Blend 30 (1978)
by Dunhill

Ahh, one of my top five for sure. This starts very boozy and green. And when I say green, the juice is actually green. The booze I suspect is rum and/or cognac. The more I sample this I think there is some cognac. I have some white cognac essential oil I play around with and I think its there, balanced nicely with citrus, sage and lavender. As the drydown begins, I find some really outstanding mossy sandalwood and cedar. Add some subtle amber, musk and tonka as it finishes and wow, what a journey. Top notch, a must try if the opportunity arises.

Edit: The booziness I originally detected has waned, though still there. This is one of the nicest drydowns I have ever experienced. Lots of creamy sandalwood.

27th September, 2011. (Last Edited: 3rd December, 2011.)

Blend 30 offers the wearer a great deal of comfort. It is long since discontinued, but cherished and admired by a number of aficionados with long memories.

The opening is at odds with the overall experience, being vehement, dominant, and even a little cacophonous. It’s quite a harsh lavender note that leads this wild bunch, underscored with sharp herbal ingredients and a distant citric presence.

Any bitterness and belligerence from the early phases is swiftly supplanted by fairly dirty carnation and geranium notes, and the general potency is reined in significantly. Dunhill seem happy to forego harmonious accords here, and simply allow note to play against note.

The drydown is restrained and warm, with the subtle byplay of herbs and distant dirty florals playing out to the finish. The projection is reticent, restrained and better experienced in the air than on the skin. It has a modest lifespan, but does perhaps linger longer than I imagine.Throughout the whole Blend 30 experience, a feint, but important tobacco presence is evident, but not in the least intrusive. It is an important property, and firmly connects it to its Dunhill roots.

I am continually impressed with this fragrance; each wearing reveals something new to me. First rate, and sadly missed.

26th March, 2011.

I agree entirely with Dry_Martini´s review.
I did a back-to-back strip card test of Blend 30 and Patou Pour Homme. The similarities are remarkable. They are twins !!

3rd March, 2011.

I see that these reviews are all from a few years ago. I discovered Blend 30 decades ago and used it religiously, even as it faded from stores here in the US; I had an ongoing correspondence with one of the secretaries in the London office of Dunhill and she let me purchase the last two bottles they had in stock there... probably 23 years ago. I have hoped to find even a parfumier who would help reconstruct this complex and wonderful scent. Little else seems to mix will with my chemistry... much seems to smell fairly awful. I have settled on Safari as my daily... but long to find someone who can help me recapture Blend 30. I just tried to contact Dunhill, but their website was notably recalcitrant. Sigh.

28th May, 2009.

One of the best i have ever used. And i am relying on 1980 and 1986 "experiences" . After Classic, D and Edition, Dunhill seems to have gone in stranger directions.

6th December, 2008.

I return after some time away to say this stuff is still top notch power scent. You couldn't possibly wear it every day. I see the Safari comparison but this is smokier, pinier, greener. I may have just made up an adjective there!)

16th May, 2008. (Last Edited: 25th May, 2010.)