The ripe fruit/sour/vomit/cheese note expiring on contact is just the nature of the volatile aldehyde expiring and as far as I know has nothing to do with the menthol per se when I have used it, but then again everyones skin is different and everyones environment/temperature and the interaction of said is definitely different so you just may be spot on in your situation.
The soap base is the same AP Reserve base, we have not revised it although with the warmer weather I am sure it is loosened up a little and the soaps were dosed a little stronger than usual as it's a summer LE thing and I wanted it to pop a little so the extra oils and AC's in the soap base itself may be having a slight effect.
Ah, I see. I suppose it’s coincidence rather than causality but that rush of menthol (and Coolabah is my most mentholated aftershave now) happened at the same time as the pineapple “freshened” I love menthol in the summer.
I could have sworn the soap base was a smidge better - mind you, it’s been over two months since I used Winterfell and Mycroft which, before Australians All, were my last APR soap purchases. It goes without saying - just outstanding and The Colonial General and super sharp blades sing with it. The current soaps also seem to have much less of a tallow smell to them which was the only negative, for me, of the original run. I’m more sensitive than most to “tallow smell” for some reason which is why I offloaded all my P&B almost as soon as they arrived.