Spanish Leather (1830)
by Truefitt & Hill

Very soapy, spicy and sweet, possibly a bit on the musky side to be an "everyday" cologne for me. Seems to have an awful lot going on for the entire duration of the fragrance, but with the soapy element getting stronger and muskier as it progresses.
Overall it's not bad, but it just feels a little cluttered. It's as if they ran out of ideas so decided to chuck every spice they had in, but in tiny individual quantities. The end result is both slightly confusing and disappointingly underpowered, treading the fine line between "not enough" and "too much." It creates a nicely refined vibe, but I have no idea when I would want to wear this - too refined for daytime, too casual and ever so slightly "cheap" smelling for formal or eveningwear. It would make a really nice scent for a bath soap (which I believe T&H make), or a scented candle (which they don't), but as a cologne, it's not quite where it aims to be.

Longevity is around 4-6 hours on me, but it projects very well, as I find most leathers do. Good, but there's a lot more out there which does the job in a nicer way. The 3 stars I gave it is closer to how I feel about it than the neutral rating, but I can't justify giving it a thumbs up.

I never realized Spain was so soapy. This one's understated machismo.

I like Jack Twist's " Atticus Finch" reference. It does evoke a man in his 50's who spends time in libraries. As to the lavender, I mean the spice, er . . .I mean the top notes--- well, your guess is as good as mine.
No one has posted them anywhere that I can find. Nor, for that matter, any of the other notes

" Woods resting on leather"-- that's nice, but.could we be more specific?

If any of my fellow BN'ers find what they are, would you be so kind as to post them?.

The official description at T&H's site is embarassing:
" John Wayne . . but not on a horse . . .in a cherry red Ferrari. "

Er . . .I think not.

Sillage is not strong, it's not meant to be. I wonder why they didn't make a shaving cream out of this one? Or did they? If so, it's not on the T&H site.
Longevity is decent.

My favorite of their frags, and I'm not just saying that because I'm mature, bookish, tall, dark, handsome, a pillar of integrity, and (of course) understated.

I hope you give this scent a try.

Spicey, saddle soap topnotes seated atop a choking cloud of equine musk, that could never pass for a gentleman in polite society.

I tried this and Fumerie Turque at Barneys today. When it first went on, it reminded me of the liquid soap that we used in our grammer school bathroom. After a loooong dry down (over 45 minutes), the soap disappeared leaving me wearing a saddle on my arm. Mixed with the Fumerie Turque, it is incredible.

A spicy leather with hints of castile soap. Reminds me of Givenchy Gentleman a little. Has that worn leather feel to it but not as... repugnant. Musk and sandalwood in the drydown. Nice, classy and a little over the top for a refined edge.

Truefitt and Hill’s Spanish Leather cologne, created in 1830, was a surprise in two ways. First, it is nothing like Trumper’s cologne of the same name which is quite redolent and spicy. Secondly, it resembles a weaker version (after shave) of Prada’s new Amber for Men.

This is a very warm and comforting scent, the kind that Gregory Peck’s Atticus Finch might have worn in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. It is redolent of a man who has reached maturity (fifties) and who spends his life in libraries, both at home and in society. The scent of leather and tobacco is the overall impression for me.

Although T&H do not spell out any of the ingredients in their literature, I detect musk, sandalwood and amber with a very subtle mix of oak moss, tobacco and patchouli in the base.

It’s quite nice without being outstanding.