Yatagan

This is quite a strange perfume. Enormously complex yet somehow bringing many different notes into a simple, unified and cohesive accord of... well... I don't know what to call it actually. Shall I just say "green wood" or maybe "young wood?" A yatagan is an ornate short-bladed knife or dagger commonly held as a personal defense weapon during the times of the ancient Ottoman empire. That should be a clue, I would presume. If I keep this image in mind my description of "wood" for this perfume shifts quite a bit towards a Middle Eastern or Turkish perfume style that is, actually, fairly metallic and woody. According to some websites - not that I want to reference them or any other perfume website that often to prevent bias, but I need some help with this perfume - there are the following notes: at the top there is lavender, wormwood, petitgrain, artemisia, bergamot, galbanum, and oregano; at the heart there is geranium, jasmine, carnation, pine needles, vetiver, and patchouli; at the base there is leather, castoreum, styrax, olibanum, labdanum, musk, oakmoss, and amber. Hmm. The lavender and the wormwood are definitely perceptible to my nose. The lavender comes through as a dried herbaceous note with no florals, and the wormwood presents a really funky aromatic woody bitterness. I can pick up the geranium - that terrible citronella note that I am so sensitive too - and the pine and vetiver as well. The pine and vetiver seem to act in tandem by presenting a green, aromatic, resinous, and slightly sweaty feeling. Then, finally, the leather and incense at the base are certainly perceptible, both are very dry, very chemically (freshly tanned leather), and very funky, earthy, and resinous (olibanum). There are certainly musk elements too in the case of labdanum and castoreum. Animalic can certainly be used to describe this perfume. I'm all over the place with Yatagan; I don't know why I'm having such a hard time with it. But, I should be perfectly clear, what is difficult about it for me is figuring out what it's saying. There is no difficulty at all in enjoying it, for me. This is, and always has been, a very polarizing perfume: you're either going to love it or you are going to hate it. Additionally, this newer batch that I'm currently wearing is not totally representative of the perfume for the majority of its 49-year lifespan. The newer batches - starting from when I don't know - seem to be less well-formulated than the more original batches say pre-1990s. Yatagan in its original form displayed a remarkable vocal range of high fresh notes as well as deep warm notes, and it seems over the years that the range has shrunk a bit; the highs aren't as high, the lows aren't as low. I need to hunt down a vintage bottle of this for the sake of contrast, and also just because I love it so much that I can see myself owning two separate vintages. So, that said, while this newer one is not as good as the original, it's still very good. It's still a very unique, convincing, challenging yet rewarding exercise in what modern perfumery can achieve. As I said, it definitely won't be for everyone, but everyone who loves perfume needs to have smelled it at least once in their life, and even for those like me who love it we could find it to be a struggle determining when and where to wear it. But, when those moments arrive, when Yatagan seems to be just the right fit, I will very happily reach for my bottle.

