Murphy & McNeil Gael Laoch

Murphy and McNeil (https://murphyandmcneil.com/#) is an artisan and ecommerce marketplace based out of Flower Mound, TX. The company opened their doors in December 2018 offering shaving soap, post shave, bar soap and beard care products along with a buy/sell marketplace.Gael Laoch, is a collaboration project between M&M, John Perry and @xicano_design. This product will launch on July 13, 2019 at 9am CST on their website and at Maggard Razors (http://www.maggardrazors.com/), Top of the Chain (https://topofthechain.ca/) and Pasteur’s Pharmacy. The offering will come in a mentholated version (white) and non-mentholated (black) and will support the Wounded Warrior Project (https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/) with a portion of all proceeds to this charitable organization.

Gael Laoch is a tribute to the hardworking folks, who “rise and grind” daily without seeking attention or accolades. Named for the “Norse–Gaels were a people of mixed Gaelic and Norse ancestry and culture. They emerged in the Viking Age, when Vikings who settled in Ireland and in Scotland adopted Gaelic culture and intermarried with Gaels. The Norse–Gaels dominated much of the Irish Sea and Scottish Sea regions from the 9th to 12th century. Bad asses are the ones who survived and thrived.” The fragrance is an homage to Creed Viking. Scent notes feature: Bergamot, Lemon, Pepper, Rose, Peppermint, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Patchouli and Lavandin. The accord is an aquatic that features bursts of citrus and mint. This fresh, but masculine fragrance is a big winner to my nose. Mrs. Ruds does not share my affinity for this scent and is neutral regarding it. Strength of scent is mid out of the soap container and remains this way for the duration of the shave. According to TryThatSoap (https://trythatsoap.com/) the closest comparative would be Phoenix & Beau Solaris.

Gael Laoch is offered in the Murphy & McNeil’s tweaked tallow and duck fat soap base. This tweak aims to improve the firmness of the soap base. This soap base iteration includes the following ingredients: tearic Acid, Water, Beef Tallow, Duck Fat, Potassium Hydroxide, Kokum Butter, Menthol (Optional - White Jar), Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Shea Butter, Vegetable Glycerin, Coconut Milk, Kaolin Clay, Lanolin, Tocopheral, Fragrance, Tussah Silk. The base is of mid firmness and is quite thirsty. It can handle as much water as you throw at it and when properly dialed in displays a lather reminiscent of Elmer’s glue. Slickness is excellent in both the primary and residual aspects. Post shave is elite, leaving the skin feeling luxurious long after the lather has been rinsed away. The resulting ShaveScore for Murphy and McNeil’s current Eisteacht is a 95. Soap bases with similar performance are: Declaration Grooming (bison) and Wholly Kaw (donkey milk).

Murphy & McNeil was generous enough to send me two sets (soap & aftershave) of Gael Laoch. The second set will be raffled with all proceeds being donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. This will be open to world wide participants, although if an international winner is selected, the soap will be shipped with the balm as I am not permitted to ship alcohol based aftershave internationally. Raffle spots are USD $1 per entry. In order to enter, email me with your requested number of slots. Payment will be required via paypal and you will be responsible for the fees if you choose to pay goods and services. This raffle will remain open until Sunday, July 21, 2019 at 11:59PM ET. The drawing will be via random number generator and a video announcing the winner and showing the drawing will be posted shortly there after.

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ShaveScore Compilation: https://goo.gl/tXv4oW