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Ulcelpgerrics – :
This is difficult to describe … The pepper is there and it feels good,
the rose is there but it is unusual, sweet but not too much. The woody notes are firm, austere and sober.
Because of a hangover I hate gin but it does not bother me here and it sounds good to give a fresh edge to the leather goods. As for the sex I changed my mind three times so in summary I think it is unisex.We are in August and on my skin dries quickly and accentuates dusty and masculine. On the other hand, the whistles I take at a distance are mostly animal , feminine, almost fruity. I saw the price, I would say that it is suitable for a couple’s use.
All in all it is versatile in quality and leaves a good memory. Nice portrait!
Suitable for day, evening, summer, winter, indoors, outdoors, elegant, sports tonic, etc.
This has character!But I prefer others in this line.
bolvan – :
Rose and pepper for sure but low longevity and sillage. Not bottle worthy for me as I have other rose scents that are better.
communist – :
If you are looking for an unusual rose fragrance, that’s it! Need to admit I don’t like Penhaligon`s at all. This one, however, is real beauty. Rose, heady sexy rose! With nothing waxy or overly balsamic. It’s spicy, cool with heady alcohol touch. First time I’ve tested it I smelled something boozy and that was quite unexpected, so I immediately went on fragrantica to see the notes and yes!Gin is there. Cool, a bit piny and seducing. Love it! And it is very special indeed. I honestly can’t think of any other rose scent that would be as fresh and elegant but at the same time as sexy as this one!Oh, and absolutely unisex. I find that men and women would love to smell it of opposite sex. I am judging a sample. The projection is quite moderate. It’s noticeable but not too much. Best Penhaligon for me:)
MidNight – :
Much Ado About The Duke is an interesting rose scent.
I tested it on my wrist yesterday and was a bit disappointed because of the initial peppery note(more like cumin, and cumin always smells ampit to my nose, sadly). It reminds me of Rose Poivree from The Different Company, lighter though. Anyway, not my cup of tea, and I could only comfort myself that my money ($200+) was not a waste because the bottle looks great and forget all about the scent…
And 10 min later, I got a whiff of airy floral scent. It’s not typical rose, more like a combination of various light florals with rose as main actor, a little powdery, but not loud. At first I thought someone was applying rose hand cream, then I remembered The Duke. It was lovely if you kept certain distance, and once you got close, it becames a cumin beast. Tested it on my friend, the same – I could smell nice floral scents when she walked by, once I got sniff her wrist, not lovely anymore.
It suprises me that the Duke is marketed as male scent, I admit that I have a hard time to imagine what kind of man or in what kind of occassion this scent would suit.
kykysik – :
Just a beautiful scent but performance varies between poor and very poor. Unacceptable for a frag priced at niche levels.
byriy08 – :
I love this scent. I am not going to act like I have nose the detects the individual ingredients in these fragrances. First this is a sweet scent but never goes femine on my skin. It is headie but doesnt hurt my sinuses. Its linear, and I like it smells the same through the entire experience. Though sweet its not soft, and I would wear this in the fall and winter. I believe thats why this scent is wonderful. Its a contradiction. Your past experience with this type of scent will say for women. But it goes no where near that line. Its sweet but not fruity. Its floral, but not soft. Its heady but doesnt hurt. Strong but no detection of anything synthetic. Its blended well. Its scary good to me.
Gringo_Maks – :
I love this scent. I am not going to act like I have nose the detects the individual ingredients in these fragrances. First this is a sweet scent but never goes femine on my skin. It is headie but doesnt hurt my sinuses. Its linear, and I like it smells the same through the entire experience. Though sweet its not soft, and I would wear this in the fall and winter. I believe thats why this scent is wonderful. Its a contradiction. Your past experience with this type of scent will say for women. But it goes now near that line. Its sweet but not fruit. Its floral, but not soft. Its heady but doesnt hurt. Strong but no detection of anything synthetic. Its blended well. Its scary good to me.
Gaxamunda – :
Starts of very fresh and sharp !,lovely peppery aroma but then on my skin turns into a very very sweet rose with leathery hues,too sugary sweet on my skin but amazing natural rose smell coming off this fragrance !
denver dino – :
Received a sample of this the last time I was at Saks. At the very opening I picked up some citrus. Rose and woods are the most prominent. Pepper adds another dimension to the woods. Interestingly, I do smell the gin. I have a few bars of Le Labo’s Rose 31 soap and while the Duke is similar Rose 31 is drier with a definite oud note.
This is a nice unisex composition that leans masculine. Sillage and projection feel about average. Lasts five hours tops. Seems appropriate for any occasion; all seasons aside from summer. The bottle is cool looking. While I enjoy this it doesn’t interest me enough to justify the cost. The quality of the scent is apparent but it should last longer at this price point. I’m sure I could find something comparable that is much cheaper.
lowrider222 – :
A really beautifully dandified Anglosaxon Cool Britannia Rose! This Rose is definitely pre-Brexit and celebrates the good olden and golden days!
