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An effervescent, cool freshie. Unlike anything I've ever smelled
I've reviewed my other ATH fragrances but have abstained from reviewing this one. Not because I dislike it - instead it's because it took me awhile to find the words to describe this fragrance. Even now i'll probably do a bad job of it, but here goes:
My favorite part of ATH's fragrances is that he will frequently take notes that I don't usually find in other fragrances to bring a fresh twist on familiar accords. This concept is front and center in Maverick with the Plum note. The opening is effervescent, fruity and citrusy. It reminds me of something between opening a bag of Skittles or a bar of Starburst (I'm aware that Hard Candy gets Starburst comparisons too, but I haven't had the privilege of smelling it yet) but with the sweetness toned down. To be clear, I wouldn't classify this as a sweet or sugary fragrance - it's not. Instead I would say it gets a touch of sweetness from the fruity accords.
Now, I don't have a strong connection to the smell of plums. I've eaten them before, but tbh I think they're kind of a mid-tier fruit and weren't particularly fragrant from what I remember. So to me at the heart of the fruit notes in here is blue raspberry. Yes, I'm aware that I have a closer scent connection to a fictional fruit than the listed real fruit, but hey that's more of an indictment on modern societal dietary norms than my nose.
So we have an airy, blue raspberry note surrounded by light citrus accords. As we head towards the mid / drydown, you'll start to notice the subtle notes of vanilla and nutmeg. I want to stress that these notes kind of "peek" out from behind the fluffy accords I mentioned earlier. They slowly and subtly take their positions in the background, at the base of the fragrance and provide a gourmand-ish and almost lactonic feel to the fresh notes at the top and heart.
And that's it! That's the fragrance. It doesn't evolve into an entirely different smell than from what you first smelled. It's also not linear though, as the feel of the fragrance changes from fresh fruity to slightly gourmand, fresh, lactonic.
Now I don't consider myself a fragrance connoisseur. My collection consists of a few designers I love, popular niche houses and decants from smaller niche and indie houses. So i'm an enthusiast but I admit that there are a lot of fragrances in the hidden corners of our hobby that I have never put my nose on.
I mention this disclaimer to preface this statement: I've never smelled anything close to Maverick. The total package from the texture and feel of the fragrance, to the notes, I don't have something where I'm like "Imagine X with Y and a bit of Z to get Maverick". No.
This is amazing and I absolutely love it. If you're thinking of starting off with an ATH fragrance and you're looking for something versatile and fresh, you NEED to start here.
The only reason this is a 9 and not a 10 for me is because I feel like there's room to make the perfect fragrance here by filling it out with some darker notes. Basically I think Aaron could / should make Maverick Elixir or Maverick Extreme and that could very easily be a 10 for me.
I'll end this long-winded review by thanking Aaron for making the best, cozy fresh fragrance I've ever smelled.
My favorite part of ATH's fragrances is that he will frequently take notes that I don't usually find in other fragrances to bring a fresh twist on familiar accords. This concept is front and center in Maverick with the Plum note. The opening is effervescent, fruity and citrusy. It reminds me of something between opening a bag of Skittles or a bar of Starburst (I'm aware that Hard Candy gets Starburst comparisons too, but I haven't had the privilege of smelling it yet) but with the sweetness toned down. To be clear, I wouldn't classify this as a sweet or sugary fragrance - it's not. Instead I would say it gets a touch of sweetness from the fruity accords.
Now, I don't have a strong connection to the smell of plums. I've eaten them before, but tbh I think they're kind of a mid-tier fruit and weren't particularly fragrant from what I remember. So to me at the heart of the fruit notes in here is blue raspberry. Yes, I'm aware that I have a closer scent connection to a fictional fruit than the listed real fruit, but hey that's more of an indictment on modern societal dietary norms than my nose.
So we have an airy, blue raspberry note surrounded by light citrus accords. As we head towards the mid / drydown, you'll start to notice the subtle notes of vanilla and nutmeg. I want to stress that these notes kind of "peek" out from behind the fluffy accords I mentioned earlier. They slowly and subtly take their positions in the background, at the base of the fragrance and provide a gourmand-ish and almost lactonic feel to the fresh notes at the top and heart.
And that's it! That's the fragrance. It doesn't evolve into an entirely different smell than from what you first smelled. It's also not linear though, as the feel of the fragrance changes from fresh fruity to slightly gourmand, fresh, lactonic.
Now I don't consider myself a fragrance connoisseur. My collection consists of a few designers I love, popular niche houses and decants from smaller niche and indie houses. So i'm an enthusiast but I admit that there are a lot of fragrances in the hidden corners of our hobby that I have never put my nose on.
I mention this disclaimer to preface this statement: I've never smelled anything close to Maverick. The total package from the texture and feel of the fragrance, to the notes, I don't have something where I'm like "Imagine X with Y and a bit of Z to get Maverick". No.
This is amazing and I absolutely love it. If you're thinking of starting off with an ATH fragrance and you're looking for something versatile and fresh, you NEED to start here.
The only reason this is a 9 and not a 10 for me is because I feel like there's room to make the perfect fragrance here by filling it out with some darker notes. Basically I think Aaron could / should make Maverick Elixir or Maverick Extreme and that could very easily be a 10 for me.
I'll end this long-winded review by thanking Aaron for making the best, cozy fresh fragrance I've ever smelled.
GunterMcGunt
