Reviews of Yatagan (1976)
by Caron

A difficult scent to describe as it is so very unusual. Dirty comes to mind as does bitter in the top notes and herbal. There is an astringent amonia note that is also reminiscent of pepper. Think dirty underwear, fragrant wood chippings (pine) and a touch of lavender. There is no softness here or warmth - however there is heat and spice and edge. Yatagan is Magnificent in its approach, delivering a masculine that is unique and special. If you are a fan you'll be one for life. If you are not you may convert...given time. This is not an easy scent to like but it is a scent to love and love deeply.

Having worn Yatagan a few times (have bottle on order) - I have to say it is a very unusual scent. Some folks recoil since it is not "pretty" or "lovely" by any stretch and has a few notes that are downright unpleasant. In fact, I don't think you could use the words "pretty" and "Yatagan" in a sentence without the word "not" thrown in there and maintain any sense of artistic integrity afterwards. It is no mistake that the word Yatagan refers to a sword used by Janissaries in the Ottoman Empire - the elite, non-muslim, foreign born, expendable, shock troops of the Emperor. They LOVED their Yatagan (sword, not cologne!), and sometimes were buried with it and treated it in a similar manner to a sword owned by a Japanese Samurai. There is very little you can do with a sword to divorce it from its purpose - the purpose is un-pleasant no matter how many jewels are encrusted upon it, death-dealing regardless of whose name is inscribed upon it in gold leaf. I believe this captures the "artistic vision" they had when making Yatagan, even if "artisitc vision" is a bit over-the-top for this one.

Side note: I have noticed that some people are inspired to poetic lengths by some perfumes, and I really didn't understand until now. This one elicits a load of descriptions from me, my first one that has done this, though I do not find Yatagan even 1% pretty or pleasant any more than (wait for it!) a overtly masculine official from HR bearing down on someone with a pink slip informing them that "their services are 'no longer needed'" is pleasant or pretty - and yes I am comparing getting laid off to wearing Yatagan, but only if you are the one doing it. Is there no amount of hyperbole and poetic license I will forbid myself as I write this?

It does project power, and is very masculine in that it is not even one whiff or touch sweet. This scent will not attract others and make you the life of the party. It will make you seem like you have the authority to determine the life and death of your fellow man. I imagine Julius Caesar would have worn this as he crossed the Rubicon, Leon Trotsky might have dabbed on some during those fateful days in October 1917, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis both would have worn this when signing documents declaring the opening of the American Civil War in the 1860's. You get the picture - if you have a tough and powerful job to do - unpleasant and life affecting - this is your scent.

Now you may be asking "what does it smell like? Not what does it feel like other that it is not the least bit sweet." Well I don't think you can divorce the two, but in essence, it smells vegetal. Vetiver and Pine with celery. Almost, but not quite sweet at first then a crushed grassy-celery smell with a hint of all things mustard. It evolves into a touch of pine needles and pine sap (hence some comments about pine smell). And for me it remains somewhat linear only adding a touch of patchouli after awhile. But, you really ought to smell it for yourself. It is pungent for sure and seems to change upon each application with certain things emphasized and de-emphasized. And while one might catch a whiff of pine detergent - it isn't a clean smell at all.

I do think Yatagan is a very challenging scent, and would not be a daytime scent unless you are in charge of a large number of people (say more than a dozen), and even then you would have to be sparing with the application (I can only imagine the reaction to the sillage), and there is no shame if you don't like it, after all it is also projecting a unreconstructed 1970's idea of conservative powerful masculinity.

As you can see, it made an enormous impression on me. My wife found it disgusting. I didn't like it at first, but wore it to work anyway. As many scents have their uses, I think Yatagan has its use, and I ordered a bottle.

This is my first review for Basenotes. You can go ahead and flame. I am wearing Yatagan as I post this, after all.

Dear Yatagan,
I've written to apologize. It's just that last December I had much less experience. Things were happening so fast, I got scared. But that thing I said about minestrone under a Christmas tree, well, that was wrong of me, man. I didn't understand you in the context of 'leather' notes. I needed my space. The time with Mazzolari and Knize Ten helped, I know it hurts, but they got me back on my feet, you know?
And then this morning. Just wow. Please give me another chance.
YT, Strollyourlobster

I bought this a good thirty or more years ago while visiting
my parents in Montecito, California. It struck me as smelling
of the area, the eucalyptus trees, the sage, the dryness of
Santa Barbara.

