My grandpa was a pipe smoker. As a child, I found it fascinating how he cleaned his pipe, packed it, lit it, and how he could shape smoke into rings.
My grandpa was a difficult person - others say so. For me, he was my grandpa, whom I teased, who stood there with his mouth agape at my sometimes rebellious remarks, and whom I loved.
Simply and plainly loved, just as it should be.
He was a grumbling pipe-smoking grandpa - with the best tobacco in the world.
There was not just smoke; there was always a juicy fruity note involved, dense aromas that came from the pipe. His pipe had a wonderful light orange tone in the smooth bowl, it looked beautiful.
When we were in London at Penhaligon's, I was love-struck, enchanted by Clara and Halfeti as I wandered through the store, my dear husband was testing Radcliff. Even before he came towards me with his arm outstretched, my grandpa was grinning in the store, pipe in mouth, looking down at me.
Of course, not in person; otherwise, I wouldn't have stood there so calmly! No, Radcliff conjured up the image of my grandpa, and my nose was practically glued to the spot where the spray hit my husband's skin.
Just as I knew I needed Clara, I also knew that Radcliff had to come home to my husband; he just didn't know it yet.
No, he didn't want to take it with him; it would be far too expensive, and we left the store.
We both haven't forgotten Radcliff.
At ALZD, since I had to order something anyway, I added a small sample for him. He was as happy as a child in December getting new moon boots, unable to wait for the snow to finally come. My nearly 1.90 m tall husband hugged me tightly (I'm a little stump at 1.64) and held me close - over a sample. A sample!!!
He cherished the sprayer. I wouldn't have been surprised if one morning I had walked into the bathroom and Mini-Radcliff had been given a throne on the packaging of cotton swabs or something, illuminated by LED spotlights in our bathroom cabinet!
My husband loves his fragrances very much - but he is too... uh... frugal to buy such an expensive scent.
But I, I was on the hunt, keeping my eyes open, peeking here and there, picking up trails, making notes of where it had been seen, and mentally polishing the gun, or actually the account, to be prepared... good preparation is everything anyway.
And so it happened that when he was breathing a bit louder in bed next to me, I couldn't sleep.
Since I still had something to do in the bay, I made myself a tea, sat down in the kitchen with my laptop, and while the residents were blissfully slumbering, I surfed through the bay.
When I typed Radcliff into the search bar, more of a reflex than a well-thought-out thought, a bid was displayed. Just freshly listed, only a few hours ago.
Gun loaded and secured! And with my mouth agape, I read the offer. Adrenaline was pumping through my body! This seller had received Radcliff as a gift, had sprayed it once, and simply didn't like it. He had arranged with the giver to sell the fragrance, and from the proceeds, the children were to receive a little extra Christmas gift; it was early December.
For not even half the MSRP, there was Radcliff, and I nearly dropped all my cartridges from the belt or my eyes from my head!
The sales text was so nicely written; there was the receipt as proof of origin, from first-class storage, condition very good, and I, I got ready for the hunt. I put on my cozy socks, made myself comfortable, took an upright position in the chair, and took the final shot - in the middle of the night, alone in the kitchen. But I handle the hunting alone, in peace.
Roaring Radcliff is not a complex, extraordinary fragrance; that may be true.
But this fine aromatic tobacco note, combined with the alcohol scent, gingerbread, and fruits (yes, they are in there) makes the fragrance on my husband's skin a loving experience.
No one else could smell so wonderfully warm and familiar with Radcliff; I’m boldly stating this from my perch, cozy socks on my feet and the gun at the ready!
Radcliff now stands next to Clara; they look good together, the two.
PS: No animals were harmed in the making of this comment, big game hunter's honor!!
Top Notes 
Rum
Heart Notes 
Tobacco
Base Notes 
Gingerbread
MRoth
Cym
Corblsrey
Shemsmeller
Mikael
Licorice
Atanarjuat
Stanze
Franciska
Mefunx
