Grafton (1983)
by Truefitt & Hill

Nice traditional English gentlemen's cologne but the party's ove after a few hours.

7th December, 2011.

We've arrived back at the English barbershop: a little fruit and light florals on top of anise, wintergreen (?) and sweet spices. This is very sweet, but it's also well-balanced, and nothing sticks out at me in excess. It could be one of few barbershop fragrance that I really like, and I think a big contributor to this is sandalwood...just a little bit of Egoiste underneath everything else. I almost don't know what to say because so many of this genre involve me complaining about them overdoing one note and spoiling what seems like it should be such a conventional, no-brainer scent. It has some of the same dusty, moderated sweet spice as in Trafalgar, but it's in much stronger company here with the woody notes. The one drawback here is that there's a little smoke in the base which isn't terribly well done, and has some of the waxy, oily character of Preferred Stock, but it's hardly noticeable.

5th December, 2011.

An aromatic green/herbaceous fougere that can do great on the Tsar/Gucci Nobile axis. Woodier than the former and stronger than the latter but never loud. A classic barbershop style composition.

27th September, 2011.

Citrus top note that disappears almost immediately. Left with a light herby, green scent in the top notes. Faint Lavender in there as well, but can be picked up if you're looking for it. I get no "spice" at all throughout, despite what is listed in the basenotes. Dries down to a hint of patchouli and woods. Decent stuff and one of the better ones from this house (which isn't saying much), but there are much better ones in this category.

9th August, 2011.

Grafton is like the little brother of Parfum d'Habit: it's dark, leathery, woody, spicy and extremely masculine. It's smoother than Parfum d'Habit and not as loud, as if someone buffed out all of Parfum d'Habit's rough edges and toned down the potency a bit.

This is a must try for any fan of traditional British styled masculines. I love this for its darkness and leathery smell, and it has an overall very formal, prim-and-proper feel to it, similar to Bois du Portugal and Woods of Windsor For Men. This is unabashedly virile, and is not a casual scent at all. It's a serious, austere scent for a gentleman, not a crass, open-shirted Mr. Macho. It's a perfect scent to wear with a tuxedo or suit and tie, when you want to exude a sense of authority.

MY RATING: 8/10

22nd February, 2011.

There are two great barbershop fougere masterpieces in existence and still available with very little (if any) change from their original release. At the top of this pile of two is Grigio Perla, the classic Italian frag. Underneath that, but still brilliant, is T&H's Grafton. As oldfooltoo's review states, the opening notes are short lived, but the herbal middle and base lasts and lasts unlike most other barbershop fougeres which seem to disappear within a couple of hours. Perhaps because it is synthetic, but to me it doesn't smell obviously synthetic. It smells fresh, clean and is suited to pretty much any occasion - perfect for formal office wear and just as acceptable for informal situations. The only slight drawback is the price - at £38 for 100ml bottle, T&H frags are probably overpriced for what they are, but fortunately deals can usually be found online and on the 'bay, particularly if someone is selling a "slight second" (for some reason, T&H bottles frequently go out from the factory with no lids and/or labels and these frequently end up on ebay for good prices and are usually genuine). Otherwise, Grafton is one of T&H's finest.

7th January, 2010.