Carlisle

I just got a bottle for a really good price. It smells a lot like Mancera Red Tobacco in the air. It’s quite a bit nicer and less pungent up close off the skin. Unfortunately it doesn’t last quite as long as RT but that could be a new bottle maceration issue. I get a solid 9 to 10 hours with 8 sprays. It did stay after a hot shower. The new %81 concentration isn’t really that noticeable performance wise. Compared to Layton Exclusif from 2019 at %78, it doesn’t have the same longevity or silage. But compared to the current Herod, this is still a nice long lasting cologne. The new Herod lasted maybe 3 hours on me when I tried it 3 years ago. I returned the bottle. The notes in this one are very well blended and this is a scent that is growing on me. It only smells like Red Tobacco on the surface. It’s more layered and nuanced and it doesn’t make me sneeze. 🤧 It has a comforting and warm green apple cinnamon pie scent with a faint clean lavender accord as the after smell. It’s quite complex. Well worth it for the right price.

Today’s review turns toward Carlisle from Parfums de Marly, a fragrance that has become synonymous with the house’s darker, more opulent side. Often spoken about as one of PDM’s most commanding and seductive offerings, Carlisle carries a reputation for richness, depth, and unapologetic presence. Built around a contrast of sweetness and shadow, it suggests a composition that balances smooth gourmand elements with resinous woods and spice, projecting confidence rather than subtlety. It sits firmly in that space where elegance meets intensity, setting expectations for both character and performance before it ever touches skin. Let’s take the reins and see how Carlisle asserts itself once worn.

After an official wearing out and multiple wearings at home. Carlisle is a smooth operator. Layton is great and I was originally leaning towards Herod for it's tobacco but found Carlisle to give me both with less sweetness. Picture the meeting of these three. Carlisle, looking at Layton and Herod from the shadows, bantering each other and boasting in themselves. Standing there, they still unaware of his presence. He lights his cigar momentarily illuminating a portion of his face. Now only the glow of his cigar is seen as he takes a draw. Carlisle, stepping from the shadows, cigar still lit say of their boasting, "That's sweet now let me show you boys how a man does it". Carlisle is him.

The goat. Ultimate oligarch wealth black tie james bond type fragrance. Complex spicy gourmand subdued energy but highly virile. Everyone will love this. Not trying to be the loudest in the room or dominating conversations. But the attractive, relaxed, and enigmatic one in the room. Imagine james bond in a dark room, dressed in a tuxedo, a rose on the lapel, puffing a light bodied Davidoff cigar, while tastefully eating vanilla ice cream with aged balsamic on top. Amazing and deep. I prefer to wear this to special occasions only, fancy dinners, night at the opera or ballet. I also prefer to wear this in the evenings only.

It definitely isn't for everyone, but its sillage in the air is surprisingly crowd-pleasing. This is hands down my favorite fragrance of all time, and it's the only bottle I reach for on special occasions. Smelling it up close on skin versus picking it up in the scent trail are two completely different experiences. I wouldn't call it a safe blind buy, though I don't believe it lacks mass appeal either—it's simply a matter of personal taste. The scent profile is like a quality cigar steeped in cherry, apple, and vanilla, with the nutmeg and patchouli weaving a subtle, creamy-green undertone in the drydown.