Acqua di Biella No. 1 (1872)
by Acqua di Biella

Old fashioned fruity spicy. Man! Lavender all at once in the beginning! Mint, too. Very weak since it's an EdC. I detect the neroli early on (smells a little like Creed's Neroli Sauvage). Very nice but also very linear. Not that that is a bad thing. Smells like my lavender, mint and sage herb garden I have outback.

No 1 opens with a slight "Old World" feel. I agree that the mint and lavender play the major roles in this act. Upon first waft, mint water comes to mind. I say water because it literally conjures emotions of running water due to the EDC concentration. Upon further examination, I realize the lavender yields an earthy quality, and if shaved root bark soaked in water. For me, this note is dischordant and adds a bitter tinge that disrupts the composition and is incongrous with what the fragrance wants to be. The lavender also keeps the mint and bay. The mint is struggling to come out and play but remains reserved as if there is no confidence to socialize. I don't detect any of the other notes off hand. Overall, it smell fresh and good enough but rather fleeting. It would be hard to absorb the purchase price for this EDC. For real stunner however, check out Baraja by Acqua di Biella which is in my opinion, redemption for this house! I give No 1 a 4.5/10 earining it a neutral rating if you round up.

I really liked the initial burst of mint, bergamot and lavender. Very masculine, classy and discrete. Ideal for office wear. Unfortunately, it only lasted a few seconds on me and the many repeat applications made it a very, very expensive choice for a fragance. Sorry, I pass...!

A very vinatge feel and the lavender and mint play the most prominent roles. Good if you're looking for something light and traditional for warrmer weather, but as it's a cologne it has very little staying power.