Ahhh, Yatagan, one of my true loves. One day, a number of years ago, I walked into the legendary Colonial Drug in Newton, MA (formerly in Harvard Square, Cambridge for decades). Here I would get my education on the classics, whether they be household names or those that were unsung. The owners have impeccable taste and have recommended so many of the scents that I now hold very dear to my heart. During that visit, I saw their display of Caron men's fragrances, and there stood Yatagan, with that sepia-tinted juice. It was calling out my name: "Joseph, I was meant for you..." I sampled it, and to my disbelief, it ignited all the pleasure synapses in my brain in a way no other, perhaps besides Habit Rouge EDT, ever had before. Have I found my own personal holy grail? The opening is redolent of pine, camphoraceous herbs, dirt, with that undercurrent of castoreum. This is the rare instance of a fragrance to my nose being simultaneously sensual, primal, AND cerebral. It is one of just a handful of scents that just floods me with memories, actual and uncertain. It's an effable sensation that gives me a yearning of that which is out of reach, which isn't as sad as it may sound: it actually motivates the spirit to experience more. I know for many this is a lot of waxing poetic for a 40+ year old Caron fragrance that pre-dates whimsical niche scents by decades. Well, Yatagan just seems to transcend most of them for being unadorned, by not trying to be a concept or a thought-provoking experiment. It just IS Yatagan. As I write, the dry down is moist primeval pine forests and the filtered sun hitting understory growth. The dry down is fur, musk, velour, and golden tree resins. There is not a drop of fustiness detected. I must also mention that I am of the firm belief that all fragrances are unisex (if you look at my other reviews I am not averse to often taking a dip into the perfume lady pond to find that many are quite unisex). However, Yatagan has a masculine energy; I would theorize that it would be best suited for the Ph of men's skin. It likely brings out the best of a man's own body chemistry. I could be full of it—it sure wouldn't be the first time, but I just get that sense. As far as current formulations versus older and all that business, I can't really report, yet at least. For now, I am getting back up bottles and seeking out an order formulation for reference. What I can say is that the current formulation is breathtakingly good and impresses me more than most niche would these days. I also refuse to be swayed by the cynics and fragrance pedagogues. Furthermore it's worth noting that I would be curious to sample ELDO Eloge du Traitre, the alleged modern interpretation. For now, Yatagan has won my heart and soul.

***Update Almost 3 weeks later 11/26/25*** Yeah, so Yatagan's over all performance has certainly improved during the nearly 3 weeks since I first inroduced air into my bottle and then just let it "Maturate" in its box. I can tell the difference as soon as I spray this intoxicating mixture out and onto my skin! Its definately NOT what I'd consider a "Classic Powerhouse 80's/90's men scent" although it does carry that type of dna. Now after having time to "age" a bit, it lasts on skin nearly 7 hours or so, but the projection is soft and close to the skin, bit does have enough presence where I catch whafts of it throughout my day. Initially Yatagan was extremely faint and just didnt last on my skin, but its so much better now that Im seriously considering getting a back-up bottle as Yatagan is now discontinued which is a shame! I am so, so SO GLAD that I didnt harp on the negative reviews (too much) and FINALLY pulled the trigger on this fantastic, classic-masculine masterpiece! Due to many negative reviews, I was very concerned about Yatagan's performance, namely the longevity, but I am very glad to report that this fragrance does last long on skin ( bout 6 to 7 hours maybe more) but I must admit that after "Maturating" for about a week it does sit very, VERY close to the skin once it dries down. No when I initially sprayed my bottle the scent was extremely faint and fleeting, but trust me, this fragrance maturates nicely and performance improves even after just a few days. Thing is that although Yatagan sits so close to the skin, it does have a nice all be it soft projection. The photo-realistic Pine note feels like Im smelling and freshly cut Christmas Tree! As the fragrance dries down ya get slightt smokines which does NOT over power the beautiful Pine note and adds to the woodiness. Im getting ZERO Castoreum or anything "Anamalic" really, but I think it wouldve added more completely to this dna. This scent lingers lightly on clothes FOR DAYS, and even on skin it seems to linger even past 7 to 8 hours, its just very, very light and close to the skin at that point (Soft skin-scent) but I still manage to catch whiffs of it as I move around even after Im sure its long gone. If anyone enjoys your classic/green fragrance such as Polo, Jacques Bogart Signature or Carlo Corinto Classic just more "Office/Elecator safe" then Yatagan should be your jam! In my opinion Yatagan is a 7.5 outta 10 fragrance minus points for how quitely it projects. Still tho, a total LOVE for me!🫠 Ill give an update if there is any improvement with the performance. Thanks to whomever took the time! CHEERS!

