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100 Years of Shalimar
Shalimar, first sold in 1921 under a different name, didn't become "Shalimar" until 1925.
As a lover of Guerlain fragrances I figured there is no better time to add Shalimar to my collection than during Shalimar's 100th anniversary this year. Having smelled the EDP, and the modern version of Shalimar Extrait / Parfum I was always left curious how the vintage version would compare, so I went hunting.
Before I begin, a note about the modern version of Shalimar. Both the EDP and Extrait were satisfactory for me. Guerlain does a great job keeping their classics intact. You shouldn't feel the need to go vintage just because that's the decision I made!
During my hunt for a vintage version of Shalimar I made the choice to wait until the right opportunity presented itself. I ended up waiting 7 months until the bottle I bought popped up. A suspiciously good looking listing popped up. "1970 SEALED Vintage Shalimar Extrait". The pictures looked great, and I used many sources to validate it was real, so I bought it.
Apparently, the bottle of Shalimar Extrait I bought was from between 1967-1974 based off markings. According to the seller this bottle sat in a dark closet in his Mom's house for 50+ years, totally untouched. I documented the entire unboxing, which can be found in the video I linked.
Upon opening it and removing the stopper I was instantly hit by a massive waft of top notes coming from the bottle. That bergamot was waiting 50 years to escape, and it smells amazing. I couldn't have asked to find a better bottle. Nothing was off about it at all. Same amazing bergamot opening, it was powdery, vanillic, slightly leathery, ambery, floral, and later on that civet made it's present known as well. The depth was amazing. Long live SHALIMAR
As a lover of Guerlain fragrances I figured there is no better time to add Shalimar to my collection than during Shalimar's 100th anniversary this year. Having smelled the EDP, and the modern version of Shalimar Extrait / Parfum I was always left curious how the vintage version would compare, so I went hunting.
Before I begin, a note about the modern version of Shalimar. Both the EDP and Extrait were satisfactory for me. Guerlain does a great job keeping their classics intact. You shouldn't feel the need to go vintage just because that's the decision I made!
During my hunt for a vintage version of Shalimar I made the choice to wait until the right opportunity presented itself. I ended up waiting 7 months until the bottle I bought popped up. A suspiciously good looking listing popped up. "1970 SEALED Vintage Shalimar Extrait". The pictures looked great, and I used many sources to validate it was real, so I bought it.
Apparently, the bottle of Shalimar Extrait I bought was from between 1967-1974 based off markings. According to the seller this bottle sat in a dark closet in his Mom's house for 50+ years, totally untouched. I documented the entire unboxing, which can be found in the video I linked.
Upon opening it and removing the stopper I was instantly hit by a massive waft of top notes coming from the bottle. That bergamot was waiting 50 years to escape, and it smells amazing. I couldn't have asked to find a better bottle. Nothing was off about it at all. Same amazing bergamot opening, it was powdery, vanillic, slightly leathery, ambery, floral, and later on that civet made it's present known as well. The depth was amazing. Long live SHALIMAR