Gentlemen's Cologne
by Castle Forbes

A refined, pleasant classic British (in this case Scottish) barbershop fragrance. I don't find it particularly distinctive, but it is evocative and pleasant. I speaks of quality without ostentation; and convention in the very best sense of that. Not quite sure if there is anything in it, or about it that would distinguish it as "Scottish" as compared to "English" but will leave that to more partisan noses. As I smell it, it is in the same ball park as some of the grand old Trumper, Taylor's and D.R. Harris stalwards, except it is more expensive. The dry down results in a slightly acrid note that I don't like very much, but the overall effect is all right, masculine and distinctive. For mature blokes with a bit of dosh in the pockets. Makes me think of T.S. Elliot. Does that help at all?

To my nose, CF Gentlemen’s Cologne just has too much going on – it seems to want to be all things. It’s not muddy or unpleasant. But it’s not unified or harmonious, either.

The topnotes are definitely citrus (I get bergamot and neroli; maybe some petitgrain – kind of a greenishness to the citrus). The citrus notes last for about an hour and fades down into a green middle. Oakmoss and some lavender, but a “piney” kind of lavender.

There are still notes of citrus for a fairly pleasant chypre. But it’s not an elegant chypre. It kind of bounces around the middle notes – sometimes more green/mossy than floral; other times it’s more floral. There were a couple of times that it smelled like a very feminine floral.

The drydown. Oh my the drydown. After about six hours of the middle notes, the drydown comes across as spicy/woody. It seems to go back and forth between cedar and cinnamon. I will say that the cedar in this frag is excellent. The few times I get a whiff of it. For much of the drydown, it has been mostly cinnamon and maybe cardamom.

Sillage is good – there’s a potency to it that’s not overpowering. An application to the wrists/hands has been plenty. It doesn’t have heavy projection, so it’s not bugging the folks down the hall.

The thing about this fragrance, for me, is that there’s just too much going on. I am not partial to one-note fragrances, but I don’t enjoy things this complex.

Overall, the individual notes in this frag are excellent. It creates ambivalence in me: I like the individual notes tremendously, yet am neither overwhelmed nor impressed by how they play together. It plays more like an orchestra at an early, partially-hungover rehearsal than an orchestral performance led by a maestro. Maybe that’s it! There seems to be no maestro to this concoction.