JohnnyScents

Drakkar Noir, the black dragon boat, the supposed scent of the pillaging Norsemen and the essence of the twilight of the gods "Ragnarök," imprisoned and tamed in a thick, black bottle with a hint of runic script that feels like a millennia-old, smooth stone washed up by the cold Baltic Sea in your hand, is a completely harmless scent.

It is fresh, green but also somehow icy. Not a scent that would do justice to a Viking. However, I can understand the association with cold, misty forest landscapes.
I am far too young to have experienced the hype surrounding this fragrance, but I did come across the name when I first entered the world of perfume. I didn't test it for a long time, but I always assumed it must be something very special, even controversial.
Well, I believe it was special once. While testing, I completely lost it, not because of the intensity or quality of the scent but because it felt so outrageously familiar to me.
I knew this scent, which I was supposed to be unfamiliar with. And I knew it well. It was already with me when I was a child, omnipresent in the sports changing rooms of my school days, occasionally also bluish-unexciting in my shower at home. It smells like men's deodorants and shower gels typically do, at least like many of them.
Or should I say, they smell like Drakkar Noir? I'm not talking about the typical, newer "Blue fragrances" like Bleu de Chanel etc. and the products that go in a similarly aquatic direction.
I mean classic "For Men" products that are so inconspicuous and unexciting that the scent barely stands out.
Drakkar Noir is known to many people who have never heard of it.
Somehow strange, I have never experienced such strong Deja-Vus with any other fragrance.
The scent itself is actually quite nice to wear if you want to smell fresh-masculine without smelling like the sea. It is not perceived as an "old man's" scent, just very masculine.
However, I imagine the scent 40 years ago as an absolute revelation. Before it, there were only heavy leather or dry fougère and chypre fragrances, and then came the minty, lemony, and icy DK. I wonder what fragrance molecules are in there, perhaps some kind of aldehyde from the 80s?
My scent associations here are clearly Glam-Rock and Metal bands and other artists from the 80s and 90s. Art fog, guitars, leather, and black record covers.
It's funny that this scent, on one hand, reminds one of the most ordinary, normal, and everyday shower and is simply associated with cleanliness, while the original intentions are somehow recognizable in the shadows.
A solid, masculine scent that does not conform to the mainstream today but has contributed significantly to its emergence. Just like the rock of the 80s.

As a child, I went on vacation with my family to the Baltic Sea. To this day, it is probably the most beautiful vacation of my life. The two weeks were my first acquaintance with Northern Germany, with the rough and, for me as a Southerner, unusually cold wind in August, with the beautiful rain clouds, the gray-blue light, and of course with the German coast, more precisely, a part of it.
I loved the feeling of running from the hotel to the beach early in the morning to breathe in the clear air, which must belong to the purest substances in the world. The sound of the waves and the view into the perceived infinity left a lasting impression on me.
After numerous excursions to cities like Kiel, Lübeck (where I learned to love marzipan), and Travemünde, one day we went to Laboe, where the submarine and naval museum is located. I have always been interested in history, but as a child, I could not quite place and understand much. However, my parents always made an effort, which greatly increased my interest and made history one of my favorite subjects.
The museum in Laboe is worth a recommendation; you can learn a lot about the technology of submarines in World War II, see torpedoes, and even visit a steel beast yourself. It fascinated the little boy I was back then; I could (thanks to my advantageous height at the time) move around very well in the belly of the narrow boat. The equipment of past days and the atmosphere captivated me. I found it incredibly cool, the idea of diving deep into the unknown, dark, and cold sea with such a war machine.
It was still oppressive, yet I didn’t quite know why.
A few years later, with history as my exam subject and a Saturday night alone with the extended version of Petersen's masterpiece, I had a very detailed answer.

But what do the navy, submarine warfare, Laboe, or the Baltic Sea in general have to do with Ralph Lauren's perhaps best fragrance?
For me, the association only emerged years later. It is clearly due to the scent itself. When I smelled Polo Sport, I had cool wind in my nose. I smelled something clear, aquatic, almost smoky. Something ice-cold. The green notes, mint, and seaweed (the probably most interesting fragrance note) fit perfectly into the cool waters of the aldehydes and citrus fruits. This scent is not an ordinary warm, Mediterranean aquatic that reminds one of summer, sun, and ice cream, and that makes it so brilliant. It is straightforward, clear, cool, smoky, and does not remind one of warm waters. It refreshes in the best sense, and due to the spices and mint, it works very well even in cold weather.
They wanted to create a good sport scent and succeeded; the fragrance is more than that. These qualities make it unique for me, because although there are similar scents and countless sport aquatics, none smells like this one.
Unjustly disappeared from stores and almost only available online. However, that means fewer people wear it. In Germany, it is less known today.
I can definitely imagine this scent on a Baltic Sea vacation, but also on a captain or simply as part of the cold wind that hits me unabated in the face.

Thanks to all those who today spend uncomfortable months in the belly of steel beasts in the service of our country to protect us. In the gray, cold depths.

