Quorum

Absolute noir in a bottle. Three perfumers, legendary in their internal influence, joined forces in their own Quorum to create something meant to last for decades. I wasn’t there to witness it, but I can almost feel it: the spark and the madness of Mateu forming the core of the fragrance, gradually shaped like a raw stone by the flawless craftsmanship of the jeweler Benaïm, and finally set into the dark, guilloché, blackened ring crafted by Gavarry — destined for success. And yet, to me, the most important thing about this fragrance is that, despite its grotesque and phantasmagorical nature, it is not about perfection. The minds behind it were not trying to tell another tale of heroes and villains, of good triumphing over evil. Here, it’s hard to tell one from the other — and there is neither a bright ending nor a dark one. There is no ending at all. “Life isn’t black and white. There are a million shades of gray.” — a quote often attributed to Ridley Scott, though the idea itself is far from new. And that’s what makes it interesting. Blade Runner — the adaptation of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, released the same year as the fragrance: 1981. A failure at launch, a legend today — often regarded as one of the greatest science fiction films of all time. The parallels are endless, but the key message is this: to question our perception of ourselves, of humanity, and of our place in the world. Blind belief is foolish. Wearing this fragrance, you can almost feel yourself inside that reality. The opening is striking: a clear cumin note with a somewhat wild, almost chlorinated nuance masquerading as citrus. No, this is not a flaw, nor the result of ruthless reformulations — this was the author’s intent, carried through decades. In contrast, the heart is relatively fresh and red-floral, yet surprisingly, it doesn’t break the composition. The base and the trail are astonishing — perhaps one of the best examples of blending absolute synthetics with natural materials: leather, oakmoss, and labdanum. But I deliberately saved the most important twist: throughout the entire composition runs a distinct, unmistakable cigarette smoke accord. And it is simply brilliant. For some, this will be too much — and that’s fair. But it’s worth asking: isn’t it self-deception when, living in this gray, contradictory world full of distrust and disillusionment, we present ourselves — first and foremost to ourselves — as flawless, harmless, almost naïve Eloi? This fragrance transcends time. Its longevity deserves a separate review. The vintage is more animalic, but the modern version is surprisingly faithful and absolutely worth attention. A must-have for anyone seriously interested in perfumery.

The Masterpiece powerhouse of the 80s My Story: Back in the 80s while everyone has only maybe 2 perfumes and you can recognised that person a 1 Km away from his sillage, Quorum represented the bold, mature, self confident the boss of the bosses back in the 80s. Is very agressive openning, just 2 sprays and your whole room while smell for hours. Quorum is far from the man wildness that Drakkar represent o la elegancia de Azzaro pour homme, is a complex distintic alpha male boss that loudly say "I am here, follow my orders". Is a real man in a though world. Honestly, I smelled back after many years, it was a classic tester in all the department stores in Spain at that time, I keep grabbed that scent and I wanted to have my flashback of my early days. I bought with confidence but same as Drakkar Noir, the first time was like "meeehhh, wrong move". Is extremely strong, is like if you enter in a smoking room, is quite shocking but after the drydown is when you feel the power of this amazing parfume. Is remind me so bad to Loewe Esencia, One Show Man and Massimo Dutti edt(discontinued).Is dark, perfect for a Winter season when really shines in day and night time specially in raining days is perfectly match, will blow up your brain, but CAREFUL please, is not for everyone, if you have confidence avoiding influencers telling what to wear, man this is for you, a relic from the past must to be in your wardrove. Quorum is the perfect definition of powerhouse in the 80s. *To Millennials and Z generations: Hmm, how to begin? It's a perfume with a lot of personality, very strong, and the complete opposite of the commercial garbage that's come from the desert and has unfortunately become so fashionable lately. It's a perfume that smells like a serious, distinctive man, one who wants to project his authority and isn't intimidated by new trends. It's classic, timeless, quite aggressive and bold, preferably for people who don't grovel before fads or pretend to be gangsters. If you're a fan of Lattafa, Armaf, and similar trash, you'd better leave. Your opinion doesn't count and isn't taken seriously. Stay in your Disney world, smelling like vanilla all day, and leave Quorum alone. The moment you were waiting for: -Longevity: 9 -Projection: 9.5 -Sillage: 9 -Scent: 8.5 -Versatile: 8 -Blind Buy:NO -Worth value: 8.5 8.5

