Without entirely understanding why, I am falling in love with A*Men Pure Malt, and it's only been my second wearing. This is yet another Thierry Mugler fragrance that has thrilled me beyond words and hit me right in the face with its monster sillage.
A*Men Pure Malt is quite sweet and boozy at first spray, perhaps a little too much for some. It reminded me of insect repellant, which I can assure you was not a very pleasant introduction. Thankfully, once settled, A*Men Pure Malt takes a more boozy-gourmand approach with malt, whiskey, fruits and syrupy amber.
Sweet accords in masculine fragrances are forgiven if amber features in the composition. As much as I love wearing A*Men Pure Malt on my own skin, I feel compelled to hand over the sample to my boyfriend as it smells so much better on him. The gourmand qualities become almost intoxicating, like some kind of exotic love potion on a man.
I only became aware of this flanker's existence around the same time that it was beginning to disappear from the shelves. A kind swapper provided me with a sample of this a few years on, and now I'm even more disappointed that this fragrance was a limited edition. It needs to be brought back.
A*Men Pure Malt lasts and lasts, and the sillage, although not as strong as the original A*Men, has a kick to it. The drydown is perhaps the best stage of the development, with a subtle, slightly musty whiskey accord, and smooth, smoky woods. I cannot even begin to put my adoration into words.
Thierry Mugler always has an uncanny way of putting a fun little twist on every flanker he makes. Who knew that a malt-based fragrance would be such a hit. Here's hoping that there will be many more A*Men flankers to come.
