Portraits

The Inimitable William Penhaligon Penhaligon's 2020

The Inimitable William Penhaligon by Penhaligon's

Bottle Design:
Marc Ange, Illustration: Kristjana S Williams

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6.9 / 10 178 Ratings

A perfume by Penhaligon's for men, released in 2020. The scent is woody-spicy. It is being marketed by Puig.
Pronunciation

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Main accords

Woody

Spicy

Sweet

Fresh

Smoky

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bergamot

Jasmine

Heart Notes

Cedarwood

Haitian vetiver

Frankincense

Base Notes

Ambrox

Sandalwood

Perfumer

Alberto Morillas

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

6.9178 Ratings

Longevity

7.3139 Ratings

Sillage

6.7140 Ratings

Bottle

8.9144 Ratings

Value for money

5.4104 Ratings

Submitted by multiple users, last update on 03/16/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the "Portraits" collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Inimitable

Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette

The Blazing Mister Sam

Phantom

Sycomore (2016) Eau de Parfum

Black Afgano Extrait de Parfum

Reviews

9 in-depth fragrance descriptions

10/27/2024

3
Pricing 8
Bottle 6
Sillage 6
Longevity 6.5
Scent

Golcher
138 Reviews

Golcher

1

Skip it

I really like Blazing Mr Sam, it’s a great fragrance and it made me confident enough to purchase another fragrance from the house (for the right price, of course) so I found The Inimitable William at a discounter and found the notes interesting enough to go for it.

My first impression was: what the hell, did someone mess up and bottled Mr Sam in a William bottle!? well it seems that despite the difference in the notes they are pretty much the same but with William besides the same scent you get whiffs of citrus and vetiver every once in a while (which I thought was what this fragrance’s focus would’ve been based on the note breakdown) so, I don’t know what this fragrance wants to be a Sam look alike or a Green, Citrus, Vetiver scent but it doesn’t achieve any of both. Does it smell bad? no, does it smell good? sorta! it smells confused and not only do I not enjoy it but it made my enjoyment for Mr Sam less. If you’re a casual fragrance user save your money and by something cheaper that will smell just as good or even better, if you’re a fragrance enthusiast save you money as this doesn’t go one way nor the other.

02/03/2024

2
Pricing 10
Bottle 5
Sillage 6
Longevity 4.5
Scent

Bodomic
8 Reviews

Bodomic

1

William Penhaligon: The Monarchy that is no More

I'm very sorry.

There was a time I was extremely hyped, since I treated myself with the Portaits Collection Discovery Set, and I eventually got to TIWP. I apologize, because I can't really remember what it was that I felt one year ago. But it looks like something bewitched me and it didn’t take me too long to purchase it.

Later on, during the time I got around 80 perfumes and ended up selling 50 of them, I spent most of my perfume journey sampling, so I didn't really spray perfumes in my collection much.
However, from time to time I enjoyed taking this marvelous and luxurious cap off and get a reminiscence of why I loved the perfume.

Two/three days ago, I had near +260 sampled perfumes on my back, respectively, from the beginning of my journey. So this time I took the cap off for the good dose. For the spray.

And then... I wasn't in love with William anymore. In fact, my frustration and anger escalated pretty quickly before the "inimitable" question rose in me: What in the world brought me to purchase that scent?

I feel a velvety synthetic and astringent floral-citrus supported by a very synthetic woody backbone. I'm very sorry, but it's not anything else to me. As 95% of Penhaligon's, projection is mediocre and sillage is weak. And that is, giving so much way to imagination. It doesn't even smell like wood: you gotta force yourself into believing it. Frankincense? Oh boy, not a tiny trace. And then there's the below-average citrus and floral notes. I don't like to denigrate professional work, but it really doesn't feel any good quality-wise. Heck, where's Myslf when we need it.

"Class doesn't need to be loud." Well, I don't mean to be radical, but there's no middle term regarding TIWP's performance. It is bad. Also, there are Portraits' perfumes that aren't as classy and also perform ridiculously: "Portraits - The World According To Arthur | Penhaligon's" ; "Portraits - The Blazing Mister Sam | Penhaligon's" .

I think I'm over Master Morillas' creation. I'm over the pretty and ostentuous bottles. I truly believe we only get better and wiser based on mistakes. I personally confirm to all of you that this is one I will remember.

I'm not sorry, Mr. William Penhaligon.

Thank y'all for your time.

Bodomic

12/22/2024

4
Pricing 7
Sillage 10
Longevity 8
Scent

LastWonder
483 Reviews

LastWonder

1

Perfect Unisex Fragrance for Day to Day

For those who don't know, inimitable means that something is so good or so unusual, it is impossible to copy. I think it says something when the brand decided to put their name specifically onto this bottle, it is one of the star fragrances from this collection. As to whether it is so good it cannot be copied, that remains to be seen. This fragrance is the epitome of unisex fragrance. It starts with citrus and floral, little tart and a little sweet. The spice and woodiness slowly creeps in over time and it becomes a gentle incense woody fragrance that is just interesting enough but not offensive. It seems like a perfect day to day fragrance with just enough personality to be interesting to a very wide audience.

This fragrance created a nice scent bubble that trailed behind you, it just noticeable enough. It also lasted all day, about 8 hours on my skin. Like other fragrances from this line, it is expensive sitting at $315 for 75ml. I would say this is one of the few that might be worth $200, but I am not entirely sure its worth over $300.

