Black Walnut

So this is love... I bought a bottle of Black Walnut online, blind, because I liked the name and it was cheap enough to take the risk. Opened my new bottle (great packaging by the way) and sprayed a sample on the back of my hand, paused a moment to recap the bottle, then inhaled the gentle smoke drifting skywards. Wow! Oh wow! Oh wow! Put my nose down against my wrist and nuzzled in amongst the leaves. Sanctuary. I close my eyes and follow the scent trail. I feel like some sort of small woodland animal, wet fur, sleek, bright eyed, skittering along a riverbank, before diving into my deep, dark, cosy burrow. Just call me Mole. Just call me Ratty. This is the English countryside in autumn, trees bare black against an electric blue cloudless sky, sun bright but cold, the incense of gently steaming bonfires floats on the still air, evidence of unseen labour quietly keeping everything in neat order. 'England, forever England' as described in 'The Wind in the Willows' . This is a timeless countryside, not so far removed from Middle Earth, imagined into being in the comfort of an Edwardian gentleman's club amidst leather chairs, brandy, cigars. If you've never read Wind in the Willows, try it. It is a classic - it works on many levels so it is suitable for children and adults. Full of fable, adventure, homoeroticism, and mysticism. Black Walnut is how I in 2013 imagine the smell of Wind in the Willows and the Edwardian masculinity it celebrates. Fragrance as literary criticism. Intelligent perfume?! I had no idea that was possible. This is not a sexy fragrance unless you find intelligence erotic and then it captivates. I think you need to pick up on the allusions and then it charms. I am in love with this smell.

Let’s just get this out of the way; The performance isn’t amazing, but it’s not nearly as bad as people are saying. After 8 hours I still get mild whiffs of this. It’s faint, but it’s there. It can be very easy to “over smell” something and force yourself to go nose blind to it. Spray heavy with this one. 10+ sprays, mostly on clothes will give this the lifespan that it needs. Now, on to the smell... My god. Sophistication. Ease. It’s playful and yet serious. This has got to be one of the greatest masculine fragrances of ALL TIME. I smell this and I just think of wealth. The kind of wealth that doesn’t even need to announce itself. Sexy wealth. Respected wealth. The cognac gives us a nice boozy, dark blast in the opening but the tobacco is where it gets a little edgy. It evokes a hearty, robust smoky nuance that I haven’t really smelt anywhere else. It’s cigars with the boys in a dim lit study. Sipping on nice cognac and talkin shit. It’s just a good time. And women absolutely love this. Buy this. I mean, right now, go out of your own way to get it. It’s perfection. And remember to overspray. No one will be upset at you for it, it’s that damn good. 9/10

Scent: 8/10 Value: 8/10 Longevity: 2/10 Sillage: 3/10 Versatility: 5/10 This fragrance is pleasing from the outset to my taste. It's understated but warm and well rounded. As much as I love the scent, it doesn't last very long on my skin. It doesn't seem to project much except maybe for the first 20 minutes or so. It's a little reminiscent of Burberry Touch for Men in how soft it is, but it's more of a straightforward scent profile. I think this one works better for cooler weather and for casual gatherings. The fragrance and presentation are very high quality. No synthetic notes are apparent to me. I'm curious to try layering this with other fragrances but haven't experimented with that as of yet. Luckily this is quite affordable so when I'm in the mood to wear it, I can apply liberally and reapply as needed.

I am writing a review for BLACK WALNUT LEGEND because there are like 2 reviews for it. I will preference by saying I have never actually smelled Creed Aventus I have smelled clones but never the real thing. I think the black walnut legend smells amazing. It definitely smells like Aventus there’s no doubting that. But i think that this is the best clone you can buy (for $20) don’t but this on FragranceX or any online discounter that charges over $30 for it, anything over that isn’t worth it. But I must say I think it smells amazing, yesterday I went to Burlington and bought a bottle for $20 and I loved it so today I went to Marshall’s and bought a second bottle. This is the first fragrance I have ever bought a back up bottle for. So now I have 200mils of this fragrance and I am not complaining at all.

I miss this thing so much. I loved it. I wore the shit out of it. Everyone around me told me how nice I smelled every time I put it on. I stood out but I weren’t off-puttin’. It was mature but I could rock it in me twenties without feelin’ like a toddler in me Dad’s shoes. It was the first tobacco fragrance I ever loved without even realisin’ it had tobacco in it because at the time I didn’t know clue one about notes or anythin’ like that. I just knew I smelt the nuts in it. I think this thing’s why I’m drawn to tobacco now thinkin’ about it. Even THE PACKAGIN’ was amazin’ I used that wooden box to store cufflinks in for YEARS. It outlasted THE FRAGRANCE. It’s probably still floatin’ around me place somewhere. I wouldn’t mind findin’ that.