Hugh Parsons (Blue) (1998)
by Hugh Parsons

Simply the best aquatic out there!

This has none of the synthetic generic feel of the ADG and CW's of this world
This spicy fruity aromatic gem is always the one I reach for when I want to go into the office and feel fresh and confident.

Why o why is this unique fragrance so hard to find?

Hugh Parsons Blue is a fragrance easy to miss if you try it once and make up your mind within ten minutes of initial application, and don't check in with it throughout the day. It takes a bit of effort to fully appreciate this awesome fragrance. The secret of this brilliant scent is that it is many different things as it sails blissfully through the day, and has one of the most brilliant evolutions of any fragrance I have ever tried. It can be citrusy and formal, then over the length of a day it becomes warm and inviting and goes on and on. In a phrase it has one of the best most impressive fragrances I have ever tried. Early on, the fragrance smells citrusy and a little starchy, and is a bit formal, fresh and clean. But later it evolves into a warm, rich sandalwood and spice fragrance that holds on to the citrus and starch, but blends everything into a glorious structure that maintains it hold on your consciousness for up to twelve hours. I admit I missed the point on this when I first bought it. In fact, I wanted to sell my Parsons Blue when I first bought it. After a few months I realized it was very special. Now it is something I want to have in my wardrobe for the foreseeable future. It is one of my signature scents. I just pray "they" will keep making it.

A somewhat spicy, aromatic, fresh scent, I would guess. Hugh Parsons opens with a citrus / berry / pepper accord that is clean, a bit too sharp, aromatic, and not really unique. It’s a bit of a messy opening, but, fortunately, the opening doesn’t represent the rest of the fragrance: in fact, the slight mess is the complete opposite of the rest of the fragrance which is refined, discreet, and elegant. Hugh parsons Traditional Blue is a light fragrance that offers a desirable complexity and movement that make the middle and base levels worth waiting for. With the heart notes, Hugh Parsons Blue takes on the clean ambiance of a subtle angelica, cardamom, and juniper. The angelica is perfect, the cardamom doesn’t exhibit any of its wayward bodily emittance potentialities, and the juniper is just a tiny bit too strong to my nose. It is a dry accord, rich but not strong, and a bit aromatic. It an excellently refined accord that signifies taste and quiet sophistication. The base follows with a smooth, subtle wood / ambergris that is captivating and superbly wearable.

Except for the first ten minutes of the opening, all the accords are balanced and refined, and the individual notes are quite clear and natural. The freshly cleaned shirt image fits this fragrance quite well: I find that Hugh Parsons Traditional beautifully serves the same purpose as the understated and excellent scents such as Gendarme and Bvlgari Pour Homme – scents to use on those occasions when a high quality, discreet fragrance is the order of the day. It’s quiet cleanliness made it one of my most worn scents when I lived in East Asia, and it is still one of my favorite subtle scents after all these years. (Edit of March 27, 2006 review)

Fresh, spicy, fruity, herbal (it's got it all!) that makes for a rather good and original aquatic.

A refreshing, masculine, tonic fragrance. it is characterized by spicy and green/herbal notes, with citrus and fruit in the top note and a woody-ambery base. I first encountered this scent a few years ago and took it on a trip to Hawaii with me. At that time, I was very struck by the juniper, angelica and spice notes, which along with the citrus, put me very much in mind of gin and tonic. Ever since that time, I have always associated this scent with the Islands and with the cocktail hour. I think these are pretty good associations for a fragrance, so I can't help but think highly of it.

Dull, synthetic freshness layerd over brackish spice and musk. The expensive flask bottle will probably spare it the indignity of being displayed on the drugstore shelf next to its Old Spice "Pure Sport" cousin.