Blacks Club Leather Shay & Blue 2014

Don't we sometimes wonder what the perfumer was thinking when creating a fragrance? Why ingredient x, why not y, or why not less is more? What leads to leather plus rum or, as here, leather plus cognac? These combinations can be found from time to time; Dark Rebel - released just a year later - is also carried by these ingredients - namely rum and leather. However, one can imagine that rugged leather might be made more palatable by sweet rum.

When one reads mahogany, beeswax, and firewood, it raises questions. Beeswax on leather? Well-known, everyone who owns and cares for leather shoes knows this. I imagine firewood as freshly burned wood, which could also be interesting. As for mahogany, one must not make the mistake of thinking it refers to mahogany wood here. Mahogany plants can also be shrubs and can bear fruits, for example. However, it may just as well be the scent that exotic woods exhibit when imported into other countries, often caused by substances meant to free the wood from pests. In any case, it will smell woody-burnt. Sounds olfactorily great in theory, purely subjectively.
My first contact was unfortunately marked by a directly starting disharmony; these notes really didn’t want to find each other at the beginning. Only over time did it come together. This perception is also reflected in the statements.

For a few seconds, it smells like Wild Leather by Mancera, then the alcoholic note clears up slightly. The cognac with the leather feels harsher than if one had relied on rum. It goes back and forth at first, soon the base notes come into play, which initially causes a chaotic confusion. Then it settles down; leather and cognac have found their rhythm. Now it reminds me of Fan Your Flames by Nishane, but without the coconut sweetness.

More and more, cognac and leather recede, especially as the cognac diminishes, Blacks Club Leather gains maturity and seriousness. It now strongly smells of wood rubbed with beeswax that is being charred. Not bad, but the finish is better, reminiscent of smoky tendrils; the remnants of the preceding scene.

Well, I actually quite like this fragrance, which I didn't expect due to the bizarre opening.
Anyone who appreciates fragrances like Fan Your Flames by Nishane but finds the alcohol/coconut combination too sweet-sweaty over time will find satisfaction here. Longevity and sillage are not impressive. One might think where the fragrance is pronounced, unfortunately, that is not the case. Only the name is misleading, as the leather is by no means as pronounced here. To tie it back to the intro: for those who find Dark Rebel to be a biker and pub scent, Blacks Club Leather is not for them.