Inspired by Rivegauches' recent statement and the good comments below, I decided to give an old gem from the bargain table of classic fragrances another chance. I had tested Varon Dandi Eau de Cologne many years ago but didn’t pay much attention to it. A mistake! Currently, Varon Dandi (on the market since 1924) is distributed (and probably also produced) by Puig and sold in 1000 ml bottles (no typo, we are talking about a whole liter). For this, you currently pay 7.90, but you have to add the shipping costs from Spain. For me, it was a total of 13.90. It doesn’t get more affordable (and I mean affordable, not cheap) than this. Is this now Spanish discount merchandise? No, it is not, but rather a well-aged classic that is rightly compared from time to time with Floïd Mentolado Vigoroso or "Tabac Original (Eau de Cologne) | Mäurer & Wirtz." It lies somewhere between the two but has a more feminine touch. Occasionally, Knize Ten Toilet Water is also mentioned as a reference, but then we would be in different style regions: Knize Ten, occasionally dubbed the best men's fragrance of all time, is certainly one of the oldest in the genre and belongs, in my opinion, to another league, but it does indeed have a similar aura, a similar vibe. Those who seriously do not know any of the mentioned fragrances might now wonder how Varon Dandi Eau de Cologne actually smells. Here’s how it smells: a subtle alcoholic opening quickly transitions into hesperidic freshness, which only lasts briefly before being replaced by a warm leather note with amber tones and lavender (IrisNobile points this out) and then fades into a stream of musk with a hint of driftwood. It sounds very masculine, but it is only conditionally so, as the warm spicy, amber-colored leather sweetness (traditional, meaning with birch tar and amber and not with dull synthetic leather accord like Tuscan Leather) and the subtly erotic, yet also clean soapy and powdery musk tones would also work well in a women's fragrance and are likely the reason why there are some female owners/users alongside stylish dandies (see above). Quite rightly so, ladies! Please wear it!
It's really great, unless you live in Spain and generations of men have already worn it. Unfortunately, even my mother-in-law finds it unbearably old-fashioned - but that doesn't take away from its actual quality. Maybe I should get a decant of it for when I'm in one of my antisocial phases... ;)
Let's see if I come across it on my next vacation in Andalusia... it definitely sounds like I should at least give it a try... despite the powdery musk!
That must be a big oversight that I've never come across this scent... It sounds absolutely lovely, and a 1000ml bottle can run out faster than you think ;-)
Your tip came at the perfect time! I love giving good perfumes to people in need, and my lack of men's fragrances is finally over :-) At least 20 homeless newspaper vendors in Hamburg will soon smell wonderful - and radiate a bit of the dignity and class they carry deep in their battered hearts...
Thanks for the compliment! Misunderstood, well said; often it's just about the price here, but that doesn't always mean anything, in this case, it means nothing. 🙏😊
It's always fascinating how much good fragrance you can get for so little money, and how much money people (including me) are willing to spend on other scents instead ;)
That's true, and if the expensive ones are good, that's fine, but often expensive and good have nothing to do with each other. I can think of entire portfolios from certain brands that offer nothing but average quality and sell it for a fortune.
The good old Varón Dandy.
Why hasn't Mäurer & Wirtz come up with a similar bottle for Tabac Original?
Jokes aside, the amber note is beautifully crafted with the leathery tones.
It's also a lot of fun to apply.
¡Very good review!
When Corona started and disinfection was a top priority everywhere, I ordered a three-pack (3x1 liter)! It smelled fantastic at home and on the go (transferred into smaller spray bottles) and worked really well! I still have a large bottle in stock! Your review is a lovely tribute and brings back great memories for me!
I think Varon Dandy makes a great disinfectant! 😂 It definitely smells better than the stuff from the pharmacy or drugstore. Yeah, usually the right alcohol concentration is enough to get rid of the viruses.
Between Tabac Original and Knize Ten, it can only be good. A bit too retro for me, but probably wonderfully well-groomed aromatic. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
I recently tested the Floïd at Manufactum. It's a really characterful aftershave. I find it incredibly charming that such scents are still being made and sold.
That's what I call value for money at an A-grade level! :-D Ah, I wish more men would smell *like this* instead of the same old synthetic nonsense... *sigh*
I have a complaint for the ladies! The only (extremely rare) compliments I've ever received on my scent were for pure synthetics, like Beckham The Essence, which I sprayed on during my lunch break and couldn't wash off. 😂
☺️ Thank you! Things like this need to be promoted because there are expensive perfumes everywhere, but cheap ones... actually, there are a lot of those too 😂, but most of them just aren't good.
