Sandalwood Cologne (2002)
by Geo F Trumper

Finally getting around to this one...a real favorite, though it's a bit of an oddity among sandalwood scents. This one took the throne of Egoiste a while back among my sweet wood scents because it didn't have as much harsh blast at the beginning, and seemed slightly more masculine. It's one of those fragrances where the alcohol fumes cover up the first of the top notes, but then they break through: sharp citrus, dry herbs and spices. (This stage lasts for longer on tissue paper than on my usual cloth, where it's brief enough to be inconsequential.) As that fades, more sweet wood comes into play; it's initially a bit medicinal from the remaining herbs, but becoming warmer and creamier. Here begins the stage that most people refer to: a sublimely smooth, mellow, soothing sandalwood/vanilla mix, just slightly soapy, and without the twangy edge that a lot of straight sandalwoods have. Compared to their other offerings, it lasts for an eternity and stays strong all day. I also agree that it's not that different from their Spanish Leather, which lies between this or Egoiste and a sweet herbal leather like Bel Ami. And if Original Vetiver can be good without having much vetiver, then I won't criticize this one for not being a pure, hard-core sandalwood.

7th October, 2011.

A very sweet and creamy laden sandalwood. A nice opening of citrus and herbs followed by the sweetness of tonka and vanilla chiming in. The sandalwood is faint, but ever present and I wouldn’t really classify this as a traditional sandalwood fragrance that veers to the light, dry and airy side. This is really a sweet, vanilla fragrance laced with hints of sandalwood and patchouli. Very creamy and long lasting. I actually quite enjoy this for what it is and not for what it says on the front of the bottle.

24th September, 2011.

This is a sweet and sickening mess. If there is a trace of actual sandalwood in Trumper's "Sandalwood", it is quickly overpowered by the gooey sweetness of vanilla. Nauseating vanilla. Cloying vanilla. Oh, there are other trace notes here and there, but they are also overwhelmed by vanilla. If you're into sweet, cotton-candy colognes -- I am definitely not -- then this one's for you. If you're looking for good essence of sandalwood, there are plenty of better choices. Even the bottle is cheesy with its poorly-made faux gold crown. Bought it, tried it once, gave it a second college try - then dumped it on eBay. The only positive comment I can make is that longevity is good. But then, is longevity a virtue when a fragrance smells this bad?

13rd April, 2011.

Sandalwood appears to be quite a difficult fragrance to pull off successfully. The genuinely brilliant sandalwoods can be counted on one hand - Floris, Crabtree & Evelyn (moreso the original, though the current version isn't half bad), Caswell Massey, Art of Shaving and Yardley's classic Sandalwood, sadly no longer in production. By rights, Trumper should have come up with quite a good and true sandalwood but, as is the case with Taylors of Old Bond Street sandalwood effort (which is actually worse), all they've managed is a weird and very sweet sort-of woody frag. Heavy on the amber, vanilla, clary sage and white jasmine, the sandalwood and its darker notes (leather, spice, patchouli) seem to be completely lost in the mix, to the point of being non-existent at which point it becomes similar to Trumper's leatherless Spanish Leather (though Spanish Leather is, in itself, very nice juice indeed). One area where Sandalwood excels, unlike most other Trumper releases, is in its longevity and silage - lasts all day on me and a couple of squirts project very well indeed. The only problem is when it's as sweet as it is, you don't really want that longevity or projection. Disappointing, too sweet and nowhere near woody enough.

6th May, 2010.

I love this stuff and hope to buy a bottle soon. It is sweet, much like Ralph Lauren Polo Sport but stronger and classier. I don't detect any woodiness though. I'd prefer this to Tam Dao and TOBS Sandalwood as well.

26th February, 2010.

This is by far the most sickeningly sweet and cloying sandalwood type cologne I have yet try (though the shaving cream is decent). The opening is an indolic blast then creamy woods and super sweet vanilla and tonka bean emerge and stick around for hours.

15th November, 2009.