Derrick (1978)
by Orlane

Derrick smells like a poor man's JHL. Foetidus wasn't kidding when he wrote that this is a pure spice fragrance, and nothing but spices. Cinnamon, clove, wood, carnation, patchouli, vetiver, cumin and oakmoss all seem to be in here, providing sandpaper-like texture and overall feel. It's not the strongest fragrance in the world, which is a good thing because if it were your nose wood bleed.

Derrick comes from the 1970s school of power scents - ultra woody, spicy, dry and bold, but without the TNT-like power and sillage of the later fragrances in the 80's. It does smell dated, and anyone who wears Seventies styled masculines will recognize this immediately as a member of that club.

My only complaint is that it's not particularly well blended. This is a crude, rough and linear scent, and it can sometimes get tiresome to wear. It smells dark, austere, and unsmiling, but it lacks the complexity and quality of a Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme. I like Derrick, but it's not something I'll be reaching for very often. Sillage and longevity are good.

MY RATING: 7/10

31st March, 2011.

Derrick is an interesting fragrance – quite unusual. It seems like a very serious scent: there seems to be no sweet in it. I certainly can’t find any florals in it. It is almost 100% spice and woods and moss. I’m surprised that a designer or mainstream fragrance would be this dry and (smelled close) dark, even in 1978. Besides its spiciness and woods, there isn’t much else to it. The spices – cinnamon, pepper, clove, ginger, nutmeg, and coriander – form a unified pungency the individual notes of which, I can’t separate out except for the cloves. The base’s patchouli, sandalwood, and oakmoss form a dry, light, textured background through the run of the fragrance. MisterK makes a reference to amber, but I can’t find it, although I don’t doubt that it is there: They couldn’t make a fragrance with no sweet notes, could they? Derrick is an odd fragrance that I give a thumb’s up simply because it is so unique. It’s quite a linear scent and it has less than average longevity (it’s an EDC). But what I find makes it unusual is that, sniffed near the skin, it smells deep and dark and dry, but its sillage is not at all strong. Derrick strikes me as being very light. Since it’s so inexpensive, I’m going to buy a bottle just in case I will someday want to wear a light, dry, masculine, fragrance like this. I haven’t seen another one like it.

14th March, 2008.

Im glad I bought this as a blind buy almost a year ago ,, Its sweetness is mild and hidden deep in its makeup of spices ,, I wear it in rotation with and find it interesting ,, 4/5

28th November, 2007.

Maybe it was and it is still cheap, but the fragrance is very nice. It can remind some of you Jovan Sex Appeal or Pierre Cardin Pour Monsieur, but I think that Derrick is much more better than both of them. Jovan has more of Vanilia and PC has more of carnation to me, but Derrick has a little bit spicy and rosy scent which makes it very suitable for evening use or for a romantic occasion. I first received it as a gift from my mom in 1986 as a romantic fragrance, but being as young man a "romatic fragrance" did not mean much to me then, but later on I have learned what it means. My girl friends then found it a very nice and romantic scent and even today women still find it as a nice romatic scent. I'm still using this fragrance and I'm glad that I can still find it.

2nd June, 2007.

Not sure why this scent is so reviled on the Basenotes boards. I got it for cheap, and all I can say is that there isn't anything special about it. Like any other scent, you shouldn't drown yourself in it. The scent is on the light side at first, but becomes a bit heavier after a couple minutes of wearing. Probably good in the office - three spritzes max.
Top notes are spices, but they dissipate quickly. Base scent is similar to Gucci Nobile, which is ambery and nothing special. More of a '80s scent than a '70s scent though.
For an ambery scent, I prefer YSL M7. And for a '70s scent, I prefer Halston Z-14.

7th February, 2004.

I bought Derrick in Paris around 16 years ago. It is rare in the US. I always receive compliments. Derrick is lightly sweet and spicy. It lasts all day. It can now be bought online.

2nd September, 2003.