Top Notes 
Salt
Cardamom
Lemon zest
Pineapple
Hexagonal Vinyl
Heart Notes 
Kelp
Tobacco
Birch tar
Gun powder
Base Notes 
Rum
Labdanum
Oak wood
Tonka bean07/29/2025
Smellemental
60 Reviews
Smellemental
1
The Seas, Shake, and Earth, Quakes
Reina del Mar—Queen of the Sea
One of the most successful blind buys of my career. I’d say if the notes and nautical theme appeal to you, give it a try… it’s almost a little tough to be disappointed by in my book. That being said, don’t let my or any other hype get your expectations too high, as ultimately few things are how we expect or hope them to be! Although my own expectations for it were probably higher than they should’ve been—this beauty did not disappoint.
It’s scents like these that I struggle to give coherent descriptions for… The left side of my brain wants to prioritize giving a technical breakdown, while the right just yearns to let loose and set off into whimsical fancy… What’s more important after all—what a scent’s actually composed of—or what it makes us think of? What it makes us feel? I’ll do my best to balance the real and surreal, as if they were yin and yang… Just as many fine reviewers on here (cheers to Floyd, Chizza, etc ) have gotten in the habit of doing.
To me, this fragrance is more than a scent. It turns me from just a person up in New England, to Jack Sparrow sailing down in the Caribbean. From Joe Shmoe, to the Percy-Jackson’s-father version of Poseidon—laid back, exuding strong notes of pineapple, lemon and rum, with smoky tobacco, leather, seaweed, oak and gunpowder hiding just beneath… This frag truly makes me feel like a pirate at sea… except probably a bit better smelling. I can see the clear blue water and white shores, palm trees and wooden ships lit by lantern traversing day and night… I can feel the long days cast adrift, with nothing but rum, a pipe, and limes to keep the scurvy at bay to keep me company among the oaken floors and leather-strapped chests and barrels while the tide lulls us to sleep—salty sea air spraying over the side with every stir…
The longevity is awesome. The particular fixatives used in this blend are so naturally aromatic, that you’ll be getting whiffs off where you sprayed your skin up to 18 hours later… and on clothes until washing and beyond if you like to lay it on thick.
Bottle is super cool. Atomizer is incredible—possibly the best in my collection. It’s ultra smooth with a long draw and steady sprays, making partial sprays easy and even “spray paint” type effects possible. Check out my photo if you’d like! Just capture’s the bottle’s cool vibe, rather than the atomizer’s capability though, sadly.
I could say so much more but all in all I think this, like many frags set out to be but ultimately fail at, is exceptional in that it really is more of a story—a feeling—than a fragrance, and I applaud Mr. Fort on his accomplishment here. I’ve also sampled two others from his latest releases, and will give as short of a review I can on Son of a Mint soon, which funnily enough I found to have some similarities with Reina during one of it’s tumultuous phases, but anyway more to come on that later.
To try and kill all the hype I’ve created, it’s really just a very nice, boozy, smoky tropical drink, with the pineapple/lemon, cardamom & salt almost giving off some lime facets and margarita vibes in combination with the rum, however it does lean a bit masculine due to the smoky/woody tobacco/leather/oak base.
Film associations: Pirates of the Caribbean, The Odyssey (1997), Black Sails, One Piece (debatable)
Music associations: Drink Up Me Hearties Yo Ho (Hans Zimmer), Sea Shanty 2 (Old School Runescape), A whole slew of One Piece OSTs (undebatable)
Other fragrance associations: When I first got my nose on it, even though I somehow haven’t yet smelled the original Aventus but instead almost all it’s popular dupes, due to the smoky pineapple I couldn’t help but feel this could be considered it’s cooler, more mature older brother or cousin that’s settled down a bit and gotten a house by the beach haha. But alas, the significant differences in bases could easily be said to preclude such relations.
Another fragrance that’s tough for me to part with, but I’m glad to offer half mL samples à la Luckyscent upon request. Feel free to check out the rest of my inventory via my collection page and the spreadsheet link posted on my wall!
Thanks so much for reading.
- H
One of the most successful blind buys of my career. I’d say if the notes and nautical theme appeal to you, give it a try… it’s almost a little tough to be disappointed by in my book. That being said, don’t let my or any other hype get your expectations too high, as ultimately few things are how we expect or hope them to be! Although my own expectations for it were probably higher than they should’ve been—this beauty did not disappoint.
It’s scents like these that I struggle to give coherent descriptions for… The left side of my brain wants to prioritize giving a technical breakdown, while the right just yearns to let loose and set off into whimsical fancy… What’s more important after all—what a scent’s actually composed of—or what it makes us think of? What it makes us feel? I’ll do my best to balance the real and surreal, as if they were yin and yang… Just as many fine reviewers on here (cheers to Floyd, Chizza, etc ) have gotten in the habit of doing.
To me, this fragrance is more than a scent. It turns me from just a person up in New England, to Jack Sparrow sailing down in the Caribbean. From Joe Shmoe, to the Percy-Jackson’s-father version of Poseidon—laid back, exuding strong notes of pineapple, lemon and rum, with smoky tobacco, leather, seaweed, oak and gunpowder hiding just beneath… This frag truly makes me feel like a pirate at sea… except probably a bit better smelling. I can see the clear blue water and white shores, palm trees and wooden ships lit by lantern traversing day and night… I can feel the long days cast adrift, with nothing but rum, a pipe, and limes to keep the scurvy at bay to keep me company among the oaken floors and leather-strapped chests and barrels while the tide lulls us to sleep—salty sea air spraying over the side with every stir…
The longevity is awesome. The particular fixatives used in this blend are so naturally aromatic, that you’ll be getting whiffs off where you sprayed your skin up to 18 hours later… and on clothes until washing and beyond if you like to lay it on thick.
Bottle is super cool. Atomizer is incredible—possibly the best in my collection. It’s ultra smooth with a long draw and steady sprays, making partial sprays easy and even “spray paint” type effects possible. Check out my photo if you’d like! Just capture’s the bottle’s cool vibe, rather than the atomizer’s capability though, sadly.
I could say so much more but all in all I think this, like many frags set out to be but ultimately fail at, is exceptional in that it really is more of a story—a feeling—than a fragrance, and I applaud Mr. Fort on his accomplishment here. I’ve also sampled two others from his latest releases, and will give as short of a review I can on Son of a Mint soon, which funnily enough I found to have some similarities with Reina during one of it’s tumultuous phases, but anyway more to come on that later.
To try and kill all the hype I’ve created, it’s really just a very nice, boozy, smoky tropical drink, with the pineapple/lemon, cardamom & salt almost giving off some lime facets and margarita vibes in combination with the rum, however it does lean a bit masculine due to the smoky/woody tobacco/leather/oak base.
Film associations: Pirates of the Caribbean, The Odyssey (1997), Black Sails, One Piece (debatable)
Music associations: Drink Up Me Hearties Yo Ho (Hans Zimmer), Sea Shanty 2 (Old School Runescape), A whole slew of One Piece OSTs (undebatable)
Other fragrance associations: When I first got my nose on it, even though I somehow haven’t yet smelled the original Aventus but instead almost all it’s popular dupes, due to the smoky pineapple I couldn’t help but feel this could be considered it’s cooler, more mature older brother or cousin that’s settled down a bit and gotten a house by the beach haha. But alas, the significant differences in bases could easily be said to preclude such relations.
Another fragrance that’s tough for me to part with, but I’m glad to offer half mL samples à la Luckyscent upon request. Feel free to check out the rest of my inventory via my collection page and the spreadsheet link posted on my wall!
Thanks so much for reading.
- H
