Top Notes 
Vetiver absolute
Peppermint
Thyme
Heart Notes 
Bourbon vetiver
Labdanum
Iris
Sandalwood
Base Notes 
Canary Islands juniper
Immortelle
Styrax
Tobacco
Leather
Oakmoss
GothicHeart
133 Reviews
GothicHeart
Very helpful Review
7
Old blade, new sword...
If we except the skills of the one who uses it, the most important part of a sword is its blade. Its hilt and scabbard can be exquisite pieces of craftsmanship, often adorned with precious metals and gems, but it's always the least adorned part, its blade, that gets the work done. And if anyone is wandering about what is sword talk doing in a perfume review, Vetiver Royal Bourbon is like mounting a very old and battle proven blade on a new housing. A century old fragrance launched anew, with what seems to be lots of respect to its ancestry. And this is like something that does not happen every day in people's lives. Like something that is exceptional enough to be mentioned elaborately and in great detail. Something like being unlucky enough to fall from atop a juniper tree and hit every single branch on your way down. But also being lucky enough, to land on a thick layer of vetiver grass, and thus escape your fall unscathed. And there you'll doff your leather gloves and light up your pipe and think. Cause if there's something that this curio engenders more than anything else, it's thoughts.
Thoughts like "How dare they?"
Thoughts like "Are they nuts?"
Thoughts like "Didn't they know it was 2014?"
And all that stuff which come to mind upon encountering such an oddity during the second decade of the 21st century. But despite banging its own drum while walking a very lonely path, Vetiver Royal Bourbon has actually a lot of things to say.
This little weirdo is a very-very interesting case. Very bitter, very earthy, very herbal and very unique. Oh, and very challenging to wear too. To my silly nose, it smells like hot stones. But not hot because of being under a scorching sun for too long, but hot because this castle was burned during a siege.
I don't know whether it's the fact that I have not smelled it for many years, but I'm under the impression that Vetiver Royal Bourbon is very similar with vintage Daniel Hechter's Caractere. At first, this thought seemed like it had no grounds at all, since the two fragrances only share a couple of notes. But then came the epiphany. Most of Vetiver Royal Bourbon's notes are somewhat neighbouring the ones of this forgotten relic from the late '80s.
-Artemisia instead of vetiver.
-Fir instead of juniper.
-Amber instead of styrax.
-Sage instead of thyme.
-Basil instead of mint.
With the mystery solved, I relished the thought of how much I loved Caractere back in the day, cause it smelled nothing like anything else. So, the verdict here could not be any different. I love Vetiver Royal Bourbon too. I like bizzare scents, and this one is surely of the kind that will raise the "What the hell is that smell?" question. A lot. And if it wasn't so damn pricy, I could vision myself buying two or three bottles just in case it's discontinued. Finally, and despite that this may sound a bit out of the blue, I'll finish this review the way I started it. With swords. So, since I take it that Caractere doesn't ring a bell to at least 50% of the readers, I'll crown Vetiver Royal Bourbon as the Yatagan of our time. Not based that much on sheer similarity, but on being heavy, sharp and sexy to the nth degree...
Thoughts like "How dare they?"
Thoughts like "Are they nuts?"
Thoughts like "Didn't they know it was 2014?"
And all that stuff which come to mind upon encountering such an oddity during the second decade of the 21st century. But despite banging its own drum while walking a very lonely path, Vetiver Royal Bourbon has actually a lot of things to say.
This little weirdo is a very-very interesting case. Very bitter, very earthy, very herbal and very unique. Oh, and very challenging to wear too. To my silly nose, it smells like hot stones. But not hot because of being under a scorching sun for too long, but hot because this castle was burned during a siege.
I don't know whether it's the fact that I have not smelled it for many years, but I'm under the impression that Vetiver Royal Bourbon is very similar with vintage Daniel Hechter's Caractere. At first, this thought seemed like it had no grounds at all, since the two fragrances only share a couple of notes. But then came the epiphany. Most of Vetiver Royal Bourbon's notes are somewhat neighbouring the ones of this forgotten relic from the late '80s.
-Artemisia instead of vetiver.
-Fir instead of juniper.
-Amber instead of styrax.
-Sage instead of thyme.
-Basil instead of mint.
With the mystery solved, I relished the thought of how much I loved Caractere back in the day, cause it smelled nothing like anything else. So, the verdict here could not be any different. I love Vetiver Royal Bourbon too. I like bizzare scents, and this one is surely of the kind that will raise the "What the hell is that smell?" question. A lot. And if it wasn't so damn pricy, I could vision myself buying two or three bottles just in case it's discontinued. Finally, and despite that this may sound a bit out of the blue, I'll finish this review the way I started it. With swords. So, since I take it that Caractere doesn't ring a bell to at least 50% of the readers, I'll crown Vetiver Royal Bourbon as the Yatagan of our time. Not based that much on sheer similarity, but on being heavy, sharp and sexy to the nth degree...
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TheDunkPapa
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