Portraits - Much Ado About the Duke 2016

Portraits - Much Ado About the Duke by Penhaligon's
Bottle Design Marc Ange, Illustration: Kristjana S Williams
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8.1 / 10 236 Ratings
Portraits - Much Ado About the Duke is a popular perfume by Penhaligon's for men and was released in 2016. The scent is woody-spicy. It is being marketed by Puig. Pronunciation
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Main accords

Woody
Spicy
Floral
Fresh
Green

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes RoseRose
Heart Notes Heart Notes GinGin
Base Notes Base Notes Woody notesWoody notes

Perfumer

Videos
Ratings
Scent
8.1236 Ratings
Longevity
7.5202 Ratings
Sillage
6.9204 Ratings
Bottle
8.9216 Ratings
Value for money
6.163 Ratings
Submitted by OPomone, last update on 29.01.2023.
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Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
DerDefcon
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DerDefcon
DerDefcon
Top Review 27  
A bit of variety, a bit of rose, a bit of melancholy.
To put aside camp fever, bad mood or even the strains of student home office (I would so much rather be at university) for a short time, scents can be very helpful - especially finding words for those in this great forum. So it's a change from constantly writing excerpts, essays, a term paper still to be completed and pondering which research text to read first. There is soft music playing in the background, one of my favourite notes - the rose - unfolds on my skin and I am briefly disconnected from this currently rather strange everyday life. So the conditions for a new commentary are perfect.

Those who know me and have perhaps already read one or the other of the comments I have written should know that I have really come to appreciate the flowering plant that stands for romance and love, the rose - especially its richness of facets, which is created by combining it with other great fragrances. There are soapy roses with minimal spiciness like in "Lyric Man". There are also real spicy ones, for example my favourite "Lumière Noire pour homme". And then in the world of fragrances we also find the supposedly boring people who are denied anything special. "Portraits - Much Ado About the Duke" was a fragrance that was quickly stamped by me, I found it rather trivial compared to "The Tragedy of Lord George" at the beginning. But as we all know, opinions change quickly - especially for me, of course ;)

The rose plays the first violin in this composition and is present throughout the entire fragrance. It comes across as very pure, very clean and a bit undercooled. During the first days of the test I smelled only an undercooled, almost too clean rose, but it wasn't until the fourth day that I recognized the reason for the cold. It is the gin that puts this cold on the red bloomer. The fact that I did not notice this kind of alcohol earlier still amazes me when writing this commentary. After the incipient realization, this rose was now not only cool but also sparkling, suddenly not so smooth and boring at all, but one that is underscored with that typically bitter gin note that reminds one a bit of berries. The gin never becomes too dominant or lets the whole thing degenerate into a wild drinking binge. It merely adds to the rose so that it doesn't stand alone - because that would really be the absolute boredom I mentioned at the beginning of my commentary.
As subtle as the gin is, the whole composition is in itself. It is perceptible all day long, but never disturbing, thanks to the pure character of this rose. There is no rose water piercing the nose, no grandmotherly rose soap, and no spices that some might like and others might hate. Maybe it is these missing corners and edges that gave the impression of a boring water at the beginning, but it is exactly the absence of them that makes "Portraits - Much Ado About the Duke" work so well and is also liked by others.

"Gee, Max. That smells really good today and that is discreet - really pleasant! Couldn't you wish for this scent for your birthday instead of this sweet APOM thingamajig?"

The statement comes from my dear mum and if something suits her hypersensitive nose, it is more than just a knighthood for a perfume. In this case, however, it was not wanted or bought. First of all, I wanted my Kurkdjian at all costs (if the corresponding online shop would finally keep its promises) and secondly, in the case of "Portraits - Much Ado About the Duke", the price is also the price. I can't create such an expensive wish list in good conscience. At some point, it's just over and besides, I already have a first-class rose in my collection.

By the way, since I was talking about music, I will take the liberty of simply putting a link here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0CXa69GMp4&list=PLDisKgcnAC4QLb-rcqH-hAL8lT8opTXpL&index=20

This piece, even if a bit melancholic, is just running quietly and discreetly. The film isn't bad, even if you shouldn't be too much on the lookout for historical inconsistencies - something I can't quite deny myself due to my studies. And now I also set a point. After all, this is not meant to be a film criticism, but a scented commentary.
14 Replies
10
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
Micscent
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Micscent
Micscent
Top Review 23  
A dozen roses for the man (8/12)
As a newcomer here, I'm going to try my hand at a series of comments. This is the eighth part.