I am thinking 60ies and 70ies, either 20th or 19th century.
Very nuveau-retro, very wearable, vey ON TREND and very good indeed!
Reminds me a bit of Czech & Speake 88 but more emphasis on the rose.
The story-telling of this collection within the brand is very much an homage to L’etat libre d’orange, mixed with that crazy brand of the many thousand plus Tuesdays…..
Let’s make Britain great again with outstanding perfumes instead of Brexit!
Verdict: Good! 7/10
Pealaicet – :
I hate le labo 31 but I really love Duke. They are not similar in character at all to me. Duke is sort of straightforward, the pepperish and woody note open to your face without reserve. Le Labo is a scent which is sophisticated, a little dirty and a lot more masculine.
Lexxey – :
Very soft skin scent: citrus in the top very prominent but combined (gin) with rose and a woody/soft oud note. This reminds of some of the rose ouds on the market but not as sweet. This has the soft creaminess like a Jul et Mad Amour de Palazzo. A nuzzling scent. I love it but expected more from the Duke.
tonyavedn1 – :
From the first sight you could suggest The Duke is a Le Labo Rose 31 clone. In fact, it’s not.
I compared them on both of my hands and came to the conclusion the cumin part is the only one that make them similar. Rose 31 smells drier, with a notable oudy vibe and a very little rose. The Duke is sour, with a prominent rose and a boozy accord of red fruits (berries) that you will not find in Rose 31.
As a verdict, the fragrances smell to me as yin-yang: Rose 31 will better suit men, The Duke is better for women. However, that’s all depends on the taste – I enjoy wearing both of fragrances.
Mekyn649Diobtetty – :
Much Ado About The Duke opens with brief fresh citrus, and immediately reveals a tart, red rose, covered with fiery, woody black pepper and cumin. The cumin here adds an earthy warmth, but doesn’t appear explicitly sweaty or too sharp to my nose.
The fragrance doesn’t undergo any dramatic change. The ruby rose and woody pepper are always the dominant forces, and they interlock even more with time. The rose develops a dry texture by absorbing the woody pepper, while the cumin gradually recedes into the background. While undeniably woody and spicy, the fragrance maintains a certain transparency, modern and slick in style.
The far dry down about 8 hours in, even the woody pepper disappears, leaving only a faint, clean, musky wine-y rose skin scent behind. The sillage is relatively close, and the longevity is close to 12 hours on my skin.
Much Ado About The Duke is a lovely woody spicy rose fragrance, and I’d recommend giving it a try if you happen to looking for a streamlined, modern take in this genre. However, I do find it very similar to Le Labo Rose 31. The main differences that I can perceive, are that, in comparison, Much Ado About The Duke feels a bit brighter and fresher, with the rose being slightly more prominent than woody pepper (this aspect sometimes makes me think of Iso E Super), while Rose 31 has more emphasis on woody elements with the addition of vetiver and guaiac. But overall, they’re quite close in scent to my nose. Therefore, I’d also suggest giving Rose 31 or other similar and less expensive options as well, before committing a full bottle splurge.
Artur4ik – :
Smells close to Hermes. Very nice fragrance.
cialissale – :
Really interesting set of releases from Penhaligon’s this one having a similar nature to the feminine focused rose one but in truth I think all four are unisex.
This is due to the careful blending of notes in each composition and it’s no mistake that Penhaligon’s fragrances have this quality across the board, regardless of perfumer. Another thing I’ve noticed is that all of these four have an explosive opening the Duke being no exception. I really like the smell, it’s kinda got a vibe of Dior’s sublime Amber nuit about it, a kind of fresh, clean but still warm balsamic rose. The key difference is rather than amber you get pepper, woods, leather coming across but with that quenching vibe of a G&T. This also gives it nods to the Liquides Imaginaires line in that there’s a boozy champagne/wine sort of quality to these four creations too. It reminds me of Bloody wood a touch also.
The drydown of this is a sensual woody rose which is top quality and although not massive in silage and I thought at first longevity either …this quietly lasted.
I never actually asked how much this was but without hesitation or the usual rigmarole of begging, I was furnished with some samples, Thanks to my local Penhaligon’s shop for that. I believe further wears are necessary but I doubt I will be buying for this price.
Despite all the positives I see in this fragrance as a novelty stopper or bottle at best but despite the comparisons to great fragrances I own, I think Duke would still have a place because it’s refined and different enough in it’s own way.
The only restriction for me is price and the fact that if I had to own one of these it would be Lord George because of the amazing stag head stopper…The fragrances are both very enjoyable.