Fragrance Reviews by JackTwist

This begins with and stays with a very dry Sicilian lemon. It's at that point when lemons begin to turn and get a bit sour, but still fascinating to the nose. Then a very earthy, thick, caramelized vetiver emerges. The two dance together for a few hours and then the vetiver disappears completely, leaving the lemon for a very long drydown - 12 hours plus.

The scent is unique and very enjoyable. For those who want their vetiver to remain the nose note for the duration of the dry down, this will not meet your needs, but I do find it sensual, sexy and completely unique as a vetiver blend.

This is a wonderful vetiver blend. The first effect is of a very light, very dry green vetiver. This is soon supported by a myrrh/amber base. The great thing about this cologne is that it is very light but persistent - lasting 12 hours+ on my skin. It is very subtle, sensual and sophisticated and is among my very favorite vetivers. Highly recommended.

I agree with the other two reviews. Sweet neroli kept from being too powerful by a somewhat subdued and subtle mint. After two hours it was gone. A pleasant splash for a summer's morning, but not a real long lasting winner. If you want a great neroli, stick with Floris Number 127 or Penhaligon's Castile.

I was underwhelmed by Quercus. After a strong black pepper blast, I got nothing of its 14 ingredients but a a dry, reedy, woody note - no complexity, simple one note scent. It always amazes me when I read of voluminous ingredients in a cologne and I am unable to detect more than one or two.

Quercus is acceptable but mediocre.

Like Penhaligon's Opus 1870, this is another non-scent for me. Even with generous applications, I can hardly detect a scent at all. What I get for Malabah is a very light floral mix, drying down to cedar, although there is no cedar in the listed ingredients. Neither Malabah nor Opus 1870 seem concentrated enough to truly do their jobs as colognes.

13 notes:

Top: Lemon, Earl Grey Tea, Cilantro
Middle: Ginger, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Rose, Orris, Jasmine, Violet
Base: Amber, Sandalwood, Musk

This is a light and refreshing lavender scent - one of the very best. It has a powdery dry down similar to Caswell's Original Lavender and Caron's Pour Un Homme. It is not too sharp and is overall very well balanced. Amazingly ten ingredients are blended for this single note scent. Highly recommended.

10 Notes:

Top: Basil, Canella, Black Pepper
Middle: Lavender, Clary Sage, Lily of the Valley
Base: Tonka Bean, Musk, Vanilla, Amber

Sweet, sweet, feminine violet. Definitely for the ladies and not a crossover scent for men. Luckily, men have Trumper's superb Ajaccio Violet cologne to fall back on. For those who love violets, this is a beguiling, strong, true scent.

6 notes:

Top: Citrus, Geranium
Middle: Violet
Base: Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Musk

Although this contains 8 notes according to Pehnaligon's web site, I can only detect one - the white lily, slightly green notes without the cloying ripeness present in most lily based oils. This is fresh, as if the lily had just opened. Lovely and heady. Warning- it lasts and lasts and lasts and could become a bit much at the end of the day if applied in too heavy a fashion.

8 notes:

Top: Saffron, White Madonna Lily
Middle: Hot Pepper, Clove
Base: White Musk, Patchouli, Vanilla, Benzoin

The truest Hyacinth I've ever encountered, beautifully supported by Jasmine, Rose, and Lily of the Valley, resting on clove and cinnamon. This has none of the annoying "green" notes of this flower present in so many commercial products derived from hyacinth oil. It is as fresh as the day the flower opened, sweet and not cloying. A true masterpiece in its simplicity - smells like Easter morning!

9 Notes:

Top: Citrus
Middle: Hyacinth, Lily of the Valley, Cyclamen, Jasmine, Rose
Base: Galbanum, Clove, Cinnamon

This is a superb oriental. Although lily is not listed as an ingredient, I detect something similar to it as a sensual undercoating to the whole affair. The spices and florals meld perfectly with the incense and wood notes, making it one of the very best orientals out there. Definitely worth a try.

