New spirit inspired aftershaves from Clubman Reserve
A few weeks ago, I was made aware of some new after shaves by the timeless and classic brand, Clubman-Pinaud. These after shaves were launches under their “Clubman Reserve” moniker and are spirit based. There are 3 options:
- Whiskey Woods
- Brandy Spice
- Gent’s Gin
Having recently made a switch in my shaving routine by using a considerably thicker shaving cream than before, it has essentially opened the door to using alcohol based aftershave in a seriously more comfortable manner. The Brompton and Langley and Crown shaving creams in particular, their thick and long lasting protection were game changers. This has lead me to use the alcohol aftershaves from Reuzel and Dr. Jon’s a lot more freely. So when finding out about these new aftershaves from the iconic Clubman-Pinaud house, I set out to get the full set.
I should also indicate that I have been experimenting with other “spirit” inspired fragrances as well as just more classic scents such as leather and tobacco. You could say that I was in a receptive mood for these new products from Clubman. Here are the other scents I have been exploring and enjoying.
- Henri et Victoria – Cuban Cigar and Cognac roll-on cologne
- Crown Shaving – Leather and sandalwood roll-on cologne
- Rockwell shaving cream and Aftershave – Barbershop leather scented products
In Ottawa, OBSCO is my go to place for Clubman products. I reached out to my contact Amanda and was informed that they had the Whiskey Woods and the Brandy Spice but not the Gent’s Gin. I dropped in the next day to pick up my bottles. As mentioned before OBSCO operates on a two price model; one for Barbers/Stylists and another for off the street consumers. The difference between these prices is marginal. Clubman-Pinaud products being totally affordable to begin with; I got my two bottles for $20. At roughly $10 for a 177 ml (6 fl oz) this a good deal. A big shout out and thank you goes to Amanda at OBSCO for her availability and help with this selection.
FYI – Clubman is a Barber targeted brand and you will not be able to buy this line at your local pharmacy. If you are in Ottawa, OBSCO is the place to go as they carry the full product line. Your other alternative is on-line.
BTW – When you are shopping at OBSCO don’t forget to use the STYLE4MEN discount code.
The colours of these aftershaves are warm and inviting. The Whiskey Woods after shave is a classic hue of light brown, while the Brandy spice is a smooth blonde. In the typical Clubman-Pinaud bottles, these after shaves look absolutely timeless.
When looking at the ingredient listing, I was pleased to see that these “Clubman Reserve” aftershaves are made with less ingredients than their regular line. Check out the Clubman-Pinaud Bay Rum After Shave Review. This is still nevertheless an alcohol-water based concoction but with less participants. One might think that Clubman-Pinaud is changing with the times.
In case this is not clear, these after shaves remain in the ‘old-school” category where the main participants are alcohol and water. The “new school” approach tends to replace the water element with witch hazel. Witch hazel has very nice astringent and soothing properties and it a totally natural solution.
When reading ingredient labels on after shaves, hair sprays and other grooming products, I often come across “Alcohol Denat”. It made me wonder what this was. It simply refers to denatured alcohol or alcohol that has been made to taste bad. Yes, it sad to say but alcoholism is a real thing and a product such as an after shave with a very high alcohol content would be a quick and easy fix. The added denaturant changes no other properties of alcohol aside from its taste.
As you can see in the pictures, the bottle respect the traditional way of doing thing by molding some branding into the bottle. Even though this is a humble plastic bottle, there is a clear effort to be stylish.
This series of after shaves is marketed under the “Clubman Reserve” brand, but clearly Edward Pinaud is still very present.
Since I had not shaved in a few days and was impatient to get sense of what aroma these after shaves would have, I decided to splash a portion of one of the after shaves on my 4 day old mug. Basically, the after shave has a certain scent in the bottle, but once released aromas typically come alive. This was in the afternoon and I opted for the Brandy Spice. Woooo! This is some nice stuff! There is a first blast of pure alcohol, but very quickly thereafter you are in for a treat; classic, subtle, manly and original. I haven’t had a Brandy in age but I remember something woodsy and sweet. After about 10 minutes, the fragrances started to seriously take shape. Moving from the pure alcohol onto something considerably more pleasant and aromatic. To my nose that was; sweet, woodsy and very warm. The label indicates: brandied apples, citrus zest, spice and musk. Like many fragrances, there are top, middle and base notes referring to what you will smell over time. That perfect moment for my nose was somewhere between half an hour and an hour where the scent was sublime. Sweet, rich woodsy brandy. I totally enjoyed it.
This morning, I did a similar test with the Whisky Woods. Basically an application on my unshaved mug. This gives an honest result as to what this scent will render. I have to say that I was just as impressed. It’s rich, masculine, classic and timeless. I will say that Whiskey as a whole is a more discreet smelling spirit and this after shave concoction is more is more tamed. I say this with precaution as this is still a moderately potent fragrance with a dominating alcohol elements. In clear terms, this after shave is more whiskey than wood.
My favorite of the two is the Brandy Spice because of its sweet top notes. I am a simple man and the sweet elements reach me on a basic level. As for all things, there is a time and place for everything and the Whisky Woods would be a better evening/night candidate in my opinion.
TEST STAGE:
- State: Out of the shower
- Razor: MERKUR 180
- Blade: Treet Carbon
- Pre-Shave: None
- Shaving Cream: Dr. Jon’s Defiance shaving Soap
- Tonic: None
- After-Shave: Clubman Reserve Brandy Spice
Now came shave time. Having taken a few days from shaving I opted for some trusted favorites. See above. Shaving with the Dr. Jon’s Defiance soap is always a pleasure and this shave was no different rendering a comfortable and close shave. I had no inhibitions to splash the Clubman Brandy Spice on. I was expecting that typical refreshing alcohol sting, but no. It was perfectly smooth and once the alcohol smell dissipated, I was spoiled by a luxurious brandy aroma.
As experienced with the other 2 earlier applications, the scent starts with a dominating alcohol blast and quickly moves to it’s sweeter side. The fragrance will evolve and become sweeter over the course of the next couple of hours and will then start gradually fading.
If you enjoy classic scents or maybe even are simply seeking a memorabilia boost, these after shaves will clean your skin and bring a smile to that mug. To me they are winners.
I am hoping to be able to get a bottle of the Gent’s Gin and if successful than update this post.
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