Clubman Special Reserve
by Pinaud

While Knize Ten is the leather of a car's interior, impregnated with rubber and petrol, Clubman Special Reserve is the leather of old jackets, worn gloves, and club furniture. Cinnamon spice, leather, vanilla, and patchoulli blend together after the initial blast of scent settles in, becoming a nicely dry, slightly powdery masculine.

It's a scent that goes perfectly with wool overcoats, tweed suits, and cool weather. This is a regular for me in the fall and winter, and draws compliments from wife and others alike. It's also better poured into a spray bottle and applied as a misting rather than poured into the palm and splashed on like an aftershave.

In a choice between Special Reserve and the other stereotypical leather of Knize Ten, even though the latter is a touch more complex, my vote goes to the bargain wonder from Pinaud.

27th December, 2011.

The Clubman line in general is a good bargain, especially for those aficionados of the old school. For less than ten clams one can have that fresh-from-the-barbershop vibe.

Special Reserve reminds me quite a bit of older formulations of Old Spice. SR has above average longevity for an after-shave but not quite the ebullient sillage of its brother Clubman (the original).

28th July, 2011.

Gotta agree with Shamu here, although I don't know if I would go so far as to dismiss other leathers. But for the money, Special Reserve delivers, and then some. I don't know who said it first, but recently I read of this being compared to the smell of an old, freshly-oiled baseball glove. That couldn't be more dead on. From the bottle, SR is a disaster. You get sugared spices and monstrous patchouli that seems impossible to wear. Application to skin brings things into focus - the spices assemble rapidly around the oakmoss and patchouli, with coumarin and bone-dry cinnamyl alcohol preserving the touch of sweetness at the scent's core. The result is a soft leather, dry and clean. I can't say if this blows hundred-dollar leathers out of the water, but I'm certain it could be decanted into a square glass Domenico Caraceni atomiser and sold as "Gentlemen's Club" for $120.

25th December, 2010.

To hell with Tuscan Leather, Knize Ten or all that other pretentious niche nonsense. You want real leather? Then look no further than the five dollars burning a hole in your pocket.

That's right - you can get a huge 6 oz. bottle of one of the best leather fragrances money can buy for only $5. I totally agree with Moneysuckle that this may be the best masculine fragrance bargain ever. I'll bet if niche snobs sampled this blindly, they'd guess that it was some $200 fragrance by Profvmvm or some other snotty niche firm. I'm serious here.

Unlike Knize Ten, which smells like gasoline and moth balls, Special Reserve actually SMELLS LIKE REAL LEATHER. I think another reviewer described it as the smell of a leather baseball glove after it's been oiled, and I think that description nails it. This is dark, smoky leather and it's awesome.

What I love most about Special Reserve is that it's a pure leather scent, with nothing standing in the way of its projecting its leathery aura. I would go so far as to say that this is a definitive leather scent.

MY RATING: 9/10

9th December, 2010.

On me this starts out strong, leathery with a floral (I think) je ne sais qoi over a background of vanilla/amber and then mellows out over time. There's an early soap hint that disappears very quickly at the beginning. If the soap hint didn't disappear very quickly, I wouldn't like this scent. In my experience, the je ne sais quoi ratchets back and the vanilla/amber is balanced with the leather in about 2-5 hours. On me, the vanilla/amber dominates after 8-12 hours. Overall, a very pleasant experience. The 2-12 hours has a sweetness but not cloying.

I normally have a difficult time finding scents because my skin chemistry is not kind with many of the common or popular ones. Not so with this one.

I think it has a definite sillage at the beginning that calms down in an hour or two. For me, skin warming and skin humidity brings it immediately back to an earlier life in its wear. I think it should be used very sparingly and I put it on about 1/2 to 1hr or more before being with others.

I don't find it as variable or unpredicable as randumbsmellyguy.

For me this is a pleasant, inexpensive informal scent, pleasant affordable and wearable. However, for special occaisions and signature, it's always and forever Equipage (Hermes).

30th April, 2010.

TwoRoads turned me on to this little gem.

I had worn Clubman Lilac Vegetal 25 years ago in HS (because that's what my Dad wore at the time). Fast forward a generation, and I decide to explore leather scents. I notice on the message board that TwoRoads is both a leather scent connoisseur, and recommends Clubman Special Reserve as an excellent and inexpensive version of Creed's Royal English Leather (which I have never smelled to this day). So I go back to the future ordering Pinaud juice again.

At $7 for 6 ounces, I can safely say this is the best bargain in all of men's fragrance. The opening is rather musty. Some might say rustic. That accord quickly burns off into a beautiful, slightly sweetened leather heart note. Reminds me of how my oiled baseball gloves smelled when I was a kid. Over time, the amber/vanilla basenotes seamlessly weave their way into the leather, softening and sweetening the dry down. These notes don't take over the fragrance, but balance the leather. My wife loves this scent on me. Overall, Clubman Special Reserve is more leathery and less sweet than 1776 Elsha (another excellent leather fragrance).

Sillage and longevity are excellent for a cologne strength splash.

21st March, 2010.