16 notes:

Top: Bergamot, Mandarin, Lavender, Sage
Middle: Geranium, Coffee
Base: Vetiver, Nutmeg, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Musk, Leather, Sandalwood, Incense, Frankincense, Myrrh

Magnificent! The finest men's rose I've ever encountered. I recently compared this with Villoresi's Donna, which is based on Bulgarian Rose. It is comparable in quality - the Hammam using Turkish Rose otto - but Hamman has more of a masculine base note to hold the rose firmly in place as an evocation of sensuality. One of the great colognes of all time.

9 notes:

Top: Lavender, Bergamot
Middle: Rose Otto, Cedarwood, Orris, Jasmine
Base: Amber, Musk, Sandalwood

The emperor's new scent - in that I cannot detect anything at first, then a very very light blend of spice/celery/clove - hardly detectable despite a sizeable dose. This may work better on other skins, but alas to my nose and hide it has no credentials.

10 notes:

Top: Bourbon Black Pepper, Yuzi Fruit, Coriander
Middle: Clove Rose, Cinnamon, Incense
Base: Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Clarawood, Musk

This is a very well balanced fougere to my nose, unlike their English Fern which reeks of anise/fennel, although neither is in its make-up.

DOURO is up there with Trumper's Wild Fern and Truefitt's Grafton as being a top of the line fougere

13 notes:

Top: Geranium, Lemon, Lime, Mandarin, Bergamot, Lavender, Basil
Middle: Neroli, Muguet
Base: Labdanum, Musk, Oakmoss, Sandalwood

I am surprised by the reviews of this scent as a fougere, because my nose can only detect an overpowering aroma of anise/fennel. Disappointing as Penhaligon's DOURO is an outstanding fougere in its own right.

6 notes:

Top: Geranium, Lavender
Middle: Clover
Base: Patchouli, Sandalwood, Oakmoss

Absolutely superb - the best neroli I've encountered (including my former favorite Floris #127). It is a superb balance of neroli, rose, clove and bergamot - sweet floral yet masculine and sophisticated as well. This has to be experienced to be bellieved. Highly recommended.

5 notes:

Top: Neroli, Petitgrain
Middle: Bergamot, Neroli, Rose
Base: Musk

A very dry citrus, supported by lavender and pine. The initial aroma was akin to mothballs, but it quieted down to a sophisticated and masculine citrus, long lasting as well. A true classic.

6 notes:

Top: Lemon, Lime, Lavender
Middle: None
Base: Pine, Musk, Black Pepper

This is a most unusual scent - oceanic, powdery, with a marshmallow-like air (clove and a bit of rose). Unique, interesting, but not for constant wear. This is best as a seasonal scent.

14 notes:

Top: Geranium, Lemon, Lavender, Bergamot, Lime
Middle: Rose, Ylang Ylang, Clove, Cedarwood
Base: Musk, Amber, Oakmoss, Vetiver, Frankincense

Superb vetiver - starts with a somewhat harsh green note vetiver, then nicely calms down to a raw, not sensual note. This green note seems to me similar to that in Route du Vetiver, but here the vetiver lasts throughout the drydown, as compared to Route's switch to black currant.

An excellent vetiver - one of the finest I've tried.

This is certainly clean and sweet. Reminded me of Trumper's Skye, but a bit more sophisticated. Although Trumper only reveals lavender, geranium and cedarwood in its make-up, I detect neroli as the top note, rounded by another ingredient. Frankly, I can't detect any of the three identified ingredients.

As I recommend Skye for a fresh summer fragrance for the younger man in his twenties, I recommend Marlborough for that same man once he has turned thirty.

Marlborough has very little lasting power on me. After two hours it is gone entirely, but to splash on of a summer morning on one's way to work certainly can set up the day in a positive light.

