Manhattan

this is one of the most challenging perfumes i ever come across. at first sniff i absolutely HATED manhattan. since i had a bon bon sample i decided to just test it out till the sample was gone. it took me 2 months of constantly sampling and sniffing for its full beauty to hit me....and several months later here i am with a full 100 ml bottle. manhattan is very complex that it doesn't surprise me people will totally write it off at first sniff. there are so many layers to uncover and so many little intricate details along the life of the dry down. one thing is for sure....the plum note stays on till the final stages of manhattan's sophisticated adventure. bond really blended these ingredients with a masterful hand and knowledge. manhattan has monstrous projection and monstrous longevity....two sprays will fill the whole room so watch out for the amounts of sprays you put on! manhattan is so original, so complex, and so dark...people have no choice but to notice you. wearing this perfume will make you the most unique smelling person in your immediate vicinity. this is for sure bond's darkest perfume in their extensive library.....this scent is so dark and brooding that i think it is what a serial killer might put on as he lurks in the shadow of the night lol!

Update: Absolutely **adore** my bottle of Manhattan. I'm telling you guys/gals, I was very on-the-fence about this when the sales associate at Saks sprayed me. I still remember, I had New York Oud on one arm, and Manhattan on the other. Even the sales associate said something about the Oud was horrific on my skin, but the Manhattan, as she said, smelled "Amaaaazing!" At first sniff, it smells almost similar to a bar where too many people have on a ton of scents smoking cigarettes. So much for first impressions! But I was intruiged, it definitely smelled good, sweet, woody and spicy... but I wasn't sure if I could adopt this with the powerful tobacco/smokiness factor I have described. I went back a couple of times, sprayed a few others, but kept coming back to Manhattan. Until I got a sample kept spraying myself. Smelling myself. If you constantly want to sniff it, it's gotta be good. Plus I always get compliments. So I guess the long and short of it is, give it a try, try try! It does grow on you, but it's such a different scent, it takes some time to grow on you. But I see this as such the perfect, different fragrance. Awesome stuff. Definetely a colder weather fragrance or nighttime. Very reminiscent of christmas spicyness, almost a gingerbread feel.

I was perplexed and intrigued by this fragrance, and that's usually a good thing. Having bought a full bottle of the stuff, I feel now is a good time for a review. Bond No. 9 Manhattan opens very sweet and dark-fruity, and you instantly get a tobacco, almost smokey note. The sweet (honey, plum) flavors subside gently, and you're left with a dark fruit, smokey, and woody fragrance that leaves you wondering whether you like it or not. Five seconds later you're sniffing your arm again. Is it spice you smell? Gingerbread? I hesitate to continue naming notes, there are so many; it's a sophisticated scent. After several hours, or days - if you have a sample - you'll give in and go ahead and treat yourself to this magical fragrance. It's very mysterious, without a doubt a nighttime scent. It's playful, and it's complexity (and ingredients, incidentally) are what I look for when purchasing a good bottle of red wine. Probably another reason I enjoy the scent so much. And the bottle is totally cool-looking. Probably one of the better buys in the scent world. It's a truly unique fragrance.

Two sprays to the chest, left my shirt open (since I'm not going out today), and at first there is that raisin-ish element others mentioned, then some florals that have a touch of that hairspray effect (freesia?), then very little of anything. This is "dark?" This is a "spicy chocolate?" This is a "heavy gourmand?" I'd take any one of those! Now it's not bad, but I'm getting a rather indistinct floral/light gourmand from it. I hope this is a case of the first wearing providing somewhat of a false impression, but at this point, even after acquiring a bottle at a very good price, I'm not happy about buying it. I like New Haarlem and I Love NY for All, which seem a lot stronger, but I don't really know what to make of Manhattan. And I'd say it's on the "feminine" side of unisex. UPDATE: After a couple hours the base reminds me a bit of Black Orchid EdP, though with obvious differences. I think I prefer BO EdP, but this isn't bad at all; I just wish that dried florals/freesia type element was weaker and it was more gourmand.

This is Niche quality Dior Addict. I'm not into the girly girl sweet, sugary fragrances but this one in quite pleasantly sweet. Not over the top, not sugar in a bottle, just smooth richness with a cherry on top! Bond 9 Manhattan is the first fragrance I have worn for two days in a row in many many months and I can honestly say that I was not bored by it. There is a nice bite to it's quiet elegance and just enough warmness to create an aura of serenity. I can pull this one off because it separates me from Candy Girl bandwagon and puts me in the "I'm cool like that" groupies status. I can be a grown up and party like a rock star at the same time. I 'll have to find myself some glad rags and hooker heels because in Manhattan, rumor has it, these people Never Sleep!

