1899 Ernest Hemingway (2013)
by Histoires de Parfums

This is a cleaner, more floral version in the Tobacco Vanille family of fragrances (Atkinson’s Old Fellows Bouquet, Eau Duelle, etc.). Most vanilla fragrances can get a bit heavy and monotonous after a while, but this is much brighter and more watery, like a sparkling vanilla champagne with the faint scent of a nearby garden wafting in on the cool nighttime breeze (probably the vetiver that keeps things fresh and light, and slightly cold.) I wouldn’t say this was feminine at all. It’s just more sophisticated and more gentlemanly than heavier smoker alternatives, less cloying and more interesting as it develops over time.)

It’s still a second place to PdM Herod (or how I remember it - it’s been a while since my decant ran out) but it’s certainly a worthy lighter alternative.

A very nice blend of hesperidic notes, spicy florals, drying down to a fougeric ending of lavender, vanilla, amber, and a distinct blonde tobacco accord. A very wearable masculine and very distinct.

I've never been altogether sure what this fragrance has to do with Ernest Hemingway. Its soft sweetness and vanilla with exotic spices doesn't exactly conjure up the spirit of Hemingway, and it leans more feminine than masculine, though not dramatically so.

In a world full of sweet, lightly spicy scents, I don't know that 1899 does much to carve out a niche for itself. Conceptually, it's familiar, and it's not particularly precise in its construction. But, if nothing else, it's pleasant enough, at least until Ghislain's trademark "musty" accord creeps into the dry-down.

Sweet, pine-y, peppery opening. It reminds me of candy cigarettes, from my youth. The orange blossom and iris mesh well together. The candy aroma lingers throughout the middle. This reminds me of Vaninger by Oliver & Co. A vanilla base. Hours later, a vague powder note, on my skin. Leans more femme IMO.

Fresh, clean scent from Histoires de Parfums!

1899 starts out with a sharp tanginess from the duo of bergamot and juniper, with an ever so subtle peppery edge. This subsides within a minute into a moderately sweet vanilla-amber-orange blossom fusion, held upon a firm foundation of vetiver. It's there that 1899 stays for a while.

Spicebomb comparisons by other reviewers are on point, though 1899 is subdued in comparison to the Viktor & Rolf scent. Overall, I get a classy, casual fougere feel from 1899 that seems to work in any type of temperature or occasion. It smells well-crafted and legitimate in the sea of choices out there, though a premium price will be required to obtain this EdP. I would recommend starting with a decant, and if that really grows on you, go for a full bottle.

Enjoy! :-)