The motivation, the idea and the criteria
I'm a real fan of the scent of roses (in my youth my mother had Paris from YSL. I found "the hammer") but the rose is not exactly the first thing you come across as part of a men's fragrance. Nevertheless the rose is included in - as I think - more and more men's fragrances.
According to the following criteria I have therefore selected 12 of these fragrances and will comment and compare them bit by bit:
- Men's fragrance (except Desert Rose by Urban Scent as a unisex scent, I just had to use it)
- Rose as heart note (exception: Much Ado About The Duke from Penhaligon's, I was just in London at the time of the idea)
- Published from the year 2000
- Rating of at least 6.0 with at least 40 ratings
- No oud (not mine)

Fragrance number 8 is: Much Ado About The Duke (*2016) by Penhaligon's
(previously: (1) Lumière Noire pour Homme from Maison Francis Kurkdjian, (2) 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract from Atkinsons, (3) Lyric Man from Amouage, (4) Colonia Ambra from Acqua di Parma), (5) Déclaration d'un Soir from Cartier, (6) Desert Rose from Urban Scents , (7) ManRose from Etro)

The house, the perfumer and shopping
From a "corner BarberShop""" to a worldwide perfume empire. William Henry Penhaligon (1837-1902) was a barber and founded his business in 1861 in Penzance (county of Cornwall in England). In 1869 he moved to London and worked in a hammam in Jermyn Street, also as a barber. Jermyn Street in central London was famous for the shirt makers who lived there and the very exclusive hammam was visited by politicians, celebrities and members of the royal family. In 1872 William Penhaligon also released his first fragrance, it was "Hammam Bouquet". Inspired by the aromas of the Turkish bath, it is said to have been William Penhaligon's favourite throughout his life and is still one of Penhaligon's bestsellers today. In 1880 he founded the company Penhaligon's & Jeavons (Haircutters and Perfumers), since then Penhaligon's has been awarded several times as purveyor to the court of the English Royal House, most recently in 1988 by Lady Diana Princess of Wales. In 2015 the Spanish company Puig took over Penhaligon's. The company, which is still family-owned (now in its third generation), was founded in 1914 and, in addition to Penhaligon's, also distributes Paco Rabanne, Jean Paul Gaultier, Comme des Garçons, Prada and L'Artisan Parfumeur, among others. In 2016, Puig launched Penhaligon's, an entire collection of new fragrances - as "olifactory fiction". The fiction consists of a rather eccentric British aristocratic family. Each fragrance is accompanied by a short story to introduce us to the person behind the fragrance (there is even a small booklet "Penhaligon's Portraits - Into the wild"). One of the fragrances is "Much Ado About The Duke". And the list of Swiss perfumer Daphné Bugey, who created the fragrance, is as illustrious as the Puig brands. From "Armani Privé - Rose Milano" (brand new!) to "Rose 31" (from Le Labo) to Valentino's "Valentina Pink", the rose also plays a major role in her work. I had to buy "the Duke" in one of the small Penhaligan's boutiques - great!
The fragrance, the ingredients and the experience
But once again back to the aristocratic family. The Duke Nelson has married London's most desirable girl, the Duchess Rose. However, his whimsical impulses make the tongues of society boil. The rumor is that his still young marriage is already at an end. The fragrance is accordingly ambivalent like him: a floral yet masculine, leathery-woody scent. The scent starts peppery, almost a bit "sprittig". Nevertheless very pleasant, but of course striking and angular. The distinct gin note reminds of "Juniper Sling" from the same house. But here the whole thing becomes softer very quickly, due to a wonderful, almost lovely rose. The latter only underpins and never takes a dominant role. Soon the woody note is added. Whereby I don't think it is cashmere wood (as one of my pre-commentators thinks) but a mixture of cedar and especially sandalwood and I think I can make out leather as well. The rose always remains in a discreet centre. And if ever there was a flower that symbolizes perfume, it would certainly be the rose. It has already played a role in all kinds of cultures. The ancient Egyptians considered the rose sacred to the goddess Isis, in the classical world the rose is associated with the goddess of love (Aphrodite or Venus) and in medieval Christianity the five petals of the flower symbolize the five wounds of Christ and are later associated with the Virgin Mary. Already towards the end of the Middle Ages the rose was cultivated for its fragrance in the Middle East.

The conclusion, the comparison and the practical application
Spicy and woody (like "Colonia Ambra", see "A Dozen Roses for Men - 4/12") with a subtle floral - i.e. rosy - quality makes "Much Ado About The Duke" an ambivalent classic. He combines the femininity of the rose with the masculinity of sandalwood and leather. The whole thing perfectly connected and balanced, chic and perhaps a little decadent, strong and invigorating as well as soft and supple. With good 100 ratings so far a 8.1, from me there is a smooth 10!