This is definitely gourmand OUD period. The oud note is very obvious here, blended perfectly with the cacao, plum and vanilla. It brings out the sweet side of oud that not so many people are aware of. To us middle easterners oud is such a luxury! A luxury not everyone (in the past at least) could afford. Did you know that oud is still part of a brides dowry! Along with gold and money! That's how valuable it is to us! It is a real unisex perfume, used by both men and women equally. And depending on the origin of oud, it does have a natural sweet note to it, some varieties more than others. So manhattan to me is the perfect sweet oud, for both men and women alike. I' m definitely treating myself to a bottle or more sooner or later ;>

This is one of those fragrances that doesn’t shout, it is just definitely present, anf it just..settles. On me it quickly unifies into a smooth, boozy gourmand with soft spice, orange and a rich dried-fruit depth (which feels more 'sultana' than sharp spice). It feels plush, warm and quietly confident rather than showy. Heavier than my cosy daytime scents, for me, this firmly reads as an evening fragrance — elegant, comforting and very grown up. A classy going out scent as it is not overly dramatic, it is just consistently good and very well behaved. If you like polished, boozy winter scents that don’t scream for attention, this one is well worth a try.

For some reason, the fragrances I tend to love are the ones with the most polirizing comments and the most dislikes... oh well. I love this, bought a 50ml, have to say, it was almost nervewracking based on the "reviews" but oh the notes... I am glad I went for it. This is a very beautiful scent, a bit animalic, with a touch of freshness. Kinda gourmand but not overly sweet or warm. Perfectly blended to my nose and body chemistry, go figure... I find it fascinating how the perception of fragrances can be so subjective, Its almost like one fragrance becomes 100 different smells based on people's perceptions... Anyways, beautiful.

One of my favorite gourmand fragrances, and very underrated from Bond No 9. The fragrance has a ton of notes, but the main notes I get are the peach, saffron, nutmeg, and gingerbread. The gingerbread comes out more as it drys down. It's a sweet fragrance, but it's not over done and isn't a syrupy sweetness. Very warm fragrance with some spiciness. Reminds me of the month of December. Lasts around 8 or 9 hours on my skin, and performs pretty well too. Perfectly unisex, and works best in cold and cool weather situations. This fragrance isn't for everyone, but I love it. Highly recommend sampling this one. Overall: 8.5 / 10

Wore this last year to a birthday at this one bar in downtown Seattle. A random girl approached me and said “I have been walking around trying to figure out where that smell is coming from. I smelled it wherever I was at. What is it?” I told her what it was and she never heard of the brand. She did tell me it smelled delicious though after we talked a bit. I used 4 sprays and filled up the whole bar. Be careful with the trigger on this one. My top 3 Bonds.

This is one of the perfumes that will surely get "thumbs up" on first sniff. :) I am so in love with Manhattan... and i say LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! It contains all the notes that I draws me to a certain perfume in the first place - citrus, sweet, spicy, warm, woody, smokey- all mixed in one perfect juice that is rich, velvety and luxurious. I love Elixir des Merveilles and Manhattan shares the same spirit as EdM.

While I received a sample of this (kudos 3starmagnum), I am not sure at this time I would pay this much for a frag. But I will say this... it smells amazing. It lasts a long time (8 to 10 hours?) and has respectful projection (arms length). I'll agree with others below that it evokes feelings of Christmas. Can't wait for it to get colder. :)

At first sniff, I get subtle booziness and stale cigarettes, sweetness and chocolate. Marvelous! To me, it smells like Grand Central at 3:00 AM Sunday morning, after a wild night on the town, waiting for the first train home, cuppa java in hand. Will update after further reflection, but it sure gets me back there ...

This, to me, is Christmas in a bottle...don't ask me why but it improves my mood and the compliments come from all directions...really one of Bond No.9's very best for men...if you want the perfect fragrance for the Thanksgiving &/or Christmas holiday season, this IS it! sillage: 8/10 longevity 8/10

This is lovely on me. It's warm and spicy, I can definitely sense the plum, gingerbread, and patchouli. Perfectly sweet and no overwhelming projection. I get a brief whiff of this throughout the day, reminding me how nice I smell right now. Quite possibly could be repurchase-worthy.

For those who miss Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol, this is as good as it gets (unless you just would like to try Boucheron de Boucheron for women eau de toilette for a lot less $$$). Beautiful, unique, complex but clean, and gently sweet in all the right ways.

This fragrance reminds me of vintage Obsession by Calvin Klein, with added sweetness and depth from the chocolate and honey. Yum. I love it! This is a dark sweetness, not sugary or fluffy in any way.

Sugary sweet gourmand overpriced copy of Boucheron de Boucheron. So many Bonds seem like the sugary hot fudge sundae copy of some actual milestone in fragrance history. This is no exception.

Very warm and sweet, smell of cookies and cacao is very intensive. i love it. منهاتن من بوند 9 عطر جيل جدا و رائحته تذكرك بالبسكويت بالكاكاو . عطر مثالي و فريد من نوعه

a really mellow twin of Angel. actually like it better.