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WetShaverReview@FBgroup ha scritto:I've been a fan of Lather Bros. for a couple years now. Initially, it was their art that attracted me to the brand. It's always excelled due in no small part to the fact that one member of the creative team is a professional artist and art director by trade. Regardless of their eye-catching labels, I've seen their product improve from just average to one that's competitive with the likes of Stirling and Viking. Providing superb quality lather that comes easily, the base's density has never been a problem, but now the slickness, both initial and residual, is on par with what I expect from luxury soaps. Post-shave is also quite good, though not yet approaching that of the upper echelon of artisan soaps. It's just a well rounded product that's no longer just a pretty face.

I don't typically reach for balms unless a matching splash option is not available. I'm also not inclined to used both balm and splash with the same shave. I did try out this balm, but I essentially used it as a post-shower moisturizer the day before this shave and not as a post-shave. Like Lather Bros.' other balms, this is quite thick and I would call it a paste. Based on prior experience, if you dispense the product via the intended method through the flip-top lid, over time the repetitive squeezing of the bottle will ultimately mar the label. I don't intend to use the balm much, but when I do, I'll remove the lid and dab some of the product into my palm. If they're going to keep this consistency, a small tub may be a more appropriate vessel. I have considered adding a little alcohol-free witch hazel to the product to thin it a bit, but as it is, as long as it's applied to damp skin, it soaks in quickly and without greasy residue. The balm ingredients do alter the native fragrance a bit with a slightly chemical overtone, but this burns off quickly.

Their current alcohol-based, mentholated splashes are quite good with immediate soothing and a delayed, gentle cooling. It's difficult to assess the effectiveness of the splash because the soap's base does a good job in moisturizing the skin. There is some slight oiliness detected for approximately 15 minutes after application, but that quickly subsides in favor of soft silky feel. I cannot speak to the longevity of this particular fragrance because I followed it with the EdT. A word of caution with regard to the Imperial splash bottle. The black material that wraps the neck of the bottle is not waterproof (or splash proof). When it gets wet, the black paint gets all over everything. It cleaned up easily enough, but if you can't avoid getting it wet, just remove it.

Lather Bros. recently teamed up with a local beer maker to produce 100 numbered sets (soap, splash, and balm) incorporating their raspberry bourbon beer. To round out the fragrance, the artisan added notes of leather, tobacco, and lavender. They also offered an EdT that can be purchased separately. I felt that was a nice touch to keep the core set's price point attainable for those who weren't interested in an EdT. A likely compromise, however is that the sets come with both the splash and balm without an option to customize. Given the limited nature of the product, I completely understand this decision.

The fragrance of Imperial is quite unique. It opens with a very forward leather note that remains realistic throughout. Trailing behind and blending superbly with the leather comes the warm toasty and malty hops. I cannot overstate how well these notes go together. I didn't expect to pick up on the raspberry component given the soap is made with a beer that contains a raspberry note. I'd assumed the degrees of separation would simply cause it to be lost among the other dominant notes. To my surprise, raspberry is quite evident right in the middle of the shave. I feel the sweetness of the tobacco boosts its presence, and again, is so well blended that I cannot identify where the raspberry ends and the tobacco begins. Lavender is no where to be found until the second pass. At which point, it quite abruptly shows up, and for a brief moment, overtakes the leather, before bowing out on the final pass. The splash actually opens with a slightly artificial and bitter lavender that I attribute to the therapeutic ingredients. Again, this is brief, and is replaced with the leather note. I delayed application of the EdT for about 30 minutes to confirm the splash indeed complements the soap.

Speaking of the EdT, I'm quite pleased with it. It doesn't have the prominence of the warm beer notes, but the beautifully crafted leather, tobacco/raspberry, and lavender accord takes my mind off it anyway. Despite its EdT concentration, I could still detect the leather with faint tobacco out to 9 hours. While the Imperial fragrance is quite unique, it is in the same realm of Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements' "Tombstone", Storybook Soapworks' "Shaken", and The Club's "El Gaucho".

Lather Bros. is no rookie when it comes to limited offerings that showcase pop culture, and more specifically comic book movies, which is obviously my weakness. However, to my knowledge, this is the first collaboration I've seen them do, and it is quite well executed both in terms of presentation and performance. I applaud the artisan for keeping the presentation box low-key and offering the EdT as a separate add-on, both of which contributed to the set's attainability. It's limitation to 100 sets notwithstanding, Imperial is at a price point that's within reach for many.