24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract Atkinsons 2014 Eau de Cologne Concentrée

24 Old Bond Street was classy, simple, and ultimately, rather bland. It wasn't aspiring to anything greater than just offering a classy scent profile that would offend no one. Okay, that's fine, but its sibling 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract Eau de Cologne Concentrée takes a small step into making this scent profile just a bit more interesting, without losing the simplicity at its core.

24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract Eau de Cologne Concentrée opens a little sharper, pairing that gently piney juniper with some green, gently bitter galbanum. Below them sits the same gentle and delicate rose as in 24 Old Bond Street with a side of cardamom spice that seems to overpower the rose most of the time, but not with pungent spiciness; rather evenly spread, covering the rose's petals. But of course, the main player of the group is the tea, which is a little more herbal here than in the other iteration. It's the one (largely) responsible for the calming and soothing warmth. As for the base, the whiskey remains further from reach, although it still appends a notable boozy accent, now accompanied by some tonka bean to just ever so slightly bump up the sweetness, while very faint whispers of incense get dispersed around the room. It's an overall mild improvement over 24 Old Bond Street, but a step in the right direction is a step in the right direction, no matter how small it is, right?

With performance, I was again impressed by the longevity on my skin. 24 Old Bond Street nearly made it to 12 hours, so it was fair to assume the Triple Extract version here would reach at least as much. And well, it did make it to 12 hours, which is quite impressive for a profile largely dominated by tea accents. Projection-wise, however, you do get to see the gentler side of the fragrance. I got decent pushing power the first hour, nothing crazy, and around two hours in it would start softening down significantly. Not that anyone who'd wear a fragrance like this would want head-turning projection, though.

In the context of versatility, this will certainly strike today's youth as too "grown-up" or too "old man-smelling", so it will hardly be trending on TikTok. But that's a good thing. 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract Eau de Cologne Concentrée is perfectly suited for the warmer weather and evenings when you just want to sit back and enjoy the simple part of life, not go clubbing and drinking until you can't discern friend from foe.

Hence, 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract Eau de Cologne Concentrée will find its target audience. Fewer than the numbers amberwood-crammed and akigala-filled slops on shelves at Sephora will bring, but quality over quantity, always. Although not even I find myself in the target demographic of 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract Eau de Cologne Concentrée, I appreciate its simplicity and its stable, unglamorous approach. Some people are searching just for that, and for those few, maybe the price is worth it. I don't exactly know why anyone would rather choose 24 Old Bond Street instead of 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract Eau de Cologne Concentrée, as I find that the added galbanum and more herbal tea only aid in making the scent profile a little better, even if ultimately the differences between the two become inconspicuous. But oh, well, each to their own.

Overall Rating: 5.8/10

The first fragrance I have ever tested from this house, and I didn't know what to expect. I had heard about more popular offerings so I went in wearing this with no particular expectations. Hope you enjoy

As a newcomer here, I’m diving right into a series of comments. This is the second part.

The motivation, the idea, and the criteria
I am a true fan of the scent of roses (in my youth, my mother had Paris by YSL. I thought it was “amazing”). However, the rose is not exactly the first ingredient that comes to mind for a men’s fragrance. Nevertheless, I find that rose is increasingly present in men’s fragrances.
Based on the following criteria, I have selected 12 of these fragrances and will comment on and compare them one by one:
• Mens’ fragrance (exception: Desert Rose by Urban Scent as a unisex scent, I just had to include it)
• Rose as a heart note (exception: Much ado about the Duke by Penhaligon, I was just in London when I had the idea)
• Released from the year 2000 onwards
• Rating of at least 6.0 with at least 40 reviews
• No oud (not really my thing)

Fragrance No. 2 is: 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract by Atkinsons
(previously: (1) Lumière Noire pour Homme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian)

The house, the perfumer, and the purchase
It was in 1799 when the Brit James Atkinson discovered the business of fragrances for himself. The spicy-warm Eau de Cologne he developed in 1800 became the favorite scent of King George IV, who appointed Atkinson as the official perfumer of the British royal household. After very successful years, the house had to endure significantly more difficult times until today. This included closures, several sales in the early 2000s, and most recently the takeover by the Italian cosmetics company Perfume Holding (from Procter & Gamble) in 2008. However, since the relaunch of the brand in September 2013, things have been “looking up.” The perfumers Christine Nagel and Violaine Collas both worked at the cosmetics company Mane in the 2010s. The Swiss Christine Nagel (*1959) has been with Hermés since 2013 and became their chief perfumer in 2015. She made her debut with the “vibrant” Rhubarbe Écarlate and has also created my super summer scent Citron Noir this year. The French Violaine Collas (*1976) (still at Mane) studied (like Francis Kurkdjian) at ISIPCA. In an interview, she mentioned the bottle design of the Atkinsons Collection as her favorite. I bought 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract (*2014) on recommendation at the “perfume shop I trust.”