It remains a favorite of mine - a fragrance devoid of sweetness,
makes a statement (not to everyone's liking). I think it must
have been off the market at one point because it was being
remaindered but it seems back in production.

It is in a category quite it's own.

This review is under revision.

Got this one from an ex-GF in 1980. I was not real impressed with the pine/leather/patchouli notes, it reminded me of a wood workshop where I used to work for an assh@le of a boss-bad memories.

Now fast forward to today, I like Yatagan. It smells very different on my skin, the leather notes are more prominent and the pine notes tend to be a bit more muted. I can detect the worm wood topnote, it tends to stay with me for a long time.

Age really does change your preferences and body chemistry. Yatagan is a definite keeper for me. Unlike the myriad of leather scents on the market, this one has proven its worth, after all it's been in production for 33 years.

This is amazing stuff! One of the best I've had the pleasure to try. I purchased a set of 'leather' samples from The Perfumed Court and this was one. It took me a nanosecond to find the best deal on the internet and order. Wow. If you like leather, smoke or near it. GETTHISSTUFF!

Some fragrances lie close to your skin and reward close perusal. Caron's scents stand tall and when your nose gets close they give it a quick jab with a knuckle-duster. None of them punches harder than Yatagan. This is truly one of the great fragrances of the world, and there's nothing like it elsewhere. It was my first "blind" purchase (based on reviews here), along with Caron 3rd Man and PH, and it has pretty much ruined me for other fragrances - though I'm happy to keep trying!

I had mixed feelings about Yatagan
when I tried it for the first time.

Now,after a year ,its become my favorite
"in your face" fragrance.

The Lavender/Pine top/middle notes linger on the skin.

Reminds me of the scent of the Pine Barrens(where I live) after a strong warm summer rain.

I am impressed. Bold, unique, and unusual, Yatagan holds a place that is occupied by few fragrances. I put it on par with Djedi in its ability to stand alone--no imitators come close. And I say the same thing: I cannot call it beautiful in the classic sense, but it is arresting and amazing. Pine, wild and untrammeled. This reminds me of the long-lost, big, green bottle of foaming pine bath soap that we used to purchase from the department store when we were children. That bathwater used to fill the entire room with the aroma of the mountainside. There is wormwood making it bitter, but also basil giving it freshness, oakmoss adding to the greenness, and a great musk and leather at the end. If this doesn't take you outdoors, nothing will. Don your hiking boots, grab a backpack, splash on some Yatagan and be there.

Andy Tauer notwithstanding, Yatagan is my Lonestar Memory. This is summer evenings in the dry and dusty central Texas hill country. A bonfire of dry live oak branches, with a little oak moss. Some grass and a hint of livestock give it some warmth as it develops, but it never gets sweet.

It's a flinty-eyed ranch boss with a deep tan and a black hat. It's quiet and versatile and dry. Wear it with a dark suit, but not a light one. You'll walk tall in this scent.

You can only admire this. I can imagine some people getting offended by it, but to be honest if your the sort of person who wears yatagan chances are you couldn't care less. Unbelievably dense. Completely the opposite to the modern girlish clean/fresh scents. For that reason alone it makes me smile & gets the thumbs up, although perhaps it isn't quite a masterpiece. Maybe this one should be called the anarchist..

The reference to geranium puzzles me greatly - I have never been able to pick out the slightest hint of anything floral in this unique fragrance.

And unique it most certainly is. People will ask what you are wearing, not always certain if they like the scent or not. It has an uncompromisingly direct strucure that speaks (shouts!) "none of your omni-sexual Calvin Klein concoctions here!" A man's scent through and through - a rare thing today.

A daily wearer for me.

Possibly favorite fragrance! The slight celerey-esque note dies within minutes and lets loose to a barrage of woody-goodness; imagine walking through a deep pine forrest.

An unmistakably masculine fragrance. This one takes huevos the size of bowling balls to wear. I cannot imagine any woman wearing this. If you're tired of the banal aquatic citruses this is for you. This is the type of fragrance that beats up Acqua di Gio and takes its lunch money.

