This soap was not on the agenda but the idea was suggested by my daughter (and a friend of my daughters), being Irish Whiskey and burnt wood. The request was also for a black soap. The name is a play on my daughters friends name and the brief of the soap. Initially I dismissed the idea but then realised I'd be passing up on a good research opportunity (not having used Irish Whiskey previously).
A trip to Dan Murphy's was in order which procured a bottle of Jameson's Black Barrel which was perfect for the job as it is aged in double charred bourbon barrels. Then to work to blend the essential oils and some Manuka Honey to come up with the profile we were looking for. We were very pleased with the resulting scent profile, but as always, it remained to be seen how it would transfer to a shave soap.
I used a variation on the Pb Mirrors and Smoke base with the addition of Powder Activated Carbon for the colour (plus it's skin cleansing properties) and an increased dose of bentonite. Having used PAC previously in Pb Little Black I was happy to use the same dosage for colour knowing that it doesn't produce a black mess in the bathroom but gives a distinct colour to the soap (and lather).
Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Castor Oil, Tallow (Beef), Avocado Oil, Lanolin, Kokum Butter, Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Glycerine, Bentonite Clay, PAC, Tussah Silk, KOH, NaOH, Filtered Water (RO), Fragrance.
Fragrance: Irish Whiskey, Manuka Honey. Essential Oils - Cedarwood, Vanilla, Fir Needle, Sandalwood, Frankincense, White Birch, Gurjun Balsam, Tobacco, Clary Sage, Patchouli, Labdanum.
I will test shave it today but too many times lately the test shave is somewhat irrelevant as the soap needs time to settle, so I'll comment on that later.
