Reviews of Clubman Virgin Island Bay Rum
by Pinaud

I found a bottle of this stuff in my local drug store. Gotta say, I wasn't expecting much when I took it home. However, it's a surprisingly nice scent of the "spicy" variety. Unfortunately, it has far too much cinnamon for my taste and it overpowers the other notes. On the other hand, the dry down brings out the subtle scent of cloves and a few notes I admittedly can't recognize. It's also a great bargain, considering I got 12 oz/355 mL (yes, you read that right; it's a large plastic bottle) for $8.

In short, if you can get past the strong cinnamon opening, you'll find the dry down quite pleasant. Not a formal or office wear fragrance by a long shot, but if you would like a summer scent that cuts through the ubiquity of "aquatic" frags, you could do worse.

This one is kind of strong at first. Not necessarily in a good way, either. Like a bunch of cookies or something. I was a bit worried, until it dried into great spice and bay notes buttressed by the sweetness that seems to be standard in Pinauds. There's something I can't quite distinguish in this, perhaps a hint of woodiness. But what it comes down to is that It's refreshing, spicy, and neither young nor old, so it'll work for pretty much anyone.

I think this is a great classic that shouldn't scare off people my age, who are terrified of "smelling like dad." When everyone is wearing the same fruity androgynous synthetic fragrances, sometimes the best way to stand out is to go back to something like this.

A bit too much clove for me, but still decent- especially for the price point.

This stuff is good, but not as good as the Royall Bay Rhum or the St. John's -- both of which seem very potent and authentic. The Clubman seems like a nice, fairly polished, Bay Rum for landlubbers. Not much kick, and it comes in a plastic bottle. Cheap but inoffensive.

great bay rum scent, very strong, good for use as an all over body tonic as well!

One of the few spicy, heady scents that really works for me whether it's hot as hell or glacially cold, bay rum's always been a favorite of mine. And so far, this is my favorite version of it.

Not having tried any of the more of expensive ones like Royall or St. Johns (though the Dominica is definitely on my list of must-tries), I have few reference points for what constitutes a good bay rum. But even with such esteemed competition, I have to wonder if there's any point in 5 or 6 times more. Pinaud's rendition has a warm tide of cinnamon ebbing amidst the boundless waves of clove and bay leaf oil. It has more than enough strength with a medium dose to last all day, even after I break a slight sweat. And even with a slight overapplication, it remains subtle in its sweetness and never becomes cloying.

All in all, this one's a real surprise for spice/woods fans that may even have you passing up frags costing up to 20 times more! If you don't like it, you're probably not out by more than 10 bucks. Basenoters take note: Bang for buck very rarely gets better than this.