has a cult following and at least as large a cult of haters, of which I am allegedly a member.

I came into wetshaving as a hobby in 2016 and bought PAA's products after all this stuff happened, and, yeah, I read about the drama, but circa 2015/2016 until now PAA has been a quality brand. Smythe strikes me as an overly imaginative type who wants to impress people, which made a situation where he made many social mistakes. Smythe is a tinkerer, writer, artist type, so he has personality quirks that lent to exaggeration, even some lies in his earliest business attempts.

He made mistakes and IMO, all people deserve another chance in life. He's got real perfuming talent and produces quality products. If they weren't good I wouldn't buy them or recommend them. So, yeah, I knew about his past. I know he regrets his mistakes. I know he's grown from them and he's got an imagination that's a bit too eccentric and big for his own good, but artistic types are often like this. Today, many years later he has a successful business, has learned from his past and is doing well after being humbled by some in the wet shaving community.

 

[TRBeck]

I came into wetshaving as a hobby in 2016 and bought PAA's products after all this stuff happened, and, yeah, I read about the drama, but circa 2015/2016 until now PAA has been a quality brand. Smythe strikes me as an overly imaginative type who wants to impress people, which made a situation where he made many social mistakes. Smythe is a tinkerer, writer, artist type, so he has personality quirks that lent to exaggeration, even some lies in his earliest business attempts.

He made mistakes and IMO, all people deserve another chance in life. He's got real perfuming talent and produces quality products. If they weren't good I wouldn't buy them or recommend them. So, yeah, I knew about his past. I know he regrets his mistakes. I know he's grown from them and he's got an imagination that's a bit too eccentric and big for his own good, but artistic types are often like this. Today, many years later he has a successful business, has learned from his past and is doing well after being humbled by some in the wet shaving community.

Fair enough. I wasn’t trying to dredge anything up, just answering an inquiry. I was around for all of that stuff, and it turned me off for good, but I know lots of folks rave about his products.

 

[Varanis Ridari]

I came here looking for recommendations myself, as my only bay rum options at present are Avon and Pinaud.

Go ahead and laugh. I deserve it. 🤣

 

[tspencer]

Fair enough. I wasn’t trying to dredge anything up, just answering an inquiry. I was around for all of that stuff, and it turned me off for good, but I know lots of folks rave about his products.

Well, people can order the samples for themselves. PAA isn't selling junk. They came a long way in the last 7/8 years including an expensive fragrance lab in 2019.

 

[tspencer]

I came here looking for recommendations myself, as my only bay rum options at present are Avon and Pinaud.

Go ahead and laugh. I deserve it. 🤣

Avon and Pinaud are fantastic brands bro. I'm not laughing. I own those too (well, not so much Avon, but I have Wild Country, which is Avon and love it.)

 

[Varanis Ridari]

Avon and Pinaud are fantastic brands bro. I'm not laughing. I own those too (well, not so much Avon, but I have Wild Country, which is Avon and love it.)

I'd love to see you try some others. They have great wet shaver stuff from the 60's and 70's.

 

[Zenwannabee]

I’m a huge fan of bay rum and it’s great see all these recommendations. From the bargain barbershop side, I’ll add that I think Gabel’s Bay Rum is very good (as is their Drops of Lime aftershave).

And though it may seem déclassé to admit, regular old Old Spice still remains one of my favorites. 🙂

 

[Brooks Otterlake]

For me, the challenge in finding a great bay rum is that the traditional scent profile buries the bay rum in spice.

The reason stuff like Meehan’s or DS&D Barbados have worked better for me is that they allow the rich quality of bay leaf to remain front and center.

I'd love to find more in that vein, but after Sandy's devastation, it could be a while.

 

[tspencer]

I’m a huge fan of bay rum and it’s great see all these recommendations. From the bargain barbershop side, I’ll add that I think Gabel’s Bay Rum is very good (as is their Drops of Lime aftershave).

