Gentleman Reserve Privee

What an excellent fragrance. Truly a great one. Who knew a buttery iris mixed with chestnut and whiskey would be such a great combo. When I got my decant of this and smelled it, I instantly fell in love. Bought a 200ml bottle so I can enjoy this for a long time. I’m a huge fan of iris fragrances, specifically the Dior Homme style. The gentleman line has a similar style of iris. This is my first fragrance from this line. I have smelled others from the line but never tested them on skin so with those fragrances I will have to see how good they truly are for me. This made its way into my top 5 really quickly though. It’s boozy, nutty, thick, dense, rich, masculine and chocolatey too. I love the amber in the dry down as well; it really rounds everything out. This stuff lasts a really long time on skin as well. 8-12 or even more. Decently strong but nothing overpowering. Best worn in fall and winter for sure. Can be dressed up but also worn for coziness as well. Overall an amazing fragrance, feeling an 8.5/10, might even be a 9 tbh.

This is an interesting one. It's presented as a winter scent, but during winter it's somewhat weak, low projection and average longevity. It's also a bit harsh, not really chocolate-like. BUT in the summer heat and moisture this turns into a BEAST. Sweet powdery iris, vanilla and chestnut in a classy amber blend and it's a true delight to smell. I did one single spray yesterday and I can still smell it strongly more than 24 hours later. The difference compared to in the cold months is massive, almost unbelievable. It's a dark masculine scent, really classy and reminds me of orchestra halls where you can feel the amber from the string instruments and vintage lacquer. It's not overwhelming because you need to wear very little (in the winter you put more just to be able to smell it and it gets harsh and heavy). Someone asked for a similar classy fragrance but female, I can recommend NR For Her Musc Noir Rose.

Fantastic fragrance. I get a lot more Iris and Whiskey. I wish I could get more chestnut from this, but I do not. Whiskey fades a bit and the scent profile leans more toward the Iris and woody smell. It’s absolutely wonderful. Great choice for a classy night out with the fellas, or a classy date with your girl. Masculine, slightly mysterious and sophisticated. Reminds me of a high end pub or lounge. The only downside for me is longevity isn’t as good as older formulations I think, or perhaps I’m going nose blind. Projection is lacking after 2-3 hours and becomes more intimate. However, it remains one of my staple signatures. This was also my first fragrance in my collection and it was what I wore when I met my wife, so it has personal sentimental value. Price is also very reasonable for what you get in return. Not blind buy safe. 9/10

I bought this while looking for a boozy sent and used it a while in the autumn/winter but I ended up not liking it but also not disliking it. But now two years later i decided to give it another try and (maybe because I am a bit older now) and made up my mind that i definitely like it! For me its not a 'night out' or 'formal' sent per se, i think its is very versatile and perfect for the autumn season. In autumn i do not like to wear very very sweet scents (yet), and eventhough this scent is also sweet it is a kind of dusty/stingy light sweet scent for me. It is definitely warm and cozy but not overly sweet, really unique and a little bit boozy. I would say perfect for colder autumn days and definitely also for winter!

Very interesting fragrance, not at all what I thought it was going to be. Despite being far from what I thought I love it. Its got a light boozyness and woodyness from the chestnut, the combo gives it this chocolaty scent that's absolutely beautiful, and the iris ties everything together very well. One very strange benefit of this cologne is the notes make you think it will be a potent winter scent, honestly, its fairly fresh considering the notes, you could easily get away with this in the fall and even a cooler summer night. Its surprisingly versatile, has ended up being one of my favoutites in my collection