First impression: Just received the bottle from Ebay and sprayed some on a piece of paper. The scent is very masculine, somewhat sharp, but pleasant and distinctive. When following the quite sharp trail I detect the wormwood, pine needles and vetiver on a leathery backdrop.
Second impression: Just sprayed some on the back of my hand. A curious thought runs through my mind – is this what people smelt like in 1976? By no means! This must have been quite avantguard at the time and has all hallmarks of a distinctive classic. Even though the name Yatagan in my ears have an exotic ring, this scent brings me to the south of France, when the fragrant winds bring in its notes from the surrounding fields and woods of St: Paul-de-Vence, where you could have seen Maurice Chevalier and Roger Moore sharing a nice game of Boule.
Third and final impression: Is lost in this absolutely magnificent and distinctive scent! This fragrance contains a wide range of notes, of which I can only distinguish a few, but the accords this fragrance strikes on an emotional scale is everything from melancholy to euphoria and basically amplifies the current mood. –Just fantabulous and if you have not tried this one yet, this is a must for any frag fan!

Uncompromising. I can think of no better word for Yatagan. It concedes nothing to prettiness. Every element is honed sharp, just like the Turkish blade for which this scent is named.

The opening is almost pure Artemisia absinthium, commonly called wormwood, and the base of the classic absinthe beverage. Having grown this herb for years, I can assure you that the note is dead accurate!

At first you might conclude that Yatagan is purely linear, since the artemisia dominates completely for the first couple of hours. But after some time the pine and geranium slowly emerge in a new accord that becomes grounded on a firm leather base. A marvelously integrated touch of castoreum adds animal warmth and vitality to the mix. The whole composition softens slowly through its extended drydown, but never shows even a glimmer of sweetness.

Yatagan is easy to overapply, and can be hard to wear. You need to be self assured in the extreme to pull it off. Or do I have it backwards? Perhaps arming yourself with Yatagan channels self-respect and power.

Yatagan may be far from pretty, but that doesn't mean it isn't beautiful: beautiful in the manner of a desolate landscape under a hot sun, and just as dangerous.

Whooo-heee, what a scent. How can you "not" love such a forceful stab at fragrance-making? Yatagan is foody, yes.. it's dry and spicy, of course. Will it push others to their knees.. likely. This woodsy herbal concoction is like liquid poison right out of the bottle, but given time to mellow... it becomes quite a natural and alluring fragrance. Hints of drywoods and distant smokey body, mixed with a virile sweatiness.. make this stuff special. I understand the mixed opinions on this one, but pencil me in on the "hell yes" side, my friends.

Testosterone in a vial. Rich, wonderful, heady, masculine stuff. Definitely NOT for the weak and indecisive.

Yatagan,possibly one the best fragrances I could buy. Top class,no sweatness,strong,lasting. I like the parallel with a nordic wood. On the minus side 1 spray lasts for hours even if you want it gone. Wear it carefully and it will be very rewarding.

The impression I get from Yatagan is fall in a northern pine forest. A very masculine scent with an outdoor feel to it. No floral notes so it is not sweet but the pine notes keep it from being too dry. I fine it a real keeper!

Whoa! Macho in a tuxedo. No matter how rarely I actually wear this, it always sits on my shelf next to Polo, Trussardi Uomo and Santos.

Recently, when I decided to expand my wardrobe, I went back to this scent after almost 20 years and it still smells great to me. Just not the same longevity that I seem to remember. I think the combination of Artemesia, wormwood, herbs, and leather is very striking and very masculine. I find this scent very similar to Aramis Devin but slightly drier and sharper than AD. My second most favorite scetn from Caron after PuH. I'm still trying to make friends with their other two men's scents.

This is without question, along with Antaeus and Ungaro III, the best colognes I have ever experienced. This scent is so deep and mysterious and absolutely so rich. Some say it smells like Celery seed, but I think not. I promise you, you will love this stuff. Nobody in the world wears this stuff, so it is unique. It is somewhat of an acquired taste at first, but in the end you will fall to your knees when you wear it - there is absolutely nothing like it, nothing. Yatagan is the most unique - so masculine cologne I have ever tried bar none.

This is the most unique fragrance I have ever smelled. It may turn some people off, but it is a very complex and hard to describe scent. Very deep and mysterious in so many ways. It is very masculine and so powerful. It does have a hint of pine needles, but it is still so hard to describe. There is nothing I have ever come across that is even close, get this stuff now! No floral notes at all. This is my first review, as a member! Yatagan is a must have - nothing ordinary about it. It seems to change by the minute - a very complex and mysterious smell.