Quorum is actually a very good scent, considering it;s price point. for me it makes me think of leather arm chairs, fireplace, a bar in the house, and an old fashioned gruff and somewhat serious masculine fragrance, but then at the same time the fragrance has a contradiction, and provokes the image of the old man's son who rather than wearing the tucked in shirt slacks and tie from his management job, wears jeans and a leather jacket and has a motocycle, and is going out. maybe it is the fougere aspect and the citrus in this chypre fragrance which does that trick. It's both old fashioned and new age at the same time. When I first got this scent, in the first times of wearing it, it actually made me almost physically sick. which is strange, but true. The reason being such a strong tobacco scent in the first parts of the fragrance, its like a chewing tobacco or similar. But then after using it more, I discovered its wonderful cedar wood notes and it's other facets. One time I went to the grocery store after spraying just a squirt of this on. I am sure I heard the checkout old lady remark to the customer behind me when I was leaving, that she did not like whatever scent I had, but the beautiful young woman she mentioned that to said she kinda liked it. So preferences depend on who is doing the preferring. This is a mature smelling scent, but at the same time it is a bracing fougere style in there just a touch giving a youthful energy. Coming from 1981 it;s interesting, being sort of the era between the 70's musky eathy scents and the fougere's of the 80's. This one is right in between them both. The bottle is cool, it reminds me of the style of the atari video console or an ET spaceship or something. There is something very early 80's even about the bottle. its pretty good scent if you like the style - tobacco chypre, caraway and citrus fougere - both earthy and bitter, leathery, and also citrusy, enticing, with just a touch or bracing freshness. It may not be a fragrance that impresses most, because of it's Charles Bronson type of masculinity, but if it;s a style that one appreciates, or can handle, it's pretty good.

Quorum, launched in 1981, is a quintessential masculine fragrance that embodies the strong, no-compromise character of 70s and 80s colognes. Designed by Carlos Benaïm, Max Gavarry, and Rosendo Mateu, it’s an aromatic, woody powerhouse that demands attention and respect. The opening hits you with a strong herbal punch, dominated by sharp artemisia, earthy caraway, and citrusy bergamot. This green and slightly bitter beginning immediately sets the tone for a no-nonsense fragrance. As the top notes settle, the heart introduces an intricate blend of pine, patchouli, and carnation, with just a hint of jasmine. The pine note, in particular, evokes the image of a deep, rugged forest, reinforcing Quorum’s untamed and vintage essence. The dry down is where Quorum truly shines, with its woody and leathery base. Tobacco, oakmoss, and leather dominate, creating a smoky, mossy foundation that lingers for hours. The addition of sandalwood and amber provides warmth and depth, balancing the sharpness of the opening and heart. Quorum is unapologetically masculine, a scent that harks back to an era when colognes were bold statements of personality. It’s not for the faint-hearted or those seeking modern, fresh aquatic vibes. Instead, it’s a tribute to an era of suits, cigars, and firm handshakes. Its sillage is moderate to heavy, and the longevity is excellent, lasting well over 8 hours on skin and even longer on clothing. This makes it ideal for evening wear or cooler weather, where its complex profile truly comes to life. Quorum is not just a fragrance; it’s a time capsule of 70s and 80s masculinity. If you’re a fan of vintage colognes with strong character and a touch of nostalgia, Quorum is a must try. It’s a reminder that some classics never go out of style.

I imagine Luca Turin (God love him) referred to something like Quorum when he ruthlessly lambasted Les Abstraits Des Cendres on his Substack: "a woody fougère like a foghorn, brutally chemical, like a bad masculine from the late 1970s in the elevator on a Saturday night, left behind by some delusionally eager guy." Yet, I have a penchant for the masculine foghorns from the late 70s through 80s, they may feel brutal to certain noses, but to smell "chemical" as we know is a matter of perception, especially in this age of rampant and paranoid chemophobia. And maybe, just maybe, I want to cosplay that delusionally eager guy of that time period, or maybe I am just a delusionally eager guy of this time period, leaving my trail like the spoor of a randy buck. I actually do find Des Cendres to be anything but crude, but I do think that Quorum is titillatingly crude by design, particularly in its older forms, sort of an original Polo that went rogue and decided to take on billiards in smoky bars, heaving with ashy pine smatter and punchy mugwort, as green as the logo on a pack of Kool cigs. I will never say no to a supersize slug of moss and quinolines, and Quorum is filthy with it all, a swarthy lunch pail who may seem at first ham-fisted but is actually warm and cuddly, with a heart of gold. I must reiterate, though, that this only pertains to older formulations; newer ones, while half-way okay, are attenuated and fall short of satisfaction for me. I made a video some time ago on my YT channel where I get into greater detail, it's entitled "A Shell of its Former Self: A Concise Guide." Happy sniffing!