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT Judge Yatagan from a newly unsealed bottle! And NEVER listen to a "First Impressions video" of Yatagn simply because it changes WAAAY TOO MUCH once its had a few months to maturate! I mean I own nearly 200 fragrances and most improve over-time at different degrees. Some hardly change at all, some change drastically, some change within a few days, some take.months upon months to improve. Yatagan was one that took nearly 4 months to get as strong as it is now and although its still NOT a "Beastmode fragrance" It NOW has really great presnce and good longevity lasting a good 7 to 8 hours on skin with moderate projection. Now initially I'd have to agree with @dhishum000's review just below this one and say that performance for Yatagan was initially quite "Abysmal." It was EXTREMELY light and barley there and longevity was maybe 3 hours of that "barely there" skin scent, but Yatagan has tfuely improved by leaps and bounds which is why I dont get why @dhishum000 is claiming that even after owning it for 2 years he still thinks it had "Poor performance"?? ODD! Yatagan starts off natural smelling, almost bright- "Christmas tree" Conifer/Pine, then comes the Smokey Birch and leather and the Leather note becomes much more prominent at the far dry'down and it smell quite classic, yet very unique and simply GORGEOUS! I dont feel that Yatagan smells all that much like Ralph Laurens Polo like, AT ALL, but I suppose if ya wanna group a "Green, Piney-leather fragrances" as smelling similar, then I suppose there's a slllight similarity! Yatagan smells very "Niche" and at around $50 for a full presentation 3.4 oz bottle, its a TOTAL STEAL! But folks, remember that ya must let Yatagan Maturate for a few months (If) ya want more intensity and BELIEVE ME! the wait is just so very worth it. This is a 9 outta 10 fragrance minus one point for the atrocious (Initial) performance and needing to Maturate as long as it did to achieve the performance and depth it has now, but MAN! the wait was SOOO WELL WORTH IT!!

The tl;dr of the review is this: it's way tamer and more wearable than its legend would have you believe, and it's an amazing scent. You can wear it any time of day/year, and don't need to fear it. The animal (castoreum, in this case) is barely there - less than Antaeus, waaaaay less than Kouros. You have to really hunt for it. It's primarily an acrid, herbal bitter green. It screams of spring and early summer, but not in a sort of dewy, watery, pellucid way. Rather, this is the acidic freshness of life bursting out of fertile humus (note: not bursting out of fertile houmous...if you have that, you're a dirty bitch and need to clean your fridge). This is, clearly, the artimesia - better known in English as wormwood, and it's a bitter aromatic smell, which fits between green and woody. Some people claim there's a whiff of celery in there - true, and in an entirely good way. It's part of the "festival of energetic green," not a note in itself. That said, the woody, resinous side is also there in its own right - some of the pine that would appear a couple of years later in Quorum makes a strong appearance. This resinous, woody dimension means it suits year round, autumn/winter wear, too. Here, the castoreum plays a somewhat unique role. In Kouros, Antaeus and Bal à Versailles, the animalic notes appear much more as soloists, designed to shake up the other ingredients, bringing sexy back. But in Yatagan, it's much less distinctive, the castoreum serving more like the second violins and violas holding it all together. The animalic plays a coordinating secondary or tertiary role. As such, Yatagan can appear, if squinted at in a certain way, like a more coherent, even a more subtle, Quorum, rather than a precursor to the "big animals" of the 80s. One guy below said he sprayed himself 20 times with Yatagan, and couldn't smell the perfume at all. That's probably because he had passed out. And it's dirt cheap. And it's Caron.

