36
Top Review
It must be the cardamom...
Yes, I love cardamom in food. I first enjoyed it in coffee in Israel - it tasted great!
But as a fragrance? Cardamom has always been more of a flavor than a scent for me. However, when I smell my jar of cardamom pods, I realize: oh yes, cardamom not only tastes wonderful, it also smells fantastic! And when I look at the fragrances I love, there are indeed disproportionately many that contain cardamom: 'Pour Monsieur' by Chanel, 'Déclaration', 'Chypre Shot', 'Timbuktu', 'Dzongkha', and so on....
Yes, and also this one: 'Galaad'.
Delphine Thierry has created a beautiful, dry-spicy oriental with chypre tendencies here, which fortunately does without the often heavy tonka/vanilla sweetness, carries no overwhelming floral bouquet, and leaves the usual hesperides hanging on the tree.
'Akkad', also by Delphine Thierry, is more typical with its oriental additions: with a lot of vanilla and especially a lot of amber, and probably for this reason finds more admirers.
As beautiful as 'Akkad' is, I prefer 'Galaad'. It’s probably the cardamom, but certainly not only that.
Interestingly, 'Galaad' often reminds me of Chanel's 'Pour Monsieur', that fresh-citrusy chypre fragrance that, alongside 'Mitsouko', still defines the chypre genre today. While 'Galaad' has no fresh, citrusy notes at all, it is the spicy heart (the cardamom!) and the latent bitter-mossy chypre base that make me think of the Chanel scent. The chypre facet of 'Galaad' is rather restrained, merely accentuating the oriental character. The spice, on the other hand, comes through fully - varying the heart of 'Pour Monsieur', so to speak, in EdP strength. Various balsams smooth the sharp edges of the herbal aromas, round out the fragrance, and make it appear softer. The interplay of the dry-spicy accords and the subtle sweetness of the balsams is, I find, very well balanced and characterizes the entire fragrance progression.
In the base, slightly resinous-smoky facets and a bit of inky oakmoss join in, along with a hint of oud. Fortunately, it’s really just a hint, because I must admit, I’m a bit oud-weary....
A customer of mine recently remarked that my fragrance reminded him of a noble spicy soap, and yes, since then I share this association. However, it’s more of a cream soap, as 'Galaad' has something creamy rather than something biting and lye-like. What surprised me, though, was that the customer apparently still perceived my fragrance quite distinctly, while I thought it had already faded away after hours. 'Galaad' belongs to those fragrances that one might mistakenly think are fleeting. However, the scent has good longevity, with moderate projection. The sensory adaptation sets in earlier than with 'Akkad': while 'Akkad' keeps the nose occupied longer, 'Galaad' seems to disappear quite quickly. This is deceptive, as I said, just like with Chanel's 'Pour Monsieur'.
'Galaad' has a pleasantly restrained, never loud presence, which is sure to disappoint those who prefer expansive fragrances. Not me, I like it.
In an interview, Gilles Thévenin, the owner of the Lubin company, was once asked about his favorites: “I wore Guerlain perfumes from the age of 15, and then Armani pour Homme until I joined Guerlain. I have been wearing Lubin Vetiver since 2007 and these days I often wear Galaad, which I like very much.”
I can understand this choice well. As much as I like 'Korrigan', 'Idole', and 'Akkad', from the 'Talismania' line, 'Galaad' is by far the most user-friendly, meaning: the least exposed and thus the most wearable fragrance - a stylish companion in the style of old gentleman classics like 'Eau Sauvage', 'Habit Rouge', or the already mentioned 'Pour Monsieur' by Chanel.
However, if you are looking for a heavy oriental blockbuster like 'Opium', you should keep your hands off 'Galaad'. It definitely presents a finely woven, distinguished, and rather masculine oriental.
And then there’s this great bottle!
But as a fragrance? Cardamom has always been more of a flavor than a scent for me. However, when I smell my jar of cardamom pods, I realize: oh yes, cardamom not only tastes wonderful, it also smells fantastic! And when I look at the fragrances I love, there are indeed disproportionately many that contain cardamom: 'Pour Monsieur' by Chanel, 'Déclaration', 'Chypre Shot', 'Timbuktu', 'Dzongkha', and so on....
Yes, and also this one: 'Galaad'.
Delphine Thierry has created a beautiful, dry-spicy oriental with chypre tendencies here, which fortunately does without the often heavy tonka/vanilla sweetness, carries no overwhelming floral bouquet, and leaves the usual hesperides hanging on the tree.
'Akkad', also by Delphine Thierry, is more typical with its oriental additions: with a lot of vanilla and especially a lot of amber, and probably for this reason finds more admirers.
As beautiful as 'Akkad' is, I prefer 'Galaad'. It’s probably the cardamom, but certainly not only that.
Interestingly, 'Galaad' often reminds me of Chanel's 'Pour Monsieur', that fresh-citrusy chypre fragrance that, alongside 'Mitsouko', still defines the chypre genre today. While 'Galaad' has no fresh, citrusy notes at all, it is the spicy heart (the cardamom!) and the latent bitter-mossy chypre base that make me think of the Chanel scent. The chypre facet of 'Galaad' is rather restrained, merely accentuating the oriental character. The spice, on the other hand, comes through fully - varying the heart of 'Pour Monsieur', so to speak, in EdP strength. Various balsams smooth the sharp edges of the herbal aromas, round out the fragrance, and make it appear softer. The interplay of the dry-spicy accords and the subtle sweetness of the balsams is, I find, very well balanced and characterizes the entire fragrance progression.
In the base, slightly resinous-smoky facets and a bit of inky oakmoss join in, along with a hint of oud. Fortunately, it’s really just a hint, because I must admit, I’m a bit oud-weary....
A customer of mine recently remarked that my fragrance reminded him of a noble spicy soap, and yes, since then I share this association. However, it’s more of a cream soap, as 'Galaad' has something creamy rather than something biting and lye-like. What surprised me, though, was that the customer apparently still perceived my fragrance quite distinctly, while I thought it had already faded away after hours. 'Galaad' belongs to those fragrances that one might mistakenly think are fleeting. However, the scent has good longevity, with moderate projection. The sensory adaptation sets in earlier than with 'Akkad': while 'Akkad' keeps the nose occupied longer, 'Galaad' seems to disappear quite quickly. This is deceptive, as I said, just like with Chanel's 'Pour Monsieur'.
'Galaad' has a pleasantly restrained, never loud presence, which is sure to disappoint those who prefer expansive fragrances. Not me, I like it.
In an interview, Gilles Thévenin, the owner of the Lubin company, was once asked about his favorites: “I wore Guerlain perfumes from the age of 15, and then Armani pour Homme until I joined Guerlain. I have been wearing Lubin Vetiver since 2007 and these days I often wear Galaad, which I like very much.”
I can understand this choice well. As much as I like 'Korrigan', 'Idole', and 'Akkad', from the 'Talismania' line, 'Galaad' is by far the most user-friendly, meaning: the least exposed and thus the most wearable fragrance - a stylish companion in the style of old gentleman classics like 'Eau Sauvage', 'Habit Rouge', or the already mentioned 'Pour Monsieur' by Chanel.
However, if you are looking for a heavy oriental blockbuster like 'Opium', you should keep your hands off 'Galaad'. It definitely presents a finely woven, distinguished, and rather masculine oriental.
And then there’s this great bottle!
Translated · Show original
8 Comments
I also think there's a slight soapy hint of a Chypre in the composition.
Timbuktu and Dzongkha suited him really well as well. Thanks for the tip!