Referring to j_dubyah's review above listing these ingredients, I can certainly detect the ylang ylang and neroli as top notes - sweet and strong. It's a re-development of Trumper's far more preferable Marlborough to my nose, the latter being far subtler.

Skye seems to me a delightful summer scent for the younger man - say in his twenties. After 30 a switch to Marlborough might be more appropriate.

Quite pleasant but as stated above, for the younger man

Once again I must be a dissenter. Astor to my nose is Trumper's Eucris with not quite as acrid a green note. It doesn't make it any less a chypre, but it holds back a bit, is a bit more subtle than Eucris' painfully sharp scent.

Here I detect Oak Moss with a bit of pine oil, which rises after about an hour's time.

If you like chypres, which I obviously do not, and do not want to be in your face bold, this is tame. Still unplesant to my nose though.

Definitely a chypre scent and abominable to my nose. Hard, acrid green and the most unpleasant scent I've yet encountered in this aromatic group. Caswell copied the formula exactly for their original Greenbriar.

None of the 8 notes present according to Trumper mentioned in Odysseusm's review on this page are identifiable to my nose except oak moss. This scent was so dreadful to my nose I ran for the washcloth and a bar of strongly scented lavender soap after I had given it a good two hour chance.

I realize I am in the minority here and that a great many men love chypre scents, but I wouldn't want to know any of them, merely in terms of having to be in the same room with them.

If you like or love chypres, you'll probably like or love this. If not, stay away.

This is an odd scent - I was first hit by something like menthol (think Vick's Vaporub), followed by a light sicky sweet rose. Not a good scent for a man and with all there is to choose from, it should only be considered a novelty scent for women

After a long search for a violet cologne for the older gentleman, and findng all too feminine sweet, I came across Trumper's Ajaccio Violets (pronounced
"ayacho"). This is the best violet scent I've ever found - warm, subtle and sophisticated - it is unique and a permanent part of my winter cologne tray. It lasts but a few hours and yet it's a wonderful way to start the day. I keep a bottle in my desk at work to refresh after lunch. One of Trumper's absolute best.

This is the first coconut scent I've tried and I find it quite delightful. Certainly unisex in that it is neither overly feminine nor masculine. A great pick me up for winter doldrums - transporting me back to the beaches of summer. Coconut is dead center but the vanilla, amber and musk basenotes are a strong and warm support. A very nice scent.

I have to agree with apekrul - it's a pleasant enough scent but nothing unusual to my nose. The finest rose scents for men that I have found are Floris China Rose (with its caraway undernote) and Villoresi's Donna with its rich Bulgarian Rose.

This is an odd one. It begins with an acrid smoke blast (ever live next to a house that just burned, followed by a rainstorm?) - very unpleasant. Could this be Osmanthus - the top note ingredient I'm not familiar with? Then it calms down to a light spicy floral -sort of a myrrh and frankincense resin blend -must be the benzoin gum used in incense blends. The dry down is sweet and feminine - very close to Caswell's Tricorn.

Here are the notes according to Villoresi's site:

Top: Osmanthus, Rose, Jasmin, Rosewood
Middle: Narcissus, Tuberose, Ylang Ylang, Orange Blossoms, Labdanum
Base: Amber, Musk, Amyris, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Benzoin

Since one can buy Tricorn for $30, it makes no sense to buy the Villoresi Alamut for $120, especially since you have to endure the acrid top note for an hour.

Not one of Villoresi's best combos.

This is quite unique - a very dry sandalwood. When one thinks of a sandalwood cologne, one thinks of a rich, warm, amber-escent creation (Floris, Trumper, Caswell's Sandalwood and Tricorn), but this is sirocco sandalwood. Quite unique.

From Villoresi- top notes are rosewood, lavender, petitgrain, orange, lemon; middle are labdanum, Bulgarian rose, Neroli, Sandalwood; base are Vetiver, Amber, Oppoponax and Oakmoss.

