Murphy and McNeil soaps

I picked up a tub of Magh Tured from Top of the Chain recently and used it this week.  It's beautiful.  I got a bottle of the post shave splash as well to try it out.  I've found that the true intended scent of a product often seems to come through more in the splash than the soap.  In this case both the soap and the splash smelled great - Magh Tured is an homage to Tom Ford Oud Wood so if you like that one then this ones for you.  I happen to like TF Oud Wood, (actually I'm not sure I've met a Tom Ford I didn't like   ) so I'm really happy with this one.  The scent on the soap is slightly lighter than the splash but still very present.  I'd call it a high medium strength scent.  The splash is very nice with a nice face feel and good scent strength that fades slightly but still gives you a mild level of that lovely scent for a decent period of time.  The soap is in Murphy & McNeil's latest (I think) formula which is decently hard, lathers beautifully and is nice and slick with duck fat in the formula.  Love it 

About the Tom Ford Oud Wood:  You are perhaps a better enabler than you realize.  A thousand "thank you"s to you.

About the base:  Magh Tured is the AON base, and unless something has changed very recently, AON is the latest tallow and duck base.



NOTE:  I added the bold emphasis to the quoted post.

 I do what I can HighSpeed

I'll be shaving with Magh Tured this morning    Murphy & McNeil soaps make me feel like dancing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwc8pAahTQs

currently have M&M's nantahala and st james, both are in my top 4 soaps i've used so far. im just waiting for a few more to come in so i can try those. The customer service with bill is top notch as well which makes buying from and supporting M&M that much easier

The Nantahala is extraordinary.

I'm curious how the bear tallow was sourced.  I'm not trying to make any political statement and I only have a general understanding of Canadian wildlife regulations but as far as I know there are no domestically raised bears.  There are those in zoos and circuses and I imagine that a certain number of bears are euthanized annually because they've become problem bears but otherwise they would have to be hunted.  In Canada the hunting of the various species is done on a lottery system where hunters would submit their names for the various animals they'd like to hunt and if their name is drawn they get a tag for the upcoming season.  The numbers of tags in a given season is dependant on the populations of the subject animal and also whether you're bow hunting or using conventional methods.  I have no idea (although I am curious) how the professional guiding outfits that cater to foreign trophy hunters manage to get all the tags they may need to meet their clientele's needs.  I suspect they would be able to purchase what they need.  The further wrinkle is that in Canada, trade in wild animal parts is illegal.  Certain parts like bear gall bladders or antler velvet etc can command good prices in Asian markets for traditional medicine.  The policy is to avoid commercialization of wild animals thereby discouraging poaching.  Those restaurants that feature game meat on their menus are legally required to source that meat from domestically raised animals, farmed elk, venison, bison etc.  My understanding is that restaurants in Canada are prohibited from serving wild hunted game meat.  It's complicated.

It supposedly comes from an Indian reservation Marko. I don't know the intricacies or legal issues involved in that though.

I'm curious how the bear tallow was sourced.  I'm not trying to make any political statement and I only have a general understanding of Canadian wildlife regulations but as far as I know there are no domestically raised bears.  There are those in zoos and circuses and I imagine that a certain number of bears are euthanized annually because they've become problem bears but otherwise they would have to be hunted.  In Canada the hunting of the various species is done on a lottery system where hunters would submit their names for the various animals they'd like to hunt and if their name is drawn they get a tag for the upcoming season.  The numbers of tags in a given season is dependant on the populations of the subject animal and also whether you're bow hunting or using conventional methods.  I have no idea (although I am curious) how the professional guiding outfits that cater to foreign trophy hunters manage to get all the tags they may need to meet their clientele's needs.  I suspect they would be able to purchase what they need.  The further wrinkle is that in Canada, trade in wild animal parts is illegal.  Certain parts like bear gall bladders or antler velvet etc can command good prices in Asian markets for traditional medicine.  The policy is to avoid commercialization of wild animals thereby discouraging poaching.  Those restaurants that feature game meat on their menus are legally required to source that meat from domestically raised animals, farmed elf, venison, bison etc.  My understanding is that restaurants in Canada are prohibited from serving wild hunted game meat.  It's complicated.

Hi Marko -

Our source works with a small network of local processors (folks that process hunted animals and pack for meat) to collect bear fat that would generally be discarded during regular hunting seasons. To that end, my source seems to feel strongly about not letting the material go to waste and I feel a bit better given that.

The source then does the rendering themselves, and it is generally sold in small quantities for traditional purposes (for the native community it’s a traditional skin and hair conditioner among other things).

They allow us to buy some in limited quantities but have been clear it’s not unlimited, and they manage their supply to meet the needs of the local community before us. To that end I don’t think we’ll ever be able to make Kodiak a base we use for more than a special release from time to time as opportunity allows and as long as we can be respectful to the source.





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Perhaps we could body-shame some bears by berating their fatness then build relationships with the various bear vets performing bear lipo suction assuring a steady source of bear fat for more great soaps AND have thinner bears.

All kidding aside. I'm confident that M&M, the meat processor, and ethical hunters are doing the right thing for these grand animals. Idaho is my home state and the bear population is actually increasing. As far as laws concerning the sale of wild game, each state has different rules and in the case of bears, which are considered predators by most fish and game departments, most concern lies in gall bladders, claws, pelts, and other high value parts that would tempt nefarious evil-doers to want to take game illegally. I can't see bear tallow ever reaching those sorts of dollars. So I see this as an honorable and respectable use of all of the bear.

Thanks Bill murphyandmcneil for that explanation - I wasn't suggesting anything untoward had gone on I was just curious how it all came together and I appreciate your explanation.  I'm always interested in the unusual.