Vetiver Royal Bourbon 2014

Version from 2014
Vetiver Royal Bourbon (2014) by Oriza L. Legrand
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8.0 / 10 188 Ratings
A popular perfume by Oriza L. Legrand for men, released in 2014. The scent is spicy-woody. It is still in production.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Spicy
Woody
Green
Earthy
Fresh

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
Vetiver absoluteVetiver absolute PeppermintPeppermint ThymeThyme
Heart Notes Heart Notes
Bourbon vetiverBourbon vetiver LabdanumLabdanum IrisIris SandalwoodSandalwood
Base Notes Base Notes
Canary Islands juniperCanary Islands juniper ImmortelleImmortelle StyraxStyrax TobaccoTobacco LeatherLeather OakmossOakmoss

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
8.0188 Ratings
Longevity
8.0150 Ratings
Sillage
7.2151 Ratings
Bottle
7.7128 Ratings
Value for money
7.563 Ratings
Submitted by Merlina, last update on 02/13/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Vetiver Veritas by Heeley
Vetiver Veritas
Vetiver by Lorenzo Villoresi
Vetiver
Vetiver (Eau de Toilette) by Etro
Vetiver Eau de Toilette
Vetyverso by Laboratorio Olfattivo
Vetyverso
Sultan Vetiver by Nishane
Sultan Vetiver
Fat Electrician by Etat Libre d'Orange
Fat Electrician

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions
7.5
Bottle
7.5
Sillage
10
Longevity
9
Scent
GothicHeart

86 Reviews
GothicHeart
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...
1 Comment
Thewrongbeth

64 Reviews
Thewrongbeth
Thewrongbeth
1  
Swoon.
I sampled this a few years ago and loved it, though at the time I had several vetiver scents and so wasn't in the market. Fast-forward to 2025 when VRB is available on the grey market for 50% of retail. Sold!

This is a stunning treatment of the traditionally masculine vetiver accord. Lots of plush iris and pillow-soft balsams reel this in from masculine extremes. Androgynous femmes or yins with a lot of yang energy can pull this off, though it is quite polished, so don your pinstripe pant suits and red-soled stilettos, ladies.

For me, this is ecstasy because it so closely resembles my long lost love: L'Artisan's Dzongkha. That combination of bitter greens, incense, and soft powder makes me weak in the knees! Elegant and earthy. This is not the forest witch; this is fox-hunting.
0 Comments
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Mörderbiene

42 Reviews
Translated Show original Show translation
Mörderbiene
Mörderbiene
Top Review 44  
Sola dose facit venenum
There are plenty of vetiver scents, and the spectrum ranges from the classic spicy-fresh representatives such as Carven and Guerlain to warm balsamic interpretations such as vetiver ambrato. Here I allow myself a reference to the collection folder 'Oriental Vetiver' of the user Yatagan.
I would classify Vetiver Royal Bourbon from Oriza Legrand between these extremes. The classic citrus head and characteristic freshness of the former group is missing, the fragrance has body and weight, but it is too hard and lacks the sweetness to be classified in the latter group.
The vetiver note is crunchy like Etro and Heeley, which is why I recommend the use of Vetyverylacetat.
However, like all the accompanying notes, it seems to be used rather reservedly here.
The lively herbal freshness of mint and thyme is combined with the rugged vetiver, sweet Styrax and vanilla tobacco All in all, it has a slightly medical effect, which I sometimes like very much.
But I didn't choose the headline just because of that - Vetiver Royal Bourbon is characterised above all by the moderate use of the individual fragrances. So here are some notes that I find very difficult in high dosage. Thyme quickly becomes too smoky, mint too toothy, vetiver too crunchy, tobacco too sweet, iris too powdery, Immortelle too spicy, leather...
Here, however, perfumer Hugo Lambert seems to have hit the golden section, the proportions are right, and the individual notes combine to create an extremely pleasant, like anything but boring, vetiver scent. Thus they offer each other room to unfold and interact to create an extremely exciting scent, which fascinates me deeply.
The wishlist is just missed, which is not so much because of the fragrance itself, but rather because of my collection, which already has a midway-vetivator with Odin's Nr 08.
Nevertheless, I would like to make an explicit test recommendation not only for vetiver lovers.
25 Comments
9
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
10
Scent
Minigolf

458 Reviews
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Minigolf
Minigolf
Top Review 22  
Completely satisfied
I've finally got a wish list smell under my nose. An almost full 100 ml bottle is enthroned on the table in front of me. Winking at me. I would not have thought that I would choose a second "signature scent", but now it is nevertheless so far!
This "Vetiver Royal Bourbon" is a refined fragrance, a play on ingredients that only master perfumers can achieve. There is everything included to create a truly "colorful vetiver" that covers all the facets that this sweet grass can only have.
Combined with fresh (mint, thyme) herbs it creates a pleasant coolness, which is supported by the iris.
Then there are moments of surprise of deep warmth that penetrates through the sandalwood and the "Bourbon" Vetyver into the deepest soul core and signals "contentment".
There are moments of almost "balsamic" intensity that seem to be due to myrrh-like herbs.
And the deep green of a densely mossy place in the forest, where soft sunlight falls through the leafy treetops. After a warm summer rain.
Hardly any pleasant sensation that this "royal" scent does not cover.
With the "Vetiver Royal Bourbon" by Oriza Legrand , "the big one" (perfumer...) I have trumped all vetiver scents that also have big class. Even the very well-known brands.
Love?... absolutely. Satisfaction... in any case!
The fragrance contributes a lot.
10 Comments
6
Pricing
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
10
Longevity
7
Scent
Lauser93

836 Reviews
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Lauser93
Lauser93
Helpful Review 1  
An intense vetiver fragrance
If you like very intense vetiver fragrances, you might be happy with the Vetiver Royal Bourbon (2014). I personally find the scent okay, but to be honest, it's not really my kind of fragrance. The longevity is very brute at well over 24 hours. The sillage is very successful so far.

The top note starts refreshing, greenish, herbal and spicy with aromas of peppermint, thyme, eucalyptus, artemisia, juniper berries, immortelle and menthol. The heart note has a resinous, woody and somewhat smoky scent of sandalwood, styrax, cedarwood, tobacco and leather. The base smells quite earthy and rooty of vetiver, patchouli and oakmoss.

As mentioned at the beginning, this signature is not my world, but there will certainly be fans of the Vetiver Royal Bourbon (2014). Once again, I would like to thank Nick for the many bottlings.
0 Comments

Statements

4 short views on the fragrance
MuskadeerMuskadeer 2 days ago
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
5
Scent
Strange somewhat artificial mix of very strong mint-eucalyptus-camphor, vetiver and powdery leather elements. The elements don't mix well.
0 Comments
PedroCabralPedroCabral 5 months ago
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
I get strong mint at first, then of all things it starts to smell like rum, like I spilled my rum and Coke on my clothes. Excellent!
0 Comments
Val619ktVal619kt 8 months ago
Fits in same category as Sultan Vetiver and Guerlain Vetiver (Listerine bottle), very masculine slightly earthy green vetiver. 8/10
0 Comments
GianmarcoSerGianmarcoSer 2 years ago
It start very strong with a fresh and medicinal vetiver then it become more easy and sweet even if the vetiver is the main character
0 Comments

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Images

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