Oh, THIS is it!! I kept thinking about this scent! The flashback takes me 15 years back to a concept designer store in Munich (with a motorcycle as a decorative object and a DJ booth in the middle of the shop, with excessively loud music from Queen). Back then, I caught a whiff of this fragrance on a very simple, yet high-priced piece of clothing. Millesime Imperial flashed me back to exactly that scene. It was definitely the Creed DNA! Years later, it feels like I have finally solved the puzzle. Fantastic!
The scent is unique, slightly salty, aquatically fresh, and then pleasantly warm in the drydown… back then, I only knew the standard designer fragrances, and this particular scent was like a revelation. Of course, I had to treat myself to this fragrance immediately! The sample of this was indeed noticeably stronger in terms of longevity/sillage… yes, yes, the batch codes…
Unfortunately, the longevity of this flashback-inducing perfume in 2021 is rather laughable. I hope the scent matures further. In any case, it is still a delightful feeling to recognize this ONE special fragrance again after years, the one you once fell shockingly in love with ;)
@Pip - Thank you! I actually got the "Club de Nuit Milestone" by Armaf afterwards 😅 However, with this one (like some others unfortunately), I notice a sort of "radish" note in the opening that is a bit sharp - but over time, it really does get closer to the original and is more long-lasting. I can hardly describe it, but Millesime Imperial feels somehow more valuable/noble/refined to me, even though it's weaker in performance.
Interestingly, you can smell the fragrance on others for much longer. Your described "clothing experience" can definitely be repeated. If you wear a top days later that has come into contact with MI, the scent still has the power to come through whatever you’re wearing. So, it’s more like a cloud around you that, unfortunately, is always too far from the wearer’s nose. The fragrance is sadly more for others than for yourself :)
Anyway, congratulations on the rediscovery!