Reviews of 1805 (1998)
by Truefitt & Hill

This purports to be an aquatic and it does have an aquatic character. It also prominently features cardamom, which strikes me as a dead weight here (it isn’t my favorite note, but it certainly is blended effectively in numerous fragrances). At any rate, I don’t like this one.

What a weak offering. Too subtle for anyone notice and worse yet it just dies a quick death. There is nothing marine about this cologne, I get teas, I get citrus, and I get woods that's about it, maybe an tinge of ozone but the cologne is so light it might as well not be there because you will have spray it up your nose to catch it.

Of T&H's seven scents, three are described as "oceanic," two of which (Freshman and Clubman) reportedly were produced respectively in 1815 and 1880. I find this claim hard to believe as the "oceanic" scent did not really arrive until the 1960s. However, I won't quibble. What is odd is that to my nose all three scents are pretty much identical. Why create almost half of your output to be the same.

1805 begins with the scent of line-dried linen - fresh and clean. Then a light cedar scent comes to the fore (reminiscent of Caswell's Gifts of the Sea bath scent). The whole thing is gone after half an hour. Certainly not worth the investment - one could dub it "The Emperor's New Cologne" since wearing it renders you naked and scentless. It is for me bland and boring and evaporates so quickly as to be entirely negligible.

Official notes:

Top: Bergamot, mandarin, Cardamon
Heart: Lavender, Geranium, Clary Sage
Base: Sandalwood, Cedarwood, musk

1805 starts off with somewhat fresh and attractive citrus notes with hints of the ocean air. And thats the height of its achievement really. From there, 1805 fast disintegrates into a persistent overly synthetic and salty accord which never lets go. Salty can be good if done right (try or taste Erolfa). But here, the notes smell cheap - theres just too much cardamom and geranium and it overwhelms the composition. The sandalwood and musk dont even get to enjoy the ocean voyage.
I have also tested the shaving cream, and its just too salty - it made my eyes water, resulting in more lubrication for my wet shaving experience.

1805 isnt a "terrible" scent, but many at Basenotes have beaten the "oceanic/marine" fragrance (sea)horse to death and theres simply no place for 1805 in the crowded sea of offerings. Creed Millesime Imperiale, Creed Erolfa, and even the obnoxious-little-brother Creative Universe's Mare blow 1805 out of the water.