10/29/2023

ScentStudio
156 Reviews

ScentStudio

1

Wonderfully smooth and elegant fragrance

Carrying the name of the house, William Penhaligon has something to prove. I hope that we'll finish off with a bang!

Vetiver and warm, earthy notes. Oh I do hope William is nice. He promises a fresh opening with bergamot, potentially from cedarwood too, but the frankincense, vetiver and sandalwood invite something creamy and divine.

On paper, William Penhaligon is just that. Wow. I'm at a loss for words. He is elegantly creamy. An ever so slight note of fresh bergamot at top, but so faint. Just like Mr Sam, I cannot stop smelling it. They are very different. Mr Sam was spicy and warm, whereas William Penhaligon is smooth and creamy. I am honestly wanting them both in my collection!

What a wonderful way to finish off the portraits set.

11/27/2020

9
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

Nordique
7 Reviews

Translated Show original

Nordique

Very helpful Review 20

Astro TV for your nose, or: William is up for it!

William Penhaligon was under the sign of Aries. According to the astuteness that is said to be the essence of this sign of the zodiac, the former master barber from picturesque Cornwall had the rare gift of being able to smell even the finest stubble from the beards of his blondest, most aristocratic customers before they entered his bathhouse. This made him truly unique in his guild and soon he was allowed by royal decree to take care of the scent and beard of Queen Victoria himself.

I just made that up (almost) everything.

Which aspects of it now correspond to the truth and which ones arise from my imagination ... doesn't really matter. I myself am under the zodiac sign of cancer - imaginative beings, just like the animal models in the wild! Running sideways, being the favourite food of all seabirds, having tasty leg meat ... great!

Oh, let's not do this. I know absolutely nothing about astrology
In any case, this entry fits in perfectly with the marketing of the portrait series of the British fragrance house Penhaligon's, which has been practised since 2016. A deeply entangled story about an English noble family, in which each offshoot of the series tells its part and contributes to the series.
Let's call it kitsch. Let's call it pastiche. Let's call it British humor. Let's call it incredibly well-functioning marketing - and for my sake, let's call it a lot of fuss over nothing. I admit it openly: I am a sucker for it - as the Frenchman says - although so far, with Lord George, only one of the portrait fragrances has managed to knock my socks off for good. But all the more violent, this is definitely one of the most beautiful and stylish men's fragrances on the market, in my opinion.

So now - because at least as much of the initial paragraph is true - the founder of this fragrance house, William Penhaligon, gets his own fragrance dedicated in this series. Now that's a statement. A fragrance with flagship qualities must be - anything else would certainly be a bitter disappointment. That would be like a traditional German car brand not naming its luxury model, but a small city runabout after its founder - unthinkable!

Oh, whoops - already happened. So I guess it does In this sense but good for a healthy expectation on my part to this fragrance.

By a wonderful coincidence, I was able to test this new release even before my official sharing mail arrived, so I could spend the last two days fragrantly wrapped in Penhaligon's founder's scent.

The nasal elixir is dark green, filled in a heavy bottle which, typical of portraits, is simply beautiful ... for my taste. But we already had the topic above - new pronunciation: I love it In the official announcement of the fragrance by the brand itself, attention was clearly focused on the expected vetiver. Green liquid, vetiver - all right, I know what's coming. So I thought at first inevitably.
And in the initial minutes the scent at least partially fulfils this pre-defined image. A soft, minimally herbaceous, very smooth vetiver, which, astonishingly enough, does not seem to correspond to my synaptic definition of a "green" scent - which I could never effectively put in writing - and thus, in terms of expectation, confronts me with a first paradox. Rather, it is a vanilla, almost gourmand impression that determines the first minutes. To make a comparison: despite the fundamental difference between the two fragrances, I can't help but think of the later course of Hermès Vetiver Tonka at this stage. Accompanied by a somewhat subtle dripping ... Rosemary?!
Soon the nominal leading actor withdraws almost completely and makes room for the impressive performance of what I consider to be the real star of this composition - the sandalwood. If a fixed, content-centered classification of the fragrance were required, my nose would undoubtedly place it in the sandalwood corner. To venture a cautious comparison: Creamy sandalwood à la Jacques Fath's Pour l'Homme, or the red aftershave from Proraso - both of which are all-time favourites in the house of Nordique.
At this stage, the fragrance will eventually linger for a few hours, but will always remain restrained - perhaps even a little too much. A stylish fragrance, a slightly sweetish, sandalwood, modern barbershop scent, absent of any fresh elements. Classifications that in spirit bring him quite close to his consecrated companion from the same court, Lord George, without showing too many similarities in the course of the fragrance though.
Cedar? Unfortunately, no. Incense? Yep, with a good dose of imagination... ...not so much. Ambroxan, often discredited in olfactory circles? God forbid, devil stuff - in this case, the latter has probably been taken back to purgatory.

For my part, I am quite taken with this new offshoot of the exclusive Penhaligon's series. Nevertheless, the wonderful ram head bottle does not contain a brew that attempts to reinvent the olfactory wheel in any way. So be it. I have enjoyed wearing it for the last two days - and I'm already looking forward to the next time.

In the meantime, I simply enjoy the pure sight of the latest offshoot of the Portraits series - and wait for Penhaligon's to perhaps soon add my zodiac sign in the form of a crab lid to the series. Maybe as Crappy Cedric... or The Cringy Cupbearer Colin. That would be something!

Thank you for your time!

PS: I simply HAD to be the very first to bring the joke from the title! I'm sorry.

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