You know what, I broke down too and bought it because I wanted to see what the big deal was with those who love Yatagan and swear by it (and also because as someone said, the decant price vs bottle is silly) so I went and blind bought a bottle. It was a total gamble, to be flat out honest. I half expected something harsh and Kouros-like, super vintage and dated. Yatagan is all but that. It's vintage, yes. But the best possible way. Yatagan is aromatic as hell, super natural smelling, not as soapy or harsh as I was expecting. This is smooth to my nose, probably because it's so natural. Like many have posted, this is indeed very outdoorsy. It smells very piney, coniferous and crisp. Very green too, I'm guessing because of galbanum but also artemisia which it so happens I was wearing Memoir Man yesterday and it reminds me strongly of that (not in the smell, in that particular greenness of the two). It's definitely something from another era, though. That said, I find this whole "oh a gen-z can't wear this" or "you have to have chest hair to wear this" nonsense to be really tired. You like what you like. There's a 23 year old guy wearing Lyric Man at work and my god, it's gorgeous on him. And I know a 48 yo guy wearing Le Male. As long as you're confident with it, Yatagan will suit any guy. You just have to be aware that wearing this may get you looks and I certainly wouldn't wear it at a beach party (it's a cold season scent, IMO). It's a clean yet assertive fragrance. But after testing it for a couple of days on strip and on skin, if you enjoy it, please do enjoy it and don't let anyone tell you if you're too young to wear it.

With classic men’s frags like this, you’ll see a lot of tongue-in-cheek reviews mentioning hairy chests and lumberjacks and so forth. Those clichés get a little over-used sometimes but if they apply to anything, they apply to this. Yatagan is the real deal. You need some hair on your chest to pull this one off. If you don’t have any, though, Yatagan might make you grow some. This stuff is fantastic. I’m surprised to see that Polo EDT and Quorum are low on the “reminds me of” ratings, because this instantly reminded me of those – piney and woody right out of the gate. But Yatagan is SMOOTH. It doesn’t have that sharp air freshener accord that Polo does in the opening. It’s stronger and bolder than Quorum. If you like those, you’re going to like this. “Strong but smooth” is what comes to mind here. Wearing Yatagan is like running your hand through the fur coat of a grizzly bear. It’s soft, but you know the bear could take your head off in a moment. Many of these classic fougeres can be a little harsh for the first hour or two (Polo), or they’ve been reformulated so many times that they’ve lost some of their character and strength even if they still smell good (Drakkar, and I guess Polo too). Neither can be said of Yatagan. I can’t speak to any past formulas, but I can say that the modern one is *chef's kiss.* I’m a millennial man who loves these old ‘70s-’80s aromatics/fougeres, and I think I just found my new favorite in Yatagan. It’s a little pricier than many other classics at $40-$50 for 4.2oz but I think that’s still a pretty great value. You’re getting a lot of fragrance for your money here. Nice bottle, too.

My first review in some time, because COVID. And as my sense of smell has finally regained nuance, I do a quick calibration check before returning to scents. Does Bat (2015) still smell like being buried alive? I check the “yes” box with shaking fingers and dirt beneath my nails. Do the popular men’s bottles at the drugstore still smell like a chemist’s brutalist ode to toxic masculinity - equal parts aggression, flop sweat, and generic shower gel dispensed at hospitals and YMCAs everywhere? Yeah ... I think I’m ready. And I start by wearing Yatagan, as I’ve had it a while and always found it already familiar. In fact the familiarity is what first held my tongue. How to differentiate this from Quorum, for instance? I get a clean, green classic - musky, but lacking the animalic raunch it’s known for. Maybe it’s the recent formulation, but Kouros, Antaeus or Hyrax this is not. I find castoreum has a powdery leather quality, heavy and slightly nauseating. Scents rich in it, say Russian Tea or Etruscan Water, I wear somewhat cautiously. But I don’t find it here, though maceration has continued to make the scent richer. This has a lot of the forest - pine trees, oak moss, mint, and the lumberjack’s own musk. The similarity with Quorum is notable - the cheaper Puig goes on rougher and doesn’t last as well, but in between they’re singing the same tune. In fact this offers a fine midpoint between a throwback cheapie like Quorum, and pricier retro-modern niche like Fou d’Absinthe. It’s worth having one of these, so you can smell like the old school version of manly clean - which is to say, still pretty damn dirty.