I think you belong to the core target audience. 😉 Birch tar doesn’t smell like tar, but rather like smoky wood and leather. Just a heads up, in case you were hoping for a nice tar bath! 😅
I actually have a 1000ml bottle of this scent (it was the only size available to me without any hassle). In the summer, I love refreshing myself with it - and having a good supply comes in handy. Wearing it? Definitely!
Since I couldn't decide on a scent this morning, I'll be trying Udo's Knize right after. So this affordable relative might suit me well too... very informative, clear review (in the esteemed Yatagan style :) )!
You've really brought another gem to light and expressed it very clearly! The name component "Dandy" hints at a play with feminine notes. I'm curious about what the 1L bottle looks like...
In the photo by colleague vSpee on the VAron Dandy page, the liter bottle is sitting between sherry bottles...
It's not pretty, but it's the inner values that count ;-).
Haha, yes, that's a fair question, but it's quite simple: a huge glass cylinder, pretty heavy, with a solid plastic cap that somewhat resembles Bakelite. 🙏😅
I'm glad to have been an inspiration. By the way, there's currently an exhibition dedicated to the fragrance in Barcelona, and a book (unfortunately only in Spanish) has also been published about it.
That's great, and I'll look it up. A book in Spanish would be a challenge, but maybe I could understand it roughly? Or am I overestimating myself? Anyway, it would be worth a try. When is an exhibition on Tabac and Knize Ten coming?
I've noticed that you have a different writing style now... not that I didn't like the old one... oh yes! But the new one is fantastic... don't get me wrong 😑... it's closer to the common folk like me. 😉 The classic scent would definitely be something for me.
I'm glad you brought that up. I've always maintained a factual, informative style in my statements because I want to convey something about the scent, to explain what seems important to me. I probably carried that over to my comments. 🙏🤩
I've been intrigued by it for a while, but the bottle size does put me off a bit. Even if I end up liking it, I'd have to live to about 300 years old to use it up, and I'm not sure that's a bit too ambitious...
Yes! - and I’m one of them! 😃 … My bottle doesn’t hold a whole liter (I got it from an online estate sale) … it’s a space-saving 100 ml ;)) - I also like this cologne -, and the scent is absolutely unisex -, with a refined, very subtle lavender note -, which I prefer over other men’s fragrances where it’s often too pronounced. - A great, informative review that’s making me want to dig this scent out from the depths of my closet again 😉😊
It's always sad when such beautiful old classics end up in the cheap price range. I feel the same way about Marbert Woman, which is offered at a very low price but is still a lovely and high-quality scent.
I vacation in Spain at least twice a year. I need to keep my eyes open for that. I get the impression that people in Spain generally smell more classic. I rarely notice very modern scents there.
Oh, that sounds great! The price for an XXXL household bottle is almost outrageous...
The Knize is a bit too harsh for me, although I usually handle classic leather better than modern ones.
I had that one too. It's really a beautifully crafted scent and hard to beat in terms of size and price. You'll hardly get through it all in a lifetime!..;)))
Oh yes: so true...!
I just filled an old Oriental jewelry bottle I found while browsing some classic fragrances with my dandy from the liter jug yesterday - now it looks super elegant too :-)).
Strange, in the A/B comparison, the differences to Knize are really significant, but sometimes the aura alignment outweighs the detailed analysis. Still one of my favorites. Best regards!
https://perfumedpolitics.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-entangled-history-of-varon-dandy.html
Thanks!
I would definitely like it.
Why hasn't Mäurer & Wirtz come up with a similar bottle for Tabac Original?
Jokes aside, the amber note is beautifully crafted with the leathery tones.
It's also a lot of fun to apply.
¡Very good review!
Birch tar and amber?
That's definitely going to be worn :)
It's not pretty, but it's the inner values that count ;-).
By the way, there's currently an exhibition dedicated to the fragrance in Barcelona, and a book (unfortunately only in Spanish) has also been published about it.
The Knize is a bit too harsh for me, although I usually handle classic leather better than modern ones.
I just filled an old Oriental jewelry bottle I found while browsing some classic fragrances with my dandy from the liter jug yesterday - now it looks super elegant too :-)).