1881 Amber (2002)
by Cerruti

imagine sitting in a garden surrounded by rose bushes close to a freshly creosoted fence sipping an ice cold drink.
the strong icy roses to start are a delight but im not too sure about the creosote dry down.

YUCK! I love violets. I love amber. I love cedar. But somehow this mixture smells like furniture polish on me, in a "I feel like I'm gonna retch" sort of way. Ken_Russell is right, though. It's an icy cold fragrance... the white florals clashing like jagged icicles against the cedar and amber. I can't help thinking these notes might have been brought together more harmoniously in a more thoughtful blend.

An amber fragrance may certainly not suit everyone's taste but 1881 Amber will almost instantly spark admiration, contoversy and attention around its wearer. It clerly stands out from other fragrances and even from other amber-based ones, but it is also almost classic due to its impeccable high-end sophistication.
The rose and pepper notes make this scent rather heavy, creating an almost oily sensation, but just
before becoming too sweet or feminine, the amber notes and very refreshing ones(which i wouldn't describe as fruity, citrus or herbal like most male scent "freshners") rescue this compostion in the last minute, making it only as sharp and icy in orther to uphold its masculinity.
Sharp, icy an amber scent- yes, though very remotely, but this one has a very long finish similar to a very old exquisite wine which needs long and careful tasting in orther to reveal all its richness of flavours. This fragrance needs time, a generous interaction with warm portions of skins,maybe minutes, maybe hours before the user discoveres its wide variety of different shades of amber. But once used at its full potential this scent will be as full of ambery, musky and other exotic delights like an Oriental garden from a fairytale. Simply addictive during hot summer evenings and adding mystery and sophisticated(never sleezy, never raunchy)
sensuality and (never vulgar,overdone) extravagance to almost everything from naked skin to the most high-end custom-made suit.
One big prcaution- never wear excessive quantities, already infinitesimal ones will turn its wearer into a center of attention and..attraction; yet a slight drop to much will shroud anyone in heavy cloud of amber recognizable(and rather overwhelming and overdone) within meters away.

Start off with the ever popular best seller Acqua di Gio and build some oriental elements on top. That is what this reminds me of. It has that underlying ozonic melon tinge that brings AdG to mind, but the amber and floral notes definitely take center stage. The amber is used sparingly, but enough to make it sexy and a good date scent. I also enjoy the fact that it drew little attention and is rarely mentioned. This was one of my first acquisitions when I started collecting and its still a favorite.

It bugs me why people always try to mess with success and are in constant need to rework their 100% classis. Don't get me wrong, 1881 Amber is quite good, but why wouldn't they release something under a different name if this one smells more similar to Dior's Higher than to original 1881. That said, I must admit I like it a lot. Some of the notes are violet, green pepper, ozone accord, jasmine, lavender, vetiver, cedar, amber, musk.