Helio's for Men Elio Berhanyer 1969 Eau de Toilette

Cappellusman's blind test No. 3 and with my appearance tip (1972) I was only off by 3 years.

Stylistically, "Helio's" from the completely unknown Spanish brand Berhanyer is a typical child of its time and fits somewhere into a type triangle between "Z-14", "Derby", and "Equipage".

Green-barbershop-like, yet quite spicy, I perceive a decent amount of clove pepper, a bit of ethereal eucalyptus, perhaps cardamom, certainly some leather, and a good deal of wood. What the bottle makes quite clear, which bears a striking resemblance to the Scottish "Cardhu" whisky, reflects the target audience, namely rugged guys.

Consistently woven with a rich spice punch, yet undeniably built with a refreshing touch from the aftershave aspect along with eucalyptus.

In my opinion - and this also bothers me a bit about "Equipage" - the clove pepper is somewhat brutally dosed, taking up a bit too much space with its dry-spicy-nutty-bitter character.

Nevertheless: Well crafted, a very classic three-day beard guy, although not in any closer selection for me.

... Elio Berhanyer, according to the Spanish-language Wikipedia, is probably one of the most significant Spanish designers alongside Balenciaga. Listen, listen...

Well, I haven't heard of him, nor of his fragrances, which apparently no one else has tested here either. Another brave blind purchase in one of my favorite vintage perfumeries in Italy (where else...). It wasn't exactly cheap, but with the year of release and the bottle, I thought nothing could go wrong...

Indeed, nothing went wrong, no "bad luck," no "oh dear, that didn't work out," quite the opposite: What is offered here allows Cappellusman to indulge once more and, almost with glassy eyes, forget the troubles and woes of the world. By chance (or rather my ordering behavior), some affordable mainstream fragrances of a younger vintage also arrived today. In direct comparison, my jaw dropped once again. What is this? The downfall of the West? Perverted mass taste? What have we been sold for many years in terms of ordinary and interchangeable scents?

About the fragrance: An opulent-fruity opening, characterized by bergamot (of course). However, it does not develop into the expected classic chypre; instead, it leans more towards fougère. In the drydown, it becomes warm with subtle leather and wood. Magnificent. Completely natural ingredients with a very noble feel. A comparison with "Azzaro pour Homme" is always a bit unfair because the latter is simply too good and distinctive, but HfM almost reaches its quality. This fragrance is a rare gem, yes indeed! I simply have to give it 100%,
Vintage junkies: Please step forward!