To my nose the fragrance begins with a resinous rosewood, soon replaced by dry cedarwood, then a subtle rose, to be finally followed in about two hours but the dry sandalwood, which is long-lasting,as are all Villoresi's.

This is the 8th Villoresi I have tried and all but one have been winners. For the subtleties and uniqueness of this sandalwood, I rate it high on the chart.

Suddenly,it's Christmas! This has the scent of that synthetic aroma created about a decade ago that permeated artificial potpourris at the holidays - reminds one of Christmas so one spends - but hard pressed to recognize what it's made of.

A little pine, a little rich fresh tobacco -none of the ingredients listed above.

Not for every day use - a lady may wear it at work around the holidays or at holiday parties. The hubby might be induced to give diamonds - what could be bad?

Not a bad scent, but not a great one,and definitely a seasonal one.

Although Hove has a number of mixed scents, they also have a fair number of simple one note scents -simply the scent oil and alcohol. Their Vetiver is one of these - dry, acrid, very green, almost harsh. This is as pure vetiver as you can get, but almost too harsh for wearing. Luckily, you can buy samples from them so you can decide for yourself. Personally, when I have used Hove, I have also purchased their Verveine and combined the two - the lemony herbal scent tones down the harsh Vetiver - in fact, I don't know why no one has come up with a Vetiver/Verveine scent. They complement each other beautifully.

Neutral because though it is true, it is harsh.

This is the 7th of Villoresi's 16 scents that I have tried and reviewed on Basenotes and it is the first clear disappointment. That nasty chemical note the other reviewers talk about smacks you in the nose immediately and I can only think of one source - mothballs.

None of the 6 named ingredients on the Villoresi site account for this: Jasmin, Rose, Ylang Ylang, Tonka Bean, Musk, Heliotrope. It's just nasty and acrid.

After about two hours it settles down to an almond scent (Tonka?) and after four hours it settles down to a vanilla scent, which is the Heliotrope.

So if you can stand it for four hours, you are home free with a lovely Heliotrope that is long lasting. But it's a long wait.

The end result is lovely but because it is seriously flawed in its initial notes and development, I have to give it a negative review.

This is my sixth Villoresi scent and I find it to elegant, subtle and sophisticated as I have found all of his scents. This one is relatively simple with only ten named ingredients from the Villoresi house page:

Top: Galbanum, Cardamom, Bergamot
Middle: Geranium, Rose
Base: Musk, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Rosewood, Vanilla

For me it opens with a marvelous mix of rose and galbanum, which eventually drys down to an amber and vanilla mix. It is a very light musk, not at all heavy such as the Egyptian Musk Caswell uses in its Elixir No. 1, and is therefore not sensual. But it is a perfectly decent musk and for every day wear it is recommended.

My nose must be a simple one. Of all the 14 ingredients I can only detect the sandalwood. It's a perfectly decent sandalwood, in no way extraordinary to my nose. This and the Caswell Massey Tricorn would be sensible choices for anyone seeking a simple sandalwood note that is warm and long-lasting.

This is my fifth Villoresi scent and it's a winner. A very prominent and spicy carnation lasts a number of hours, followed by a complex rose - reminiscent of potpourri in its acridness. After two hours the heliotrope surfaced and mellowed both the carnation and the rose.

Quite unique and different - maybe not for every day wear but certainly for festive occasions.

Acccording to the Villoresi site:

Top Notes: Lavender, green leaves, florals

Middle Notes: Carnation, Jasmine, Rose, Cinnamon, Cyclamen, Ylang Ylang, Geranium, Pepper

Base Notes: Heliotrope, Vanilla, Musk, Cedarwood.

Recommended as top quality novel scent.

This is the fourth Villoresi scent I have tried and it is the most impressive thus far. Although designed for women, it is an excellent rose scent for males in that it is not sweet, but rich, heavy, dark and romantic.

