Viking Creed 2017

It took a long time for the much-anticipated new Creed fragrance to be available. Naturally accompanied by various threads like Aventus 2.0, the bottle now costs €500 (or dollars or even pounds) or maybe €1,000, and overall, a price increase is outrageous or even inhumane, leading to discussions about whether orange looks stylish on the perfume shelf, even though the Vikings never wore orange at all... if you overlook the emptiness of the content, one might think it was a transcript from the local asylum.
Anyway... but one thing the chaotic discussions have achieved is that the expectations and the associated price perception (due to false statements or inflated prices from the USA) skyrocketed, alongside growing outrage... but neither the brand nor the fragrance is to blame for that.
I had zero expectations for the fragrance, was open to hopefully new impressions, and was just happy that after 8 years, a new Creed fragrance is coming to the market, excluding the reissue of Royal Mayfair.
After the first spray, I had to digest the shower gel-toothpaste shock. Mint in fragrances is always tricky, as I often associate it with toothpaste, chewing gum, or cocktails; here, Himalaya shows its qualities. It didn't smell particularly luxurious, but quite accessible and pleasant.
Strangely, the shower gel freshness disappeared during the second and third tests. This mainstream freshness fades relatively quickly, leaving behind a carefree scent phase, where I initially thought, wow... it's not that bad at all, maybe different than expected with the fragrance notes, but definitely wearable, which for me is the outstanding feature of many Creed fragrances: being able to wear them anytime and anywhere, stylishly.
Unfortunately, after a few minutes, a note of spice sachets and patchouli emerges, with very unsweet cinnamon. I immediately thought of Monsieur by Frederic Malle, and unfortunately also of Big Red chewing gum and even worse... the red Tiger Balm from the pharmacy. I don't like patchouli when it's a main ingredient, only liked Big Red as a child, and I never like Tiger Balm (especially not when it gets in your eyes), but it helps with my neck pain. With these associations, the fragrance has a hard time with me. In the base, I recognize the typical classic note of many Creed fragrances (which I like), but unfortunately also something reminiscent of aftershave. However, the nice base can’t save the fragrance. Even though the oriental direction is uncharted territory for Creed (as opposed to Amouage, which is becoming more European and distancing itself from its oriental roots and attar times) and they probably tried to do something different (commendable), this idea doesn't quite ignite for me, and I find it to be in the upper mid-range, currently seeing it as fairly rated and likely landing around 7.5 to 7.7 over time, as the disappointments from Aventus successors decrease.
The longevity is very good for me (unfortunately always with patchouli), and the sillage is quite decent. However, I suspect it won't be as easy and carefree to wear as many classics within the brand. Critics will probably say, finally a Creed with depth, and for fans of the brand (I don’t mean Aventus fans!), they will likely just shrug their shoulders and look forward to the next new Creed and/or continue testing; that’s definitely what I’ll do with my 10ml:-)! But it’s not a candidate for purchase at the moment.

Edit 06.11.17
Why am I only now noticing the wonderful orange note in further tests? The toothpaste is also gone... the fragrance seems to be more multifaceted than I initially believed. I can probably soon strike the final sentence in my original comment and raise it to 8.0;-)!

Edit 15.11.17

I've now raised it to 8.5 and it's definitely my next purchase! It's become more beautiful every day... great fragrance!