08/04/2023
Landshark321
524 Reviews
Landshark321
2
Fresh, spicy iris
Happyland Mad Anthony is the second of what I regard as E.J. Wells’ iris trilogy, following Shadowland and preceding Zzyzx RD. It’s a fresh, spicy, iris-led mix that includes pepper, cardamom, citruses, resins, and woods, a bit sharp at the opening, but smooth, as well, growing smoother into the dry down. It balances being sensibly modern but with classic ingredients, rich and multifaceted but also accessible, high-performing but not overbearing. I like it a lot, even though I’d say that I prefer the sharer/more-iris-heavy Shadowland and fresher/more-easygoing Zzyzx RD to it. That, to me, shows how great of a job E.J. has done harnessing a note in iris that I generally find quite difficult to enjoy, but not so in Happyland. And as usual, the pricing is outstanding, at $57/44 for 50/30ml.
8 out of 10
8 out of 10