After reading all those contradictory reviews, I had been waiting the opportunity to try it. Well, last week I finally did, and 20 minutes later I purchased the bottle. I really liked it. I found it very intrigued and classy. Absolutely masculine notes: pine, patchouly, vetiver, and leather; great longevity, wonderful sillage as well. Yatagan has a sound personality and It doesn't evolve much after the initial application. This one could easily fit the description of a "signature scent" in my dictionary.

In my opininon, it is not as strong and in-your-face as some people argue. I love this one and now it retains a favoured place in my wardrobe.

I come down solidly on the positive side on this one- woody, smoky, and (happily) completely w/o the celery-like scent others report. It is extreme, but in the best possible way

So, i've been thinking about all the dregs produced in the past few years and coupled with my readings of Herbert Mancuse, i just can't help but see how correct the man is when his theories are applied to the ubiquity of today's scent creations. The idea that everyday life is becoming colonised by "mechanisms of conformity" is so startlingly reflected in the strict conformity of today's scent offerings. Marines, citruses, linear concoctions abound in a society that imbibes the relentless advertisements that portray them for more than what they are. True individualism becomes drowned in the face of the "totally administered society" where we partake in the ultimate act of repression, our real needs transformed into false ones and subsequently "satisfied" by the pleasure industries in an orgy of contentment that masks the dumbing-down effect of ubiquity. Marcuse's argument is that the passive consumption of superficial products leads to short-term contentment but in the long run, creates an uncritical and one dimensional society.

Now, what would such an intellectual wear? Definitely something against the grain of mass culture. A scent that exudes strength and leadership. A powerhouse scent it must be to resist the conformity of the times. Yatagan fits this description to a tee! It combines the forces of woods (wormwood) and leather to great effect. A very masculine scent of intellectual proportions. A slap in the face of mass culture. A gauntlet thrown down on the side of individualism, signifying the rebellious attitude of revolutionary times.

I just used half a spritz and that is more than enough to carry me through to the end of this review. Excellent longevity with a grandiose sillage.

A powerhouse even when used lightly. In your face, masculine, daring, weird. The leather is superb and the scent lasts and lasts. It is a creation of genius. It’s a must have for those who would like to believe they have the huevos to carry it off.

Okay, where to begin... Let's start by saying that there is a very big ( I estimate it to about 85% ) chance that Yatagan is the most masculine smelling fragrance ever created. Caron's contribution to the 70's madness took things just a liiittle further. Simply put Yatagan smells like a horse. Not just any old horse either, but a musky, power stallion on hormonal overload living in the mountain areas of Tibet working as a lumber transporter of some sorts. This brew is just extreme in a way the kids of today could never grasp. Yatagan is perversely spicy, woody, piney, leathery - it does NOT take prisoners. So if these are the qualities that excite you, look no further, this Caron has Azzaro PH and Polo Green for starters, Paco Rabanne as the main dish and
even Bois de Portugal for dessert (in terms of it being hardcore - not qualitywise). Do I wear it myself? - I don't think so! Wouldn't even cross my ind, but dissing the ultimate power juice #1 in the world wouldn't either!

I love Yatagan. Yatagan is an incredibly dry and very earthy fragrance. The Patchouli is very prominent in Yatagan. Yatagan has always conjured up images of the sun setting over rolling hills covered in golden grass. This is a great fragrance, but difficult to wear. It’s very very dry, and very heavy. It’s not for everyone, but it is a brilliant fragrance.

There is nothing like Yatagan. There is nothing out there that one can use for comparison. I spray it on and I can face the day as a champion. Plus Yatagan never fails to draw inquiry and approval if mostly from other men. ("Can I work for you? Lead us, O great leader!") Celery? Yes indeed and thank Allah. Plus the bite of dried oregano and the green aroma of just-crushed juniper berries. About one thousand light years from anything even remotely sweet or floral. Like two other Caron manly masterpieces--Royal Bain de Champagne and L'Anarchiste, Yatagan is an unmistakable, unforgettable and instantly recognizable scent. "A turkish curved sword" indeed!

Very, very different from any other scent - with the exception of Gigli's discontinued Sud Est. This fragrance contains no floral notes; the primary ingredients are woods and herbs, particularly those grown in the Mediterranean: rosemary, basil, thyme, juniper, etc. A great scent but try before you buy; it might not be to your taste. Yatagan is a Turkish curved sword.

This is an awesome scent. But a very acquired taste.