Reviews of Grafton (1983)
by Truefitt & Hill

The citrus top notes seem to disappear almost immediately, leaving the lighter tarragon and lavender to enjoy. After a couple of hours, I noted the incense, which stayed with me for the entire day. What a nice summer day change of pace from my staples from Tom Ford and Creed !.

This is a prime candidate for layering. Working in unison with the other Grafton products available from T&H, this would work wonderfully. The citric top notes begin to burn off very quickly, providing a dry almost Rive Gauche feel. The warm and herbaceous middle notes provide a distinct warmth and ease that propel this effortlessly into the pantheon of excellent barbershop fragrances.

My favorite Truefitt & Hill scent, and perhaps more importantly, my partner's favorite when I wear it. This is barbershop at its best for 21st-century life. Those who lament synthetic qualities risk sounding like French wine producers with a fetish for "terroir." Yeah, France prizes terroir, but California makes dependable wines you more often want to drink. "Grafton" is clean without being too soapy, fresh without being too bright, and masculine without becoming down-market neanderthal. It is one of the easiest to wear scents I have ever known in my life. Confident, uplifting, positive, fresh, assured, and clean--all new morning with everything possible. Why wouldn't you want to smell like that?

First sniff I was blasted back to the 80's frags... then I came here and saw the release date listed in the database. Damn. Good to see a staple like this from an English company. Babershop fourgere that won't quit until you do.

I sampled this cologne because I considered buying it for my father as he loves barbershop fragrances. I am no expert, so take whatever I say as you wish, but I really do not think that this is a barbershop scent. It's a nice scent. It definitely has a fougere aspect. I felt it smelled somewhat like drakkar noir actually. But it's not barbershoppy. It's too modern smelling to be a barbershop scent. Pinaud clubman, lustray and all these old school plastic colognes / aftershaves that my father have lying around his medicine cabinet have something in common that this scent just doesn't capture. Don't get me wrong though, it's still a nice cologne.

Grafton wants to be the soul of the shaving cream smell, and one can appreciate that it is a nice traditionally-styled mens' fragrance. Unfortunately, it has two drawbacks IMHO: it's a little too forward and a touch synthetic. It is strong and long lasting, but just a bit too aggressive for me, kind of like a Brooks Bros. fragrance on steroids. This is not very subtle, nor distinctive for that matter. Trying to get the right application of this is tricky. It reminds me of the showers in some hotels that are either way too hot or, with just the slightest turn the other way, way too cold. Grafton is either too much or not quite enough. That's another sign of a synthetic product, to my way of thinking. Ultimately, it seems to be more American than English. I might get this someday, but for now, no, not really. Not when there are so many other great mens' barbershop fragrances out there.

“Warm and spicy, Grafton has a fresh herbaceous opening combined with a spicy floral heart, leading onto a rich, woody, amber background with a hint of leather.” (Truefitt&Hill site)
I like Grafton. It has a zesty green-citrus opening, something I prize. Galbanum may account for the spicy green, leafy and dusky initial notes. Herbs of some sort (basil, tarragon...) also lend a welcome greenness. The lavender is blended into the herbal aspect. Cedar may be lending a fresh note, and that segues into lovely wood tones which include sandalwood. There is a hint of patchouli which is dry, restrained and effective. Grafton is elegant, refreshing, classy, excellent and worth seeking out. Since T&H are shaving specialists, there are other products including a nice aftershave balm. An observation: there is no oakmoss listed as an ingredient, so I wonder if this can be called a fougere. I think it is more properly termed a woody green scent.

Notes:
Top: Lavender, Lemon, Basil
Heart: Woods, Cedar, Incense, Rose
Base: Patchouli, Sandalwood, Tonka, Amber, Musk

"The name Grafton was given to Truefitts’ newly blended fragrance in 1983 at the suggestion of one of HMS Grafton’s officers, who while being attended to by Truefitts barber, particularly liked this unmistakably masculine fougere aroma and suggested that the new fragrance is named after the gracious line of HM battleships."

I have to agree with my friend hirch here. This is a top tier green fougere and possibly one of the finest "barbershop" scents around. Lavender is the main star here, but unlike various raw medicinal interpretations of that note, the lavender in Grafton is presented in a very nose-pleasing manner. Its stripped of its at-times harsh natural edge, and brings about a certain uplifting "brightness" to the composition inconcert with a backdrop of refreshing. The lavender powers through the fragrance, and is accented by a delicately weaved incense note which injects just the right amount of smokiness to keep the scent well balanced. The rose and lemons, while not that obvious to the nose, do their part in providing a scent barrier which prevents the incense-lavender combo from going into overdrive like as in Encens et Lavande..

Talking of which, I was also testing Serge Lutens Encens et Lavande at the same time, and for comparison purposes, found that the incense note far dominates in the latter half of that scent. The real showdown in the "Battle of the Barbershop Cologne King" though is between Grafton and the classic Caron pour un homme. The 100 year old classic, while a fine scent in its own right, outputs a harsher lavender note and is more powdery. I find the effulgent aroma of Grafton more engaging, and the core ingredients better renditioned. Grafton isn't just a fine barbershop scent - it posses enough depth in its composition to be suitable for formal occasions as well. Like the Grafton Type-14 Blackwood, its a deceptively simple, yet highly effective fragrance. Unlike the Blackwood though, I dont expect Grafton cologne to be decommissioned from my wardrobe anytime soon ..

Easily my favourite from this house and possibly my favourite barbershop cologne. This is a soapy, dry and very green fougere which just sits very nicely without shouting. It adds a wiff of "gentleman" to the surroundings, but not in an ostentatious way. This will work well in any setting.