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Viktorovih – :
Perhaps this deserves an even higher rating. This is quite good. Basically it’s a straight forward vetiver (like vetiver essential oil, the smell like… Sycomore / Encre Noire / etc., not the type of vetiver found in frags like Racine or Vetiverus), mixed with mint, and it has some sweetness.
By the way, the newer packaging (I got my bottle this year maybe from Luckyscent) does indeed come with the sprayer installed – no splash option as far as I’m aware. So that’s a plus for those of us who prefer a crimped spray style, :).
volk840 – :
some citrus in the top with vetiver and a smooth ambery note that probably is the labdanum and iris.
ANVARD2020 – :
Very well lasting in intensity. This is super rare, lovely strong fresh vetiver with minty accords. I guess the styrax and leather give it that extra oomph and longevity.
tfesenk – :
Does anyone know whether this frag has been modified with the recent revamping of the packaging? I noticed that a good number of the frags from this house just got a facelift. I’m hoping the corresponding frags were made better in the process, not cheapened or weakened.
Any feedback appreciated.
KuPITTman – :
Oriza’s creation opens with a blast of minty vetiver. Within minutes, the scent becomes very aromatic and herbal. There is some sort of a boozy accord that is paired with smoke as it develops. This will increase the perceived density and shift it’s cool and green opening to a warm and deeper dry down.
The vetiver, to my nose, is the Haitian type in the opening and in the heart and base it’s different, more herbal and smokier, different from the majority of vetiver centered perfumes that I’ve tried; that is Bourbon vetiver, hence the name of the fragrance.
There are a lot of things happening besides the vetiver/mint combo, that will not really transform its heart, but play a secondary role. The composition is very well blended.
Not that is challenging, but I see it as a mood scent, classic, a vintage perfume that has been reinterpreted in a modern era. I think it’s really masculine.
Scent: 8.5/10
Longevity: 9/10
Projection: 7/10
forkos44 – :
The notes listed are not entirely accurate. Here’s a better listing:
“Peppermint, thyme, absolute vetiver, cistus labdanum, iris, vetiver bourbon, sandalwood, essence cade, leather, styrax, immortelle, tobacco, and oak moss.”
NQTA – :
It is a printing character vetiver, rough, masculine, elegant and classic.
The opening is sharp and fresh, very green, starring mainly vetiver and mint. I must say that the combination of both ingredients is excellent. Thyme feel but in my skin begins to take center stage after 10 minutes, and I’m almost certain that there is some undeclared spice, because after 15 minutes approximately, comes forward a note of cumin and thyme (I may not be cumin, but I’m pretty sure it is).
At this stage the fresh start will be diminishing and becoming more warm and spicy for spices and snuff.
From the 2-hour wake it decreases to work very close to the skin, and spices are disappearing to make way for a drier vetiver, which gives a feeling of grass / boil cut a few days ago which was not collected and it dries in the sun.
It is still green, but is no longer fresh as in the beginning, but now has a slightly smoky and dry character.
The trail is very good the first time, the second time decreases enough, then settles on the skin.
Longevity is about 8 hours on my skin.
Note: 7.50 / 10
etf469InsuffBooni – :
Woah! thats cleared the sinusis. Who would imagine that piercing vetiver would marry so well with mint, thyme and a touch of tobacco. This is essentially an aromatic harmony with the juniper coming forth in time. I think its the mint and immortelle that add sweetness and stop this fragrance becoming too strident. There is leather in the base that becomes more evident with time. A gorgeous fresh aromatic fragrance for man or woman. I dont think there are many who would not like wearing this delicious combination of notes.
ignasio-sabatini – :
The different interpretation of vetiver. Soil+Mint+Vetiver and a little bit more Soil. I like and much respect this but not for use everytime or everywhere. If you r lookin a different vetiver should buy this stuff.
Scent: 9/10
Sillage: 7/10
Long: 7,5/10
fyi764JeomiWogkig – :
This opens on my skin with a very boozy vetyver and has quite a strong medicinal element – some cloves and bandaid at first sniff too….but after about 30 mins it settles into a good vetyver which for me skews masculine and altho I like many men’s fragrances I think this one is too much swinging that way. But absolutely gorgeous on the right man!! It has a deep and warm spicy/woody middle bit which is comforting and very sexy too! I can definatley smell the Immortelle and its lovely – the combination with vetyver is a good mix – but unfortunatley not for me:(
The drydown is good and lasts quite a long time on my skin tho hugs close to it but its warm spicy and deep.
Beautifully done as with all from this house but I’ll save my pennies for the Reve d’ Ossian which is a peach!
