Portos

Portos serves a triptych of castoreum, costus and IBQ adorned with exhilaratingly punchy green top notes and underlined with vetiver and geranium. These are the elements that stand out most prominently to me, but how does it make me feel? What does it evoke? Wouldn't you like to know! Seriously though, 1980 approached the apotheosis of the machismo era of men's fragrances, eclipsed by the big league releases of Kouros and Antaeus. Portos was one progenitor that, while riding the coattails of Aramis, and Givenchy Gentleman, and Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, took their various themes and amalgamated them with dark edginess and oily, brawny bravado. A clean/dirty dichotomy prevails, converging chypre and fougere elements create a storm of passion in the heart of Portos, marking its unrestrained virility down to its final musky exhalation on the skin. Whether Portos is essential is up for debate; it was discontinued only five or six years after its release, and in the wake of its scarcity its demand is high, only further encouraged by its being deified by online vintage fiends (like myself? you hush!). With this in mind, don't blow 300 US dollars on it. If you must, wait until a good deal comes up online like I did, and go for a splash, they tend to be cheaper. That said, there's no denying the delight I feel while wearing this juggernaut.

Portos for my taste falls within a small group of vintage cult fragrances that everyone should enjoy at least once in life. The composition in pure eighties style, is complex and powerful, where a beautiful, leather key agreement breaks from start to finish to accompany herbs, feels this agreement smoky, patchouli, myrrh that makes a lot of balsamic and heavy but especially the smell of castoreum gives the fragrance a vibrant, wild, unique and super masculine effect. Portos is one of those fragrances designed for an alpha male, of those typical man of 80, with chest hair, semi open shirt and tight jeans, confident, dominant, irreverent and have a devastating sex appeal. And since the dyes Animalicos fragrances are becoming fashionable again, this might be a good retro candidate that could be used without problem to be trendy. Not recommended for inexperienced youngsters who love soft fragrances and light eau de toilette. Rating: 7.5

Lana Lool said it all. True castoreum , strongly animal with bold character. Love, love this 70/ 80 gem. !! Don't let it go of you love bold and spicy leather.!!! 10/10

VERY Macassar like. Just try them

A rich, multifaceted blend that to my mind conjures the image of a refined continental gentleman - sophisticated, elegant and a bit of a dandy. Portos was one of the Three Musketeers, right? There’s a subtle animalic aspect to Portos that is immediately apparent - presumably castoreum - that enhances the sensory experience and creates an impression of a magic potion of luxurious pre-IFRA wonder - a mosaic in which my amateur nose detects hints of castoreum, oakmoss, rock rose, and myrrh. Aspects of wood, leather and botanicals unite in a rich, complex blend redolent of luxury and elegance. Portos is a potent brew for an EDC, classically and traditionally masculine, that projects well for the first hour - if one were to “splash” this stuff on it would be overpowering, although the opening is quite bold, it evolves rapidly and as per ElGonzo's review, longevity is around 4 hours, although in cold weather it’s around 6 hours. Mini flacons of 10ml are still widely available and an inexpensive way to try this classic.