The scent, the components, and the experience
The fragrance is named after the ancient headquarters of the label and is meant to be “a bow” to the scent of 1800. Old Bond Street is the southern part of Bond Street in London’s upscale Mayfair district and is one of the most exclusive shopping streets in the world. With juniper, rose, black tea, and whiskey, the motto “Very British” is somewhat emphasized with a “hint,” but let’s go in order.
The scent starts with a very, very spicy rose. The spiciness likely comes from the juniper, which belongs to the evergreen cypress family. The essential oil from the mixture of juniper berries and needles exudes a green-herbaceous conifer scent. The galbanum further enhances this effect. Galbanum is an ancient medicinal plant found in Central Asia. From it, galbanum resin is obtained, from which the essential oil is derived. Galbanum is very often used in the top note of fragrances for the effect just described (by the way, galbanum was used for the mummification of the dead in ancient Egypt). Additionally, I believe there is also a sharpness from cardamom at the beginning. Both the juniper and the galbanum provide a freshness (right from the start) and, as the scent develops, a more balsamic character. With the tea notes, the whole thing becomes milder, and the incense additionally supports the increasingly warm, balsamic-spicy, possibly slightly resinous base. Incense resin (Olibanum) is obtained from the incense tree (India, Arabia, and parts of Africa). The production of incense takes several months, and its yield depends heavily on the age, size, and condition of the tree. Incense was also used in ancient Egypt as a fumigation and medicinal agent. After about 2 hours, the fragrance takes on a very slight sweet note. This is partly (of course) due to the tonka bean and partly due to the additionally smoky-woody whiskey. (Note: More on the tonka bean at the next opportunity)

The conclusion, the comparison, and practical use
For me, 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract takes the rose on a beautifully composed, special journey from spicy-fresh to balsamic-warm. All aspects remain intact on this journey because all the fragrance components blend beautifully together. The sillage is not very strong, which is quite good for use at work - at least for me. I am glad to have the fragrance and use it often. Over 80 previous reviews with an 8, and I will stick with that.

(1) Lumière Noire pour Homme - The Noble Softie
(2) 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract - The Elegant Brit

P.S. Thank you for the great responses and ratings for my first comment. It’s encouraging.

Triple...so when it comes to darts, there's a nice melody, in football, glory for eternity...with Triple Extract, neither will probably happen...except for the Atkinson guys and the perfumeries...there's a nice melody when in the future, 30€ more jingle into the cash registers.

Thanks to dear Clarissa and her husband, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the perfume meeting in Frankfurt on Saturday, I finally got a sample of Triple Extract...the bottle was also available for purchase at the perfumery...just to highlight the exclusivity of the Ludwig Beck house...where it seems to be available only for purchase;-)!
Since I already found the "normal" Bond Street absolutely fantastic, I had to test the Triple...in my mind, it was basically a must-buy...because it could definitely handle a bit more "power," especially regarding sillage...at least that was my hope...without that being a major issue for me with the normal Bond Street.
So left hand Bond Street...right hand Triple Extract...*spray vigorously*...wait a moment...deep breath in...uuuand...nothing and...just Bond Street...Rose, Whisky, Tea...everything as usual! To be honest, I tried desperately for over 2 hours to find any differences...after all, something "MUST" be different with all the fuss...oh well...it's a tad softer...and yes, here it's also a bit rounder...fuller...isn't it a bit more full-bodied in the finish of the bouquet...??!!! All nonsense...I couldn't find any difference...I'll admit it openly...I really wanted to recognize some...to justify a potential purchase for myself...but I failed...the whisky note may be a touch more intense...more alcoholic...but neither in the scent development nor in the individual notes and nuances can I perceive differences. Sorry...but this is a job for super noses (no, not Krüger and Gottschalk)...this is a job for true professionals. The only thing I noticed is that Triple Extract smells more distinctly of rose after 5 hours...but the overall difference is even smaller than between Terre d'Hermes EDT and EDP...and that was already small.
Nevertheless, Triple Extract remains a beautiful fragrance that would still excite me even if it didn't already exist...and didn't cost nearly 30€ more! Therefore, a 10% (very generous) deduction!
Anyone who wants to know exactly how it smells should just read my comment on the normal Bond Street.

I had the long-anticipated & now finally more visible Triple Extract from Atkinsons not on my radar as a flanker of the original 24 Old Bond Street. The bottle is too dark & the aura too intense, the price too high, its appearance too rare, always placed alongside the brand's oud fragrances. Furthermore, I don't know the original nearly as well as my predecessors, whom I trust blindly, so Triple Extract must surely resemble it astonishingly. Probably far too much to justify the price increase, especially since the original is already fine.

Nevertheless, Triple Extract is a noble Brit, exactly to my taste: somewhere between a drunkard & a romantic. This James has definitely shaken & stirred all evening! Watery high-proof, roses & black tea - these are also undeniably the main factors for me. Juniper is also strongly present, so the scent could easily pass as a finer Eau de Cade. The L'Occitane scent is not quite as chic, but significantly cheaper & more casual. I don't know if it's the saleswoman's flattery ("3x distilled, that's absolute luxury like with coffee") or the black bottle: but to me, Triple Extract feels like the perfect gentleman-in-a-black-suit scent. James Bond would surely be pleased - whether Craig or Connery. Anyone who wears the original every day, loves it & considers it a signature should try this one as a dressed-up scent - even if the differences might be imagined, I think it fits quite well.

Bottle: beautiful, although much too dark for the content.
Sillage: for me still quite close-knit & intimate - I don't even want to know how quiet the original is.
Longevity: I believe it actually delivers here - 6-8 hours.

Conclusion: a Brit in a suit, tipsy & romantic, sexy & with manners. Quite a cool guy, but whether one needs to make such a fuss about Triple Extract, much more noble, etc... probably not!