Vétiver (1981)
by Annick Goutal

Annick Goutal's Vetiver starts out with a very odd top note. As other reviewers have noted, the top note is a combination of Cognac, seaweed and iodine which was not particularly pleasant to my nose. Thankfully as it developed, Vetiver became a more accessible but still unusual vetiver fragrance. This is a very intriguing and wearable perfume although I am not sure if I would want a full bottle of this.

Here are the notes, as gleaned from various perfume websites: Cognac, seaweed, iodine, Burmese spices, rare woods, Javanese vetiver, patchouli, vanilla.

This is an earthy, smoky vetiver combined with spice (clove, bay?). The spice disappears quickly and the vetiver itself is gone after two hours. So although it is quite nice, I have to give it a neutral vote, because of its poor longetivity.

For a non domesticated nose, the initial olfactory picture on mind would be a seaweed scented plasticine.
For me this perfume is a challenge.
The unusual opening of cognac, fucus and iodine, just blown me away.
I know so many people find fucus kelp aroma hard. It’s in fact, in my nose, is just the same green, kind of balsamic accord in the opening of the glorious “Secretions Magnifiques”. The same touch of rubbery salty aura surrounding although. But in this juice, the vetiver reacts quickly fading off the medicinal touches, and blends with the cognac, a strange, (I have to say) note, never raised before in perfumery, but quite pleasant and in balance in this fragrance, that eliminates the metallic scent of the fucus too.
It’s actually, a versatile perfume: sharp and kind of aquatic sometimes, another times very earthy, dry, even moody. It represents in a very natural way the spirit of the vetiver root indeed.
Annick Goutal's “Vetiver” is quite linear, subtle and calming. It’s more close to skin perfume, and develops nicely with a decent longevity.

On a recent trip to Paris I sampled this at the Annick Goutal store. Like all of the Goutal fragrances, the initial impression is bizarre. Cognac, seaweed, iodine. And like all of the Goutal fragrances, the dry down is invigorating. Vetiver, of course, is abundant with its grassy, herbal presence, mingled with a peaty Scotch (hence the iodine) and notes of patchouli and vanilla. The effect is astringent and exotic. It smells like no other vetiver, and like no other cologne (though there are some similarities to AG's Sables, which I dislike). Adjectives: tropical, herbal, exotic. Good for any season. It wears close to the skin. And my wife likes it, which is unusual.

A sun dried hayfield near the sea. Immediately on spraying, the iodine smell was just too harsh, but it settled down to a sea / iodine / vetiver accord, which, to me, was a new take on vetiver. It completely turned me off the first time I tested it. The fragrance took a lot of getting used to, but eventually I decided that Annick Goutal’s Vétiver is an intriguing fragrance. It even helps that this scent is quite linear: This iodine / vetiver accord has an amazingly addictive quality to it and I’m pleased that it persists to the end. I like this scent so much that I purchased it knowing that it has a serious longevity problem—that’s only happened once before.

A beautiful Vetiver that you will faintly and beautifully smell on a piece of clothing later on. Love.