Dunhill for Men (1934)
by Alfred Dunhill

EDIT 11/10/2009

I must say that I have fallen for this fragrance in a big way. I am forced to surmise that the neutral and negative reviews here might be for the 2003 fragrance release Dunhill for Men, which is entirely different. Now, on to the fragrance itself. In my opening Dunhill opens with a blast of indolic bergamot, lavender while the heart florals of rose, muguet, geranium, jasmine, and others arise. The opening is soapy, but soapy in a good way. The dry down is composed of musk, tonka, discreet vanilla, leather, and possibly a drop of civet or castoreum for the nuance—but mere nuance—of an animalic note. This IS the pre-WWI masculine Luca Turin is searching for! Citrus on top, flowers in the middle, and a drop of animalic musk to temper the base. Also, even though this is an EdC concentration, it last all day and intensifies if the weather is hot. This is a must buy for any serious perfumer enthusiast and is available online for low prices—look for the cylinder bottle!

I actually wrote this review on Badger and Blade, but I may as well put it up here with a couple of changes...

Simply a gorgeous evening cologne. A tart lemon pinch at the start, then florals, clary sage, leather, spice, wood, with a superb soapy leather powder drydown. It's actually really quite complex - I normally dislike florals with leather as they're either too complicated and cluttered for my nose, or they're overpowering and a little rancid (Knize 10 - i'm sorry). The difference with Dunhill, is that the florals are linked to leather with a sage accord that perfectly warms the bouquet into its leather basenote. It's very refined, even slightly dated (which is possibly why it's now discontinued), and is simply done exceptionally well.

Ok, so the box is IMO pretty dire, but who cares when the bottle and the juice are this great? The atomiser is also very good - far better than modern Dunhill atomisers which basically project a jet of juice like a waterpistol. I'm sure this is part of the reason why the longevity, for a cologne, is relatively high on me - 2 spritzes last around 6 hours on skin, a few hours longer on clothing. It has a subtle projection, definitely not a screamer, but it stays close to the skin without disappearing.

It's a sensible, mature cologne for sensible, mature men. If this is your sort of show, buy a ticket before the perfume e-tailers run out and you're left with decants or partial bottles for silly money on forums. I have a nearly-full bottle, which i'm very grateful for (I got it for £30-odd from a Basenoter), but even though I do not wear it often, i'm already looking for a suitable replacement. It's not quite a "masterpiece" but it is very, very nice and in my Top 5.

One of the best of the best colognes out there.If you can find this do not hesitate to buy it, you will love it

This classic belongs to the league of extraordinary gentlemen. Ok... I'm exaggerating a little but, make no mistake, all the raves about this masterpiece is spot-on. But am I the only one to detect the musky civet note (or is this just the sexy leather note?) and this note renders the whole scent with a sheen of sensuality that is almost sublime. I'll put this one on for this weekend's party and I will be a hit with the ladies, I'm sure. Shame about its discontinuation.

a gentlemen's fragrance meant to be worn on special occasions only. very wild and untamed openining of florals that at times is harsh and 1934ish. it settles after a wild to a calm floral with greatsillage and longevity but is a bit dated for the under 35 crowd. i have had my bottle for 3 years and it's still half full.

With apologies to others who have reviewed this (some of whom I quite admire), I'm surprised by this fragrance. While I was expecting the warmth of tonka, the brightness of lavender and lemon, and the maturity of flowers, all I get is loud, soapy and cheap.
I wanted to like this one, and given its reviews I thought it couldn't miss. Rather, I get a 1970's square dance-loud, fun in the moment, but you'd never want to admit membership.