A men's fragrance that couldn't be more special. A name that couldn't be more fitting. Like a timeless relic, whose era has long passed, yet seems to endure through all times.
A scent that could waft over the fields and plains of Tuscany, as the wind rustles the dry stalks and carries the fine aroma of hay bales into the emerging night sky. The fragrance, which mingles with pleasant herbs, before it swirls a note of sweet tobacco at a beautiful country estate, the castle of a nobleman, and mysteriously takes it on its journey, over courtyards where a wedding couple dances dreamily through the night field, enjoying the scent, before it disappears with a strong gust at the city walls of Florence.
This perfume is antiquated and timeless-classic at the same time. It evokes the Renaissance, an era as brilliant as it is long gone. Artists and researchers like Leonardo da Vinci, who observed the night sky, tried to read the stars and understand humanity, even giving it wings. To dream, to discover, and to create works of art for eternity, which are still as beautiful and impressive today as they have always been. A time of nobility, of resurgence after the (supposedly) dark Middle Ages, an era whose fruits we still appreciate and admire today.
The Dreamer is not just any men's fragrance; it is simply a bit different. What initially deterred me, I have now come to appreciate. It is a classic scent that, contrary to my expectations, is very well received. I have compared it with other fragrances; it is and remains unique. Brilliant on autumn days, yet certainly wearable on a cool summer night when one is outdoors. It has something calming, something indescribable. Not particularly well-known in today's market, usually available at surprisingly affordable prices. I hope it will not be discontinued and that its connoisseurs will always appreciate and buy it.
Definitely not a scent for every day; it is what it embodies: something special.

It was between 2010 and 2011, after the release of one of the probably best modern men's perfumes, that I frequently encountered the scent without knowing its name or having any general knowledge about fragrances, except that Mom and Dad smell good every day. How could I, after all, I was just finishing elementary school. However, I still remember today that I somehow "recognized" this scent. In the summer at the beer garden, on a colleague of my father's.. BDC or better said, the mysterious scent seemed to haunt me, even fascinate me. It smelled to me as a little boy of "order," "man," being the boss, and simply "right." Sitting in a garden restaurant on summer evenings, dreaming of what one wants to become, having no worries.
I can hardly describe this feeling. 2010 was particularly special, especially as part of my childhood. Not quite "small" anymore and not "big enough" for greater responsibility. A time I enjoyed. It almost feels like the summers were endless, everything was somehow on the brink, changing. That can and probably will only be my perception, related to my time and therefore not comprehensible, but today I can compare the music, the movies, etc. and realize that 2010 brought a transformation. The 2000s were stylistically over, tastes, media, people changed. Hardly anything remained the same. Perfume is part of that. I thought for a long time that it was all part of my then-childlike perception.
Today, some puzzle pieces of my memory fit together and are not just the result of nostalgic illusions.
Maybe I'm not completely crazy....
Over the years, I got to know some fragrances, but I hadn't encountered BDC for a long time. Until I accidentally tested it four years ago.
The feeling was back. Almost eerie. But beautiful. Bleu de Chanel Edt became my first "expensive" fragrance and still costs the maximum I am willing to spend on a designer scent. But it's worth it, as it is an example that fragrances can preserve and transport associations and memories. And that they can also be messengers of a change that heralds an entire decade. And with this review, no one will be able to relate, as probably no one shares this feeling.

The scent would be phenomenal even without this.
I am curious about which fragrances we men of the coming decades will wear, and whether they will be just as brilliant.

Mont Blanc Individual is one of those fragrances that evokes a feeling in me that I cannot describe. The closest would probably be a kind of "safety" or "pleasant warmth" on cold autumn and winter days. I only wear it in the cold seasons and preferably with a black turtleneck sweater. Why? Because it does something right for me that few fragrances can: it remains clean despite its sweetness (which never becomes too much). I don't perceive it as really fresh, but very clean. Like laundry detergent with a slight raspberry-chocolate aftershave touch. Incredibly wonderful. The sillage and longevity are also good, and the price-performance ratio is excellent. You often smell unique, indeed Individual. It is well-received and enjoyed. As for the preferred clothing style with the fragrance, I also wear it with any other clothing, as long as the season is right. But because I feel comfortable in a turtleneck sweater and it is also cozy, it fits doubly well. You can't go wrong with Individual; I have also received compliments. I perceive the scent as rather masculine, although not typical. The name of the perfume fits perfectly. The bottle is pretty, clean, elegant, and has a high recognition value. The somewhat mechanical German style, similar to bottles from Hugo Boss. Professional indeed, but not too much, because Individual builds a bridge. And to clarify my association, here is a description of the "perfect Individual feeling":

It is Monday morning, in the middle of November. It is a freezing morning. The sky is clear, you can see the stars. I step out of the shower and put on my black, comfortable turtleneck sweater. It hugs my torso like a shadow. When I open the closet, the elegant bottle of the Montblanc fragrance catches my eye. I don’t hold back when applying, but I don’t overdo it either. The perfect amount. I grab the car keys and head outside. The top note of the fragrance in my nose, along with the icy winter air. A wonderful combination. I am ready for the day; Individual is my loyal companion, it does not let me down. In the car, I turn on the heating, slowly warming up the chilled vehicle. As I drive, a brilliant scent spreads in the car with the warmth. What a luxury. I feel pleasantly warm, not too much, not too little. It’s perfect. Arrived, Individual accompanies me as expected throughout the day. Clean, well-groomed like the turtleneck sweater and the morning appearance. But through the scent, also a little different, unusual, a bit Individual. I can confidently focus on my tasks; Individual is always there. Maybe today will bring another compliment, perhaps even another special one? Ah, here it comes. Warms the heart. The charmer in the bottle also hides playful facets, skillfully embedding them in the clean and professional. Another successful day is coming to an end. I go to bed. I look in the closet and see a stack of turtleneck sweaters and not far away a silvery bottle. I think I’ll do it just the same tomorrow; after all, winter lasts a few more days.