(1) Lumière Noire pour Homme - The noble softie
(2) 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract - The Elegant Briton
(3) Lyric Man - The "pure" rose
(4) Colonia Ambra - The "warm (rose) wood"
(5) Déclaration d'un Soir - The "olfactory emotion"
(6) Desert Rose - "The Name of the Rose"
(7) ManRose - The aesthete
(8) Much Ado About The Duke
12 Replies
10
Bottle
10
Sillage
10
Longevity
10
Scent
Calabria1
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Calabria1
Calabria1
12  
Gin with rose thorns on ice
. . .so you could imagine the scent. Apart from the great flacon, the contents also promise an incredible performance.
When applied, it is still a little peppery, almost scratchy - hence the title - but after a few minutes a really cool fragrance development is noticeable.
The scent partly gives off flowery, woody, warm but also cooled sequences (just like gin from ice) - really awesome. The longer the fragrance is on the skin, the more it becomes one with the wearer - at a good arm length almost beguiling.
In my opinion it is also very suitable for the office, the ladies sometimes said that this perfume is very dangerous for the wearer...;-)
But it polarizes very much; holds at a distance or pulls in.
It absolutely underlines the masculine character such as strength, sovereignty, down-to-earthness, alpha dog, independence but also the pleasant ones such as familiarity, warmth, closeness.

In my opinion, it suits very well guys who are dressed daily either in a suit, chinos and shirt or in Britain tweed...that's why I have it...;-)

But also in the evening or in the club it does not let the carrier down; silage and durability is top.
Absolute compliment getter!!

Price, however, also - it separates the niche carrier from the designer fragrance carrier relatively quickly.
2 Replies
9
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
8
Scent
Rene72
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Rene72
Rene72
Helpful Review 10  
The Married-in Dandy
The Duke married into the Lordship's family as a well-known as well as coveted dandy. So much for the family story told in fragrant characters that Penhaligon´s has brilliantly placed. The flacons and packaging alone are great and make you want to get to know the whole story. Rarely have I been able to personify fragrances so clearly. Of course, with every perfume you imagine who can wear it and when. But it is a stroke of genius to project character traits through scents in such a way that they fit into a specially created family saga. The masterful design of the flacons and the Victorian-style packaging by Kristjana S Williams speak for good artistic skills.
Only here at Duke Nelson I have problems with the assignment of the dog to the character. A dog has nothing in common with an eccentric dandy in my imagination. Dogs tend to be loyal, submissive companions. Thanks to Daphné Bugey, the Duke doesn't smell like a dog either, possibly even a wet dog.
No, the scent matches the picture of the dandy. The rose, very present to me, betrays the dandy, whether worn in the buttonhole of the tweed jacket or brought to his wife, the Duchess Rose, to selfishly surround himself as a dandy with the fragrant roses.
The Duke does not drink the brandy of his father-in-law Lord George, he is also not inclined towards rum, Radcliff prefers it, the illegitimate son of the Lord and thus half-brother of the Duchess and quasi the brother-in-law of our dandy. The Duke has succumbed to the gin. Penhaligon's now includes its own classic, a touch of Juniper Sling accompanies the Duke. The botanicals of the noble gin, especially juniper, blend well with the rose. Nothing's pushy.
I can't say exactly which woods make their contributions, but they do bring the male touch, because dandy or not, he's a man and I see the scent on a man too. It can't be excluded that there are also gin-drinking rose lovers, but this would certainly have been staged differently.
Allegedly there is also a leather note, which I don't notice.
4 Replies
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Hitchslap

102 Reviews
Hitchslap
Hitchslap
1  
Rose Alcool
This is a beaut, if you really enjoyed Ungaro's L'Homme III, then this is for you!

Not until I wore this Penhaligon's scent was I reminded of Ungaro's III, Much Ado gives me an idea what L'Homme III would smell like if they amped the strength and quality of ingredients.

Ungaro's Homme III has Rose and Vodka as its headliners while Penhaigon's Much Ado About the Duke projects Rose and Gin.

So aromatic and it projects for such a good amount of time, definitely unisex and classy. Homme III comes across, to me, as a warmer weather type while this scents strength makes it a year round frag.
0 Replies
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2 short views on the fragrance
EstbienlaEstbienla 8 months ago
It reminds me of the tirade at the theater of aristocratic perfume extremely under the side Royal Mayfair
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Q8baggioQ8baggio 6 years ago
10
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
10
Scent
Similar to creeds royal mayfair with no medical feel .
0 Replies

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