Top Notes 
Davana
Heart Notes 
Rum
Tonka bean
Chocolate
Everlasting flower
Base Notes 
Vanilla
Amber
Cedarwood
Labdanum
Sandalwood
Tolu balm
Moss
Musk
09/04/2025
MrHonest
118 Reviews
MrHonest
1
A plummy PdM?
Here I was expecting a facsimile of Old Fashioned - as per the current mass mind edict - and that's clearly not what this is. Instead, it's much closer to the plummy Single Malt; but even then it's not on the mark. The truth is that the main woody and sweet accords are straight out of the PdM Oajan and Carlisle playbook, perhaps even giving a nod to the legend that is Ambre Narguile. Couldn't believe how close the opening was to Alhambra's Exclusif Tabac, minus the coumarin-y "tobacco" and woody amber combo that persists throughout the heart of that one. But even after about 15 minutes, RB Vintage settles into that familiar musky fruity-honey tonka base that's characterstic of so many tobacco inspired fragrances over the years. Moreover, I suppose my main question was...where's the booze???
Because it's certainly not as clear as the liquor accord in RB Bourbon, even though that concoction turned out to be everything I ever wanted in Mugler's Kryptomint. Another fragrance that this one almost immediately reminded me of was Swiss Arabian's Shaghaf Oud Azraq minus that wonderfully balanced oud accord that makes up about 50% of the sillage, and perhaps my favourite take on the Oajan style. By comparison, RB Vintage feels simpler, not as piercing on the honey and certainly more tame. In fact, it's a pretty simple fragrance overall and nearly all base. But I still don't get any booze outright.
The good news is that if you don't have any of the fragrances mentioned above, I'd still consider it an autumnal fragrance par excellence - not only because of the dark fruity sweetness, but also because of the woody tobacco vibe. Essentially, it's as if Kilian did a Oajan-Carlise hybrid and cut the performance in half. The quality is about on par as well so it doesn't smell cheap to me, and certainly better than Exclusif Tabac. Moreover, since the sweetness doesn't pull too far into the vanilla direction, it's also highly layerable so points there. I recall some reviewers mentioning that the longevity isn't great, and I might agree if it weren't for the weak atomizer. The one on RB Bourbon is much better, so two sprays essentially equals one here. With that in mind, I'd say the performance is respectable for a fragrance in this style, albeit a bit on the modest side when it comes to projection in the drydown.
And the presentation? Forget about it. Absolutely amazing. The box is both massive and well made; and the heavy glass bottle can rival Kilian's silly little 50 mLs any day of the week. I'll admit that the juice is slightly better on most Kilians, but I think Fragrance World did a great job here, apart from the atomizer. The only downside imo is the clear redundancy. Personally, I'm super fond of this style of scent especially for the fall; but if you already own something in that sweet-fruity honey/tobacco style, this one would likely go underutilized. In fact, you'd be much better off going for the Sequoia flanker because of the strong fruity cognac in that one. More than likely I'll end up with a bottle myself. And if you've ever wanted Kryptomint...skip the exorbitant resale prices and just go for RB Bourbon. It's simply superior across the board in terms of composition, transition, blending and materials.
Overall though RB Vintage doesn't really do anything new. It's a great fruity-sweet-woody cool weather scent, but too similar to others to be of much interest to most experienced scenthusiasts. And to reiterate my original question - where's the booze? If I had sampled it beforehand, it definitely would've gotten the thumbs up, but not been a full bottle. Instead, I'll likely be using it heavily as a base to layer with this autumn in an attempt to create something more complex or unique. I might even have a go at the formula myself because it smells reasonably replicable. Fortunately, for a newbie, I think this style of scent is a must-own in cooler climates and a clear winner as part of an early collection. Paired with the handsome presentation, it'll likely draw attention on the shelf as well. An easy like for me.
Because it's certainly not as clear as the liquor accord in RB Bourbon, even though that concoction turned out to be everything I ever wanted in Mugler's Kryptomint. Another fragrance that this one almost immediately reminded me of was Swiss Arabian's Shaghaf Oud Azraq minus that wonderfully balanced oud accord that makes up about 50% of the sillage, and perhaps my favourite take on the Oajan style. By comparison, RB Vintage feels simpler, not as piercing on the honey and certainly more tame. In fact, it's a pretty simple fragrance overall and nearly all base. But I still don't get any booze outright.
The good news is that if you don't have any of the fragrances mentioned above, I'd still consider it an autumnal fragrance par excellence - not only because of the dark fruity sweetness, but also because of the woody tobacco vibe. Essentially, it's as if Kilian did a Oajan-Carlise hybrid and cut the performance in half. The quality is about on par as well so it doesn't smell cheap to me, and certainly better than Exclusif Tabac. Moreover, since the sweetness doesn't pull too far into the vanilla direction, it's also highly layerable so points there. I recall some reviewers mentioning that the longevity isn't great, and I might agree if it weren't for the weak atomizer. The one on RB Bourbon is much better, so two sprays essentially equals one here. With that in mind, I'd say the performance is respectable for a fragrance in this style, albeit a bit on the modest side when it comes to projection in the drydown.
And the presentation? Forget about it. Absolutely amazing. The box is both massive and well made; and the heavy glass bottle can rival Kilian's silly little 50 mLs any day of the week. I'll admit that the juice is slightly better on most Kilians, but I think Fragrance World did a great job here, apart from the atomizer. The only downside imo is the clear redundancy. Personally, I'm super fond of this style of scent especially for the fall; but if you already own something in that sweet-fruity honey/tobacco style, this one would likely go underutilized. In fact, you'd be much better off going for the Sequoia flanker because of the strong fruity cognac in that one. More than likely I'll end up with a bottle myself. And if you've ever wanted Kryptomint...skip the exorbitant resale prices and just go for RB Bourbon. It's simply superior across the board in terms of composition, transition, blending and materials.
Overall though RB Vintage doesn't really do anything new. It's a great fruity-sweet-woody cool weather scent, but too similar to others to be of much interest to most experienced scenthusiasts. And to reiterate my original question - where's the booze? If I had sampled it beforehand, it definitely would've gotten the thumbs up, but not been a full bottle. Instead, I'll likely be using it heavily as a base to layer with this autumn in an attempt to create something more complex or unique. I might even have a go at the formula myself because it smells reasonably replicable. Fortunately, for a newbie, I think this style of scent is a must-own in cooler climates and a clear winner as part of an early collection. Paired with the handsome presentation, it'll likely draw attention on the shelf as well. An easy like for me.
MagicMeiko
Nqobie0303