The top notes involve to roses, the rich Bulgarian Rose and the lighter Rose de Mai. Added to these are Coriander, Blackcurrant, Carnation and Rosewood.

Middle notes are jasmin, Iris Root, Ylang Ylang, Violet leaves, Cyclamen, Lilac and Geranium.

Base notes are Sandalwood, Musk and Narcissus.

For me the only scents I detect are the full, rich, dark and sensual Bulgarian Rose and a light carnation.

I am very impressed with this daring scent and recommend it to all men seeking a masculine rose scent.

According to the Villoresi web site, there are 13 ingredients in Dilmun:

Top: Citrus, Rose, Neroli, Green Leaves
Middle: Petitgrain, Laurel, Opoponax, Incense
Base: Floral extracts, Elemi, Vanilla, Cedarwood, Sandalwood

This is the third Villoresi scent I have tried and I find it to be quite nice. Most reminiscent of Floris #127, although not as strong as the Floris. They both share the neroli, softened by rose, and with a petitgrain support. A very light and pleasant neroli, which in the drydown is softened by vanilla notes.

I was surprised to find that Truefitt and Hill's West Indian Limes is really a neroli based scent with citrus evident only at the beginning. This too is similar to Dilmun, but Dilmun is more subtle and sophisticated.

A very fine neroli on a par with Floris #127.

I hate to add a negative response to an otherwise totally positive strain of reviews, so I will say that GFT's interaction with my skin and my nose is not a pleasant one. Yes, the initial burst of citrus is delightful and yes, it's long lasting. However, for me there develops after a half hour or so an unpleasant plastic aroma that takes over. This may be the tarragon which other reviewers like, but that does not react well with my nose. I have tried this twice from two different samples with the same result.

I'm glad everyone seems delighted with it and regret I can't join the crowd on this one.

This is the second Villoresi I have tried and I am most impressed. There are 21 ingredients, only hinted at by the breakdown at the top of this page. From the Villoresi site:

Top: Bergamot, Petitgrain, Laurel, Lemon, Orange, Coriander, Lavender, Elemi

Middle: Neroli, Sage, Juniper,Clove, Pepper, Thyme

Base: Vetiver, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Musk, Oakmoss, Cedarwood, Rosemary

There is a citrusy, woody opening and then a long, light, clean, citrusy dry down that goes on and on. I am unable to discern any of the ingredients other than the orange/lemon opening mix and the cedarwood, but no matter. This is classy, sophisticated, and a perfect summer cologne.

What makes it special for me is that the citrus doesn't fade and doesn't come on strong in order to last - it lasts while being very subtle.

After a few hours I detected something like black currant, although there is no such element in its makeup.

For his debut scent, Mr. Villoresi had a real winner.

This is the best Spanish Leather I have ever owned. The scent is elusive but very festive - wonderfully spicy and leathery. The combinations of rose, clove and tobacco combine to radiate warmth and masculinity - and it is very long lasting. Great for winter and especially for the holidays - sitting next to an open fire really brings out the warmth of this scent. A great Trumper!

This is the first Villoresi I have tried. For me, it began very dry and woody. There was an acridity similar to what I experience with camphor and mothballs, although the scent was not distasteful. Within an hour it had settled down to a vanilla/amber, which persisted pleasantly for over 12 hours.

This is a very pleasant cologne and if it were priced at $35, one might add it to one's collection or consider giving as a gift, but at Villoresi's one price for all ($120), it is simply a waste of money. There are dozens of vanilla/amber powdery scents out there that sell for far less.

If this were an extraordinary and singular scent, I would not begrudge Mr. Villoresi his $120, but this is just not special enough to justify the costs. Still a positive review due to the pleasantness of the scent itself.

For my money, the best lime on the market, neither too sharp not too sweet - and it lasts on my skin for a number of hours. Caswell's Lime can be overly sticky sweet, depending on the batch, and Truefitt's disappears almost immediately to be replaced by a neroli. Trumper's Extract of West Indian Limes is subtle, delicious and a perfect summer morning splash. Highly recommended.

