So I want to smell like an old man - maybe 'mature' is the right word

[Mondrian]

Hi all, I'm a 24 year-old post-grad just embarking on my cologne experience.

However, I really hate the emasculated aquatics and florals and many of the other fresh scents which abound these days. I'm not sure if I inherently hate aquatics and florals, or if I've smelled so many cheap knock-offs of Cool Water and Aqua di Gio that I have come to hate the genre - but regardless, I'm looking for the more classic scents which are more likely to evoke men's men like Cary Grant or (the more modern) Clive Owen than that sparkly fop from Twilight.

My collection currently consists of

Polo Modern Reserve
Guerlain Vetiver
Bulgari Aqua
Versace pour Homme
Burberry London

I'm leaning towards Givenchy Gentleman or Polo Double Black next- I've tried them both and they really appeal to me, although my significant other didn't appreciate the somewhat gourmand quality of Double Black or the muskiness of the Givenchy.

Can anyone point me onwards in my search for more mature or classic scents?

[Le Grand Duc]

Wanna smell like a sophisticated, old man?!
Go with Antaeus. It is hugely masculine, though,
so it's only for the real butch men!

[adonis]

PdN New York - Relatively inexpensive, mature, and classy.

http://www.basenotes.net/ID26122067.html

YSL Rive Gauche

ADP Colonia - This was David Niven's signature scent

[knit at nite]

other Guerlains that will fit the bill- Habit Rouge, Cuir Beluga, Derby, Heritage
Caron- Pour un Homme, Le Troissieme Homme (Third Man)
the Aramis line
chanel Egoiste

all classic and classy

[Ken_Russell]

Aramis Classic
Tuscany by Aramis
Monsieur de Givenchy
Knize Ten
Versace l'Homme
Cartier Santos
Acqua di Parma Colonia Assoluta

[Niles]

Eau Sauvage

[Geikamir]

lol.

[Ciprian]

Well,if you like Clive Owen you might like the fragrance which image he is, LANCOME-Hypnose Homme.

[Mondrian]

I perhaps should add I've tried the AdP Colonias and the Assoluta smells terrible on me, and the Intensa starts off nicely but just becomes nothing but soapy after about half an hour. Stupid skin chemistry

Thanks for all the other tips guys, will report back after I've had a chance to try some

[actiasluna]

I think that Aramis Classic or 1903 (J. Peterman) smell classic and mature. 1903 in a modernish way, but it's nice and maturely sexy.

[Surfacing]

Mature :

Rochas Lui
YSL Rive Gauche pour Homme
Baldessarini Concentree
Cartier Declaration Essence

[actiasluna]

I must add Habit Rouge EDP and second (or third, or whatever!) the HR rec.

[trapper]

Creed Tabarome Millesime
Bond No 9 Andy Warhol: Success is a job in New York

[Dorian Gray]

Givenchy Gentleman, Guerlain Heritage, Aramis, Hermes Equipage for sophistication, Cartier Declaration if you want to slip a bit of danger in there

[NebraskaLovesScent]

+1 for Caron Pour Un Homme.

I'll also suggest the original Azzaro for Men. Very classic, very masculine, very mature.

[petruccijc]

I think that is an excellent suggestion! It certainly is not an emasculated aquatic that OP hates.

[Geikamir]

Oh yeah. FAR from it.

[petruccijc]

Oh yeah. FAR from it.

Thankfully.

[Sugandaraja]

MCM Success - tobacco, booze, leather, all the old-guy favorites are there!

[Asmo]

Old Man:

Pinaud's Clubman

Mature:

Polo

[Dorian Gray]

Just splashed a bit of Stetson on. Fits the bill

[kxe003]

+ Eau Sauvage
Versace L'Homme
YSL PH
Yatagan

[warlandsboy]

GFT Sandalwood, a mature, classy sandalwood.

[jalind]

Ha! What a fun question. I'm qualified to give you old fogey answers, I was around before some of these got concocted.

Clubman Lilac Vegetal (Pinaud). You'll smell like a vintage barber shop, and, unless you're one of the very few who can wear this, it will be a stench!
Old Spice (Shulton, now Proctor & Gamble, 1937). You'll smell like granddad, great granddad and great great granddad. Overpoweringly so.
A good Bay Rum. You'll smell like a really old barber shop.
Clubman (Pinaud). You'll smell like a more recent barber shop.
Brut (Faberge). Simple by todays standards, not liked by everyone. Ubiquitous in its day.
English Leather(Mem, later Dana). Mem original much better than the Dana formulation. Ubiquitous in its day.
Canoe (Dana, 1936). A reasonable and inexpensive classic. Stands the test of time.
Eau Sauvage (Christian Dior, 1966). This is a classic. Not liked by some but many still like it.
Equipage (Hermes, 1970). Sophisticated and elegant. Hard to find in its day, still hard to find. My favorite for special use for over 36 years.

:-) Good Luck!

[Swanky]

British Sterling (Dana)
The Baron (LTL)
Gravel
JHL (Aramis)
Jade East
Clubman Virgin Island Bay Rum
Equipage (Hermes)
That Man (Revlon)

[BradW]

These scents make me feel a bit mature:

Tom Ford Grey Vetiver
Ralph Lauren Purple Label
1903 by J. Peterman (somebody once said how Teddy Roosevelt may have smelled)

[bhurley]

You might want to get samplers from some of the older English shaving companies like Truefitt & Hill, and Geo. F. Trumper. Their scents range in my opinion from boardroom to woodshop, passing through an English garden along the way. Both make a "Spanish Leather" that is about as aggressively masculine that either of them go (from the samples I have, although I'm missing a couple from the full range of both that may refute that opinion).