And though it may seem déclassé to admit, regular old Old Spice still remains one of my favorites. 🙂

Yes, Gabels Bay Rum, while simple, is very nice. I enjoy it sometimes.

 

[TRBeck]

For a straightforward bay rum splash, Grand Bay is lovely, although not quite as good as the old Dominica splash was. No spicing, just bay, allowing the spicy and green sides of that oil to play off of one another as they should.

St. John’s Bay Rum is a longer-lasting scent but very classic and not as overspiced as, IMO, Pinaud. It is expensive, but not like Meehan has gotten. Very old school and durable for what it is.

Many years ago, Barclay-Crocker (RIP) had a wonderful selection of bay rums and a sampler set to try them all. Someone needs to resurrect that concept given the array of wetshaver brands that have launched bay rums in the last decade.

 

[TR10]

regular old Old Spice still remains one of my favorites. 🙂

Nothing wrong with Old Spice. Many of us are here today because our dad’s & grandads wore Old Spice & Brut

 

[slpfrsly]

artisanwiki/paa - Wetshaving

r/Wetshaving: A community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor.

www.reddit.com

Long story short: about a decade ago, the guy who runs PAA allegedly did some shady marketing stuff, including allegedly creating fake accounts and pretending to be a military veteran, allegedly interviewing himself under a pseudonym on a podcast, etc., to promote his fledgling brand(s), then called How to Grow a Mustache. He was exposed, made excuses, and still allegedly promotes nonsense on the regular (e.g., he had a FB video touring his workspace in which he allegedly claimed to be aging pineapple essential oil and some other stuff in a blend. If pineapple EO exists, I’ve never seen nor smelt it, but Creed should’ve been banging down his door).

He has a cult following and at least as large a cult of haters, of which I am allegedly a member.

Thanks. 👍

 

[Mythrol]

I think you'll find quite a few of the samples will be something you enjoy. I've found many 'misses', but didn't really 'hate' any of them. The construction of the fragrances seem to be old-world perfume style. There are quite a few of their creations that I like.

I suspect the same. I originally got into fragrances through the wet shaving community and while I absolutely love Bay Rum I grew tired of more of the traditional barbershop scents. I got a lot of samples however because I suspect my brother will really enjoy some of them. The prices were so reasonable for samples that I knew it'd make way more sense to just get a lot since the shipping is flat rate. I'll update with any that stand out.

 

[Brooks Otterlake]

@thrilledchilled jogged my memory.

Captain Fawcett's Booze & Baccy is a pretty great entry in this category. It takes a traditional bay rum profile and adds in frankincense. The combo really works.

 

[tspencer]

Nothing wrong with Old Spice. Many of us are here today because our dad’s & grandads wore Old Spice & Brut

Not a single thing wrong with Old Spice. One of my very favorite scents of all time.

 

[NettyYeti]

It's good (I picked it up on his rec), but a bit heavy on the spices for my taste.

+1

I didn’t get along with Atomic Age. My favorite riff on bay rum from PAA is Coconut Bay.

artisanwiki/paa - Wetshaving

r/Wetshaving: A community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor.

www.reddit.com

Long story short: about a decade ago, the guy who runs PAA allegedly did some shady marketing stuff, including allegedly creating fake accounts and pretending to be a military veteran, allegedly interviewing himself under a pseudonym on a podcast, etc., to promote his fledgling brand(s), then called How to Grow a Mustache. He was exposed, made excuses, and still allegedly promotes nonsense on the regular (e.g., he had a FB video touring his workspace in which he allegedly claimed to be aging pineapple essential oil and some other stuff in a blend. If pineapple EO exists, I’ve never seen nor smelt it, but Creed should’ve been banging down his door).

He has a cult following and at least as large a cult of haters, of which I am allegedly a member.

I didn’t know any of this. Thanks for sharing (allegedly). I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on other wetshaving-adjacent brands/products (I’ll start a dedicated thread).