This is one of the two T&H's I like and would wear - the top note strikes me as either clove or cardamom -or most likely both - and bay. The scent calms down to a lovely light jasmine -most unusual for a cologne that begins spicy, but it works.
After an hour there is a hint of cedar amongst the jasmine. This is a very very light and charming scent, not cloying as so many spice/floral scents can be. A refreshing summer cologne

T&H have created three "oceanics" out of their seven scents and this is the only one that I like. It begins with a minty, clean scent (which disappears after half an hour), then resolves to a cedar scent (almost identical to Caswell's Gifts of the Sea bubble bath scent). Why one would think mint and cedar are oceanic is beyond my comprehension, but be that as it may, this is a nice clean and fresh scent, the strongest and longest lasting of the T&H trio, and the only one worth purchasing. (To my nose, this, Freshman and 1805 are identical with tiny differences. I reject 1805 as it disappears quite quickly and I reject Freshman due to its candy sweet drydown).

For those who like oceanic scents this might suffice. The clear clean initial nose reduced for me in half an hour to a bubble gum/candy sweetness that was most off-putting. Of T&H's three "oceanics" (1805, Clubman, Freshman), the only winner is Clubman.

Of T&H's seven scents, three are described as "oceanic," two of which (Freshman and Clubman) reportedly were produced respectively in 1815 and 1880. I find this claim hard to believe as the "oceanic" scent did not really arrive until the 1960s. However, I won't quibble. What is odd is that to my nose all three scents are pretty much identical. Why create almost half of your output to be the same.

1805 begins with the scent of line-dried linen - fresh and clean. Then a light cedar scent comes to the fore (reminiscent of Caswell's Gifts of the Sea bath scent). The whole thing is gone after half an hour. Certainly not worth the investment - one could dub it "The Emperor's New Cologne" since wearing it renders you naked and scentless. It is for me bland and boring and evaporates so quickly as to be entirely negligible.

I am puzzled by T&H's West Indian Limes cologne, created in 1870. T&H list their ingredients as so:

Top: Citrus, Lemon, Lime, Bergamot
Middle: Petigrain, Neroli, Citronella

Base: Clove, Orange Flower

Two things baffle me:

1. Why name it for a scent content that evaporates in ten minutes?
2. Why name orange flower as a base note when: a. it is identical to neroli used in the middle note; b. how can a floral be used as a base???

Placing these oddities aside for a moment, my experience is that this begins with a burst of lemon/lime (which disappears within ten minutes), followed by a floral bouquet which quickly settles down to neroli, supported by petitgrain for the rest of the 3-4 hour duration of the scent. (My nose can detect no bergamot, citronella, or clove.)

For those familiar with Floris' #127, the T&H West Indian Limes can be regarded as a weak (toilet water) version of #127 without the roundness of Floris' rose note and without either the strength or endurance of the Floris. For my money Floris makes the strongest perfumes and colognes available - a little bit goes a very long way. Some Floris scents are so strong I can't wear them - even an infinitesimal splash can be too powerful.

Caswell-Massey in their catalogue describing the T&H West Indian Limes describes it as "citrusy" when if they'd actually smelled it and done their homework, they'd realize it as "floral."

For those seeking the best Lime on the market (for my nose), go no further than Trumper's Extract of West Indian Limes - this is pure lime and long lasting - not sweet like Caswell's Lime.

To sum up - T&H's West Indian Limes is for my nose actually a floral - neroli supported by petitgrain, with the citrus lime/lemon quickly evaporating in the fist ten minutes or so. As a weaker version of Floris #127 without the rounded rose note, this is a lovely and sophisticated scent, but it is not what its name advertises. One might suspect that in 137 years, someone would have noticed the discrepancy.

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.