WiwlyzZY – :
I like it but don’t love it. It’s a very long lasting scent with great sillage. Once the herbal opening fades away you are left with a typical vetiver scent with traces of leather. I would have liked the immortelle note to actually appear but it does not. The price is not bad at $125 for 100 ml but I have couple designer scents that get the job done at a fraction of the cost. It would be in my top 5 niche vetiver scents behind Umbra and Vetiver Fatal.
HAClinton – :
Retro vetiver. What’s wrong with that? Perfume is perfect for being nostalgic.—That’s one of its strength.
adfrtth8435 – :
I haven’t been very impressed with the offerings from this necro house so far, and this one’s no different. It’s an old-school Italian apothecary affair—very ‘80s masculine. The vetiver is there, but it’s dominated by culinary herbs that are bracing, but smooth. There’s an intriguing iris facet, a nice minty touch up top, but the overall effect is really just a standard, placid herbal aromatic that winds down to a standard vetiver note. Perfectly pleasant, but nothing to get excited about. It’d go well with a huge mustache and polyester clothing.
PMVirus – :
If we except the skills of the one who uses it, the most important part of a sword is its blade. Its hilt and scabbard can be exquisite pieces of craftsmanship, often adorned with precious metals and gems, but it’s always the least adorned part, its blade, that gets the work done. And if anyone is wandering about what is sword talk doing in a perfume review, Vetiver Royal Bourbon is like mounting a very old and battle proven blade on a new housing. A century old fragrance launched anew, with what seems to be lots of respect to its ancestry. And this is like something that does not happen every day in people’s lives. Like something that is exceptional enough to be mentioned elaborately and in great detail. Something like being unlucky enough to fall from atop a juniper tree and hit every single branch on your way down. But also being lucky enough, to land on a thick layer of vetiver grass, and thus escape your fall unscathed. And there you’ll doff your leather gloves and light up your pipe and think. Cause if there’s something that this curio engenders more than anything else, it’s thoughts.
Thoughts like “How dare they?”
Thoughts like “Are they nuts?”
Thoughts like “Didn’t they know it was 2014?”
And all that stuff which come to mind upon encountering such an oddity during the second decade of the 21st century. But despite banging its own drum while walking a very lonely path, Vetiver Royal Bourbon has actually a lot of things to say.
This little weirdo is a very-very interesting case. Very bitter, very earthy, very herbal and very unique. Oh, and very challenging to wear too. To my silly nose, it smells like hot stones. But not hot because of being under a scorching sun for too long, but hot because this castle was burned during a siege.
I don’t know whether it’s the fact that I have not smelled it for many years, but I’m under the impression that Vetiver Royal Bourbon is very similar with vintage Daniel Hechter’s Caractere. At first, this thought seemed like it had no grounds at all, since the two fragrances only share a couple of notes. But then came the epiphany. Most of Vetiver Royal Bourbon’s notes are somewhat neighbouring the ones of this forgotten relic from the late ’80s.
-Artemisia instead of vetiver.
-Fir instead of juniper.
-Amber instead of styrax.
-Sage instead of thyme.
-Basil instead of mint.
With the mystery solved, I relished the thought of how much I loved Caractere back in the day, cause it smelled nothing like anything else. So, the verdict here could not be any different. I love Vetiver Royal Bourbon too. I like bizzare scents, and this one is surely of the kind that will raise the “What the hell is that smell?” question. A lot. And if it wasn’t so damn pricy, I could vision myself buying two or three bottles just in case it’s discontinued. Finally, and despite that this may sound a bit out of the blue, I’ll finish this review the way I started it. With swords. So, since I take it that Caractere doesn’t ring a bell to at least 50% of the readers, I’ll crown Vetiver Royal Bourbon as the Yatagan of our time. Not based that much on sheer similarity, but on being heavy, sharp and sexy to the nth degree…
sandro1971 – :
At first I admired this, but it occurred to me that this smells very much like pesticide.
So disappointed. It’s really not bad aside from that aspect.
ALEXXXANDR – :
Reminds me of a more masculine version of Chypre Mousse. I get strong mint at first, then of all things it starts to smell like rum, like I spilled my rum and Coke on my clothes. Eventually the perfume dries down into some interesting leather and herbs combination, underscored by a marvelous, smooth note of vetyver. I smell the sweet immortelle and gentle whiffs of non-smoky tobacco. This perfume smells rugged to me, yet you know the ingredients are fine, and that makes it rather classy. This is Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind! Manly, classy, intelligent, polished, and mature. For nights with the gentlemen; smoking cigars and drinking brandy out of Baccarat crystal glasses, talking about stocks and sport. This is a wonderful perfume with all the complexity of their own Chypre Mousse, the crème de la crème of complexity.