Alford & Hoff No 2

If you like freshies, you will no doubt like this one. It's a spicy aquatic fragrance that's well-blended; fairly nondescript other than "it just smells good" but the quality of ingredients is clearly very high. Longevity is poor on my skin, but it earns points for no loud ambroxan or other synthetic notes. Pleasant and quality, if not outstanding. If it lasted more than 3-4 hours on me, it might be one of my signature summer fragrances.

I picked up a 2ml sample at Nordstrom and have tried it a couple times now. This smells a lot like Polo Blue mixed with Bvlgari Aqva. This is also what you'd imagine a classic "blue" cologne would smell like. Citrus, marine, slightly sweet, pepper, and strongly herbal. Really it's a great scent and is very well made. The longevity is moderate, and sillage is also moderate. It really really reminds me of Polo Blue. So I took out some Polo Blue and tried them side by side. Yep, very similar except the Alford & Hoff has these marine notes in it which remind me exactly of the marine notes in Bvlgari Aqva. The Alford & Horf is also sweeter but it's sweetness comes from the nutmeg and cardamom where as the sweetness in Polo Blue comes from the melon notes. This fragrance also smells a lot like CK Eternity Aqua! In the deep dry-down, when the scent has become a skin-scent, you can totally pick up some of the exact notes found in John Varvatos Artisan. So there you have it. If you're looking for a "blue" cologne that smells very much like a cologne, then this is a great one to buy. It's only downside is it's somewhat generic but it's very well made so it still smells lovely. EDIT: I now own a bottle of this stuff. I really enjoy it.

There exists in men's perfumery what is called "your standard blue aquatic." Its intention is to convey a fresh, sporty appeal with aromatic and watery, aquatic nuances. There are some good versions of this, many mediocre versions, and some pretty awful versions as well. Alford and Hoff No. 2 presents what I would consider a "very good" version of your standard blue aquatic. It has all of the aforementioned qualities, but most importantly they are presented in a way that is lively, well-balanced, vibrant, and not particularly harsh or abrasive in the synthetic, chemical sense. No.2's aromatic notes, the pink pepper, basil, and cardamom have a nice, natural smell. It's aquatic elements are a pleasant balance between blue and marine, and there is no overdose of the sharp, headache-inducing aromachemical, calone, which is often a problem in many aquatics. Finally, it's substantial enough to have good performance--solid projection and 6 to 8 hours of longevity--but still light and nimble enough to lend a nice, sporty appeal. This reminds me a lot of Polo Blue, and I think it's even a bit better in terms of its ingredients and construction. Recommended as a blind buy for those who understand and are actively seeking a good version of your standard blue aquatic, and recommended for sampling for anybody else. Thumbs up. Final rating: 8/10

So, finally figured out what Alford and Hoff are doing in their overall business model & kudos to them for what they achieve in their end product. Much like Roja Dove in the luxury niche market, taking in his case high end established favorites and then taking them to a new level. Alford and Hoff focus on mainstream designer creations and improve upon the original blueprint. Succeeding with the original No. 1, based upon D&G The One, now with No.2, a marked improvement over some popular aquatic scents in the vein of D&G Light Blue etc. For those hunting for good quality aquatic scents for the heat of summer, skeptical of the usual designer fare, Alford and Hoff No. 2 might go some way to bridge the gap and does so, similar to Roja Dove again , with just higher grade ingredients deftly blended to achieve more than satisfactory results. As a point of reference, D&G Light Blue and similar releases in any given conditions invariably produced a piercing headache after some hours of wearing, not so with Alford and Hoff No. 2. In fact if anything on hot summer days, the effects are relaxing to the senses and leads to an overall sense of well being. Not to mention the stray wafts throughout the day which can be quite addictive. Not a groudbreaking scent by any means but what it does it performs admirably. 8/10

Alford and Hoff #2 smells very close to Montblanc Starwalker. I put Starwalker on one arm and AH#2 on the other and did a direct comparison. And I consider myself to have a pretty good nose as I've been a collector for over 40 years now. Alford and Hoff #2 seems to be a clone of Montblanc Starwalker. It's that hard to tell the difference. Now,it cost more but!... Everyone knows Starwalker doesn't last that long. And the best part of it dies very quickly,on me,less than two hours. Alford and Hoff #2 doesn't. Consider it the intense edp version of Starwalker. It last about twice as long as Starwalker with about the same projection.