Probably my favorite to date from those sources that fulfills your old man/mature requirement is Truefitt & Hill's ironically named "Freshman". It surely must have been named in an era where the name implied "fresh + manly", rather than "cheap beer and half a can of Axe".

[Primrose]

Avoid anything aquatic, which are likely to be the best sellers in places like Sephora:

Classic scents for me:

Guerlain Derby
Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur
Chanel No. 19 (yes, this is supposedly for women but fresh and green)
Guerlain Habit Rouge in all versions
Caron Pour Un Homme
Caron Le Troisieme Homme
Houbigant Duc de Vervins

[JonB]

If you want to smell old, buy some Aramis.

[bhurley]

Hi all, I'm a 24 year-old post-grad just embarking on my cologne experience.
...
I'm looking for the more classic scents which are more likely to evoke men's men like Cary Grant or (the more modern) Clive Owen than that sparkly fop from Twilight. ...
Can anyone point me onwards in my search for more mature or classic scents?

After some thought ... are you absolutely certain that you want to smell like a 50 year old man? I think that might stretch "maturity" to the "incredible". It's like plastic surgery - a 60 year old woman might be able to look like she is 50 in the right hands, but if she shoots for 20 - even if it works, it just isn't right.

I'd suggest you look more toward the 35-45 year old scents, rather than try to capture that "successful ancient tycoon" smell. Doing the latter may be so much of a leap that you just look pretentious, even though you aren't, or even worse ... foolish.

Not everybody can wear plus-fours like they were born in them.

[Hillaire]

Some affordable, absolute classics that would suit your age:

Penhaligon's Douro
Floris Elite
YSL Pour Homme (original)
Estee Lauder Lauder for Men

[Le Grand Duc]

I can't believe, that I'm the only one who
has suggested Antaeus!

It screames ooooold man!

[odioustoilet]

Pinaud!! It's probably what your grandfather or his father were exposed to when going to a barbershop after receiving a haircut, shave and a short shoulder massage at the end.

[Diamondflame]

+1 on RL Polo, Azzaro pH & Aramis for the classic old school vibe.

Also try the 'mature but younger':
Esencia by Loewe
Grey Flannel by Geoffrey Beene
Eau Pour Homme by Armani

[jtothek]

I'm with you, Le Grand Duc--Antaeus or Derby is what came to mind for me.

[Hillaire]

I can't believe, that I'm the only one who
has suggested Antaeus!

It screames ooooold man!

I simply don't recommend this former fave anymore, the reformulation is a travesty. Old Antaeus is hard to find!

[mrcologneguy]

Ha ha. Love this question. Before I found basenotes I used the same line with sales associates whenever I wanted something rich and expensive-smelling. "I want to smell like a stuffy old man. What do you have?" Some stuff SAs picked out for me: Cartier Pasha, Acqua di Parma Colonia, Vintage Tabarome, Bois du Portugal. Love them all. Creed Vetiver, the 1948 version, is maybe the epitome of stuffy old man. The barbershoppy smell reminds me of the horrid hair tonic that older guys wear. Ick. That might be going a little too far. . .

[danho]

+1 for Antaeus!!!!! Sophisticated, woody, dry, spicy...all things that scream mature! And this does it better than any other I've yet encountered.

[bhurley]

The barbershoppy smell reminds me of the horrid hair tonic that older guys wear. Ick. That might be going a little too far. . .

Ah, yes, the beautiful, lasting aroma of Jeris hair tonic. Be sure to get the varietal with extra oil! I'm kidding, as much as I enjoy a fresh haircut and shave, I dislike that particular product. Their talcum powder is pretty good, though.

Speaking of which, a good dusting of barbershop talcum with the proper brush will give you part of the old guy scent immediately. It doesn't last very long, so it isn't "dangerous" to try in that if someone around you dislikes it, it will be gone on its own before you could finish a shower to wash it away. It will save the neck of your shirts from stubble-fraying somewhat, and in hot, humid weather it's a nice finishing touch to a cool shower. Just make certain that your neck and face is completely dry before applying.

More generally, if you want that CEO scent, then think about how someone of that generation and personal power is likely to start his day, and then how they prepare for a night out, and you have your answers. (I think the talc factor is overlooked, it's one of those finishing touches that's only apparent when omitted.)

[NDN-01]

Bois du Portugal.

Love this one. I've been sampling it all week and it definately has an "old man" type of vibe.

[Sal Paradise]

Canoe, Old Spice, Pinaud Bay Rum, Rive Gauche...

[actiasluna]

Equipage...

JHL...

Original Aramis... (but yes the newer Aramis is also kind of old-school)

Old Spice...

All get +1s.

I'm sure the Pinaud is a good old-school thing too. And any Bay Rum.

Also, see if you can find some Lucky Tiger Rose Hair Oil. My dad used to swear by it. (wonder if he still does?)

[D.Sprad]

Bois Du Portugal.

It's definitely mature, but some people complain about it smelling too mature.

Perhaps for you it won't be a problem. Good luck!

[Orrin O'Connor]

You won't go far wrong with New York by Parfums de Nicolaï.
Spray it very lightly, IMHO this is in a world of it's own, class and elegance in a bottle !

[volley2]

Equipage
Givenchy Gentleman
Giorgio for Men
Grey Flannel
Obsession

[Sensual]

Bois du Portugal

If I may suggest, Blue Jeans (Versace) is oddly mature but not old. My intuition says this is perfect for the original poster.

[Weimar27]

Aramis 1966

Fabrege Brut

[hednic]

Guerlain Derby

[JimHeckel]

Ralph Lauren's Polo.

Van Cleef & Arpels' Pour Homme.

Anything by Caswell-Massey.

[Hamp]

Aramis