Reviews of 1805 (1998)
by Truefitt & Hill

A nicely constructed aquatic style fragrance that is only marred by a lack of longevity. The opening feels a little messy, but the general balance of the ingredients is good. I enjoyed the drydown enormously, all the staples in the base provide warmth and freshness in abundance. The sillage is contained, but the main issue is the longevity, giving me just four to five hours. 1805 is really on the cusp of neutral and good, but I have a feeling this one will grow on me.

If only it lasted longer...
I fail to understand how one could dislike this, it's such a simple and refined formula. Yes, it won't win awards for originality and it's certainly not daring but it's a well made, clean, classy citrus/ oceanic that can be worn in any situation and like all the classic old English barbershop brands, it's relatively inexpensive. It is vaguely similar to L'eau D'Issey but without the sneeze-inducing top notes.

Very (very) similar to L'eau D' Issey Pour Homme.
Not identical, but could quite easily be mistaken. Dry down is not so spectacular, but remains similar.
A little less intense, and lightly less sweet/musky, and therefore a tad less potential to overapply - but overall a very similar effect.
Maybe .. all in all - not a bad thing.
Issey 'light'.?!

I really liked it.

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.

Waiter! There are flowers in my ocean soup . . .
This is a mildly elegant and mildly pleasing frag which is quite charming for summer. I can't contribute a definitive answer as to whether or not this is the most classic fragrance named 1805 to have been manufactured in 1998 but I suspect it to be so.
T&H's interpretation of oceanic is interesting. The composition might strike some women as feminine, others as uber-macho, Regardless, it's a light delicate citrus/ocean scent which is not generic--at least not compared to the offerings we get in the USA at department stores.
I don't find it one dimensional, nor do I think it vanishes in an hour. However it does morph down to the sandalwood, cedarwood and musk in a relatively short time.

I really should give it a thumbs up objectively, but who on earth rates frags objectively? Neutral for a pleasant summer scent, probably best suited for officewear.

Perhapsthe negative reviewers were somewhat influenced by the old barbershop pedigree of T&H, and weren't quite ready for a hair salon.

What's that? You say you love the scent of L'Eau D'Issey pour Homme but that its humorless bottle and funny name are jarring to your anglophilic sensibilities? No problem--you have T&H's "1805." It doesn't have the staying power of Issey, but it's a nice, clean fragrance with a name you can pronounce.

Nice green/citrusy scent with supporting wood notes of cedar and sandalwood. Despite being a cologne strength it's a good one. Meaning even though it doesn't last long, it's quite pleasant. Marine and aquatic, it gets the point across.

A one-dimensional citrus scent that doesn't last any longer than 2 hours on me. While it doesn't smell bad, it doesn't stand out from the hundreds of other fresh scents out there. It lacks complexity and depth even for a fresh scent.

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.

1805 has a citrus/weak tea opening. Then there is a sudden shift, quite noticeable, to a floral oceanic. This too is a bit mild or weak, nothing either problematic or commendable. Some have called this ‘salty’ – I don’t get that. It might be due to the clary sage but for me that is muted. I don’t even find this to be very oceanic, I think it is more green/fresh. Finally there is a light wood-musk base. Nothing very adventurous or exciting here. Another Aqua di Gio clone, kind of bland and boring.

In a word: Classic.

The top notes are wonderful to breath in after putting it on. As it settles down 1805 says sophistication and class. Every day that I have worn it this week I have had a woman comment about how much she liked my cologne. It's a great everyday scent that is equally at home in the office or relaxing with the wife and kids.

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.

One of my personal favorites. Reminds me ALOT of Issey Miyake for men. Very "aquatic" scent. Fresh and crisp. Doesn't seem to last very long on me, however. Definitely in my top two of the T&H line (Clubman being the other)

Hmm. Rather a strange marine. Great top notes in a quality oceanic style that vanish fast, to be replaced by a strong and persistent cardamon note which just seems incongruous to me.

Old school perhaps, but quite similar in many respects to L'eau d'Issey, though with more pronounced marine characteristics. Also reminds me of Acqua di Gió and Creed Erolfa to a lesser extent. The bottle, stick-on label and atomizer stem leave much to be desired, but if you're into oceanic/marine scents, this one is worth having. The shaving cream smells excellent too, with a green tea note coming through loud and clear.