My first try was not pleasant, as it was the first time I ever encountered castoreum. Underneath the bitter aroma of herbs featuring pine, artemisia, galbanum, and patchouli, the castereum obstrudes itself every time I sniffed close to the skin. It's... animalically sweet... yuk! After a week or so, I was ready to try again. The castoreum was not that unpleasant anymore. It's animalically creamy and less bold, while the herbal combination was more prominent. Bitter, latent animalically greasy. The third try after two months had me enthralled by its rich smooth and sophisticated character. By the way, when it projects, others perceive it mostly as aromatic woody. Powerful projection (that is, I got on a bus and the driver said I filled the whole bus with woody scents) and moderate longevity. After 3h or so it'll decline to skin scent and linger for a whole day (but remains fascinating). I didn't (still don't) get any hint of oriental-ness (i.e. middle East) or manliness from Yatagan. Actually I don't usually feel manliness in those frags hyped as "manly". Yatagan is just uncommon. I do get its fierceness after trying it in warm May. Oh boy! It's almost aggressive! And I love to wear it occasionally in hot summer :) It's a wonderful frag that I'd wear often. Plus, cats don't like it. ------ update I noticed some comments mentioning "green", and I'm sure there are cultural differences regarding what "green" (and "herbal") is in perfumes, which has led to lots of misunderstanding and unnecessary defaming of decent perfumes such as Yatagan.

One of my favorites, though I have a pretty different impression than most. This is certainly very masculine, but I don't find it brash, I find it comforting. I don't have the best nose, so I can only tell you how it makes me feel. In summation: You're standing at the base of a pine tree on a sunny fall afternoon filtered through the forest. It's a dry day, but it rained a few days ago so the ground has retained some of it. An animal has passed by recently, and you smell the dirt and undergrowth. You strip some of the needles, crumple and smell. That to me is Yatagan. Pine, earth, animalic. I don't know enough to distinguish castoreum from other animalics, but it is certainly animalic. Something that I haven't seen mentioned much but certainly sense is this quasi sweetness. Not from fruit, sugar, anything sharp like that. But this full sweetness that must come from the castoreum/musk. I'm almost hesitant to mention it because I don't want to implant this sense that it is a sweet fragrance, only that it is hovering there at its base in its fullness. Yatagan is a very memorable fragrance. It's one I love, and will always have. It is in its own way a gentle fragrance. Big, but gentle. Of the "reminds me of" section, I've smelled Quorum, Polo Green, and Aramis. I don't associate it with Aramis at all. Quorum and Polo Green have the pine aspect, but despite whatever notes they share on paper I don't get a similar feel from them. I hope this helps make a decision one way or another, and I hope you enjoy this fragrance.

I like weird polarizing scents. When a reviewer says "it smells like cat urine" (encre noire) I think: "mmmm...I have to have that. Someone below said Yatagon made him cry. Another person said it's like smelling a squirrel's nuts (and not the kind you eat, the absolute funniest review in all of Fragrantica!). So I blind bought a bottle of course! Then, I whiffed...and couldn't stop laughing: yeah, squirrel nuts. It's smells like the piney outdoors on a wet fall day 2 inches away from a beaver dam. Thankfully, no sweetness. Not for compliments but for enjoying the artistry. Perfumers are artists. Their medium is scents. Don't buy something like this to smell good. Buy it to enjoy the artwork. I love it! Some people say it smells like celery. I get that. Others say it's the artemisia. Well IT'S NOT! Artemisia is like mint's darker tougher older brother. Smell a bottle of absinthe and you'll understand. The celery smell might be a combination of watercress (dill), oakmoss, and insense. I can imagine the three of those combined giving a bright earthy green scent like celery. If you like pine scents (I do) get it. It's a unique addition to your pine scent collection. Aramis Devin is a Brittish gentleman pine scent, Polo Green is like a manly lumberjack pine scent, and Yatagon is like a recluse backwoodsman pine scent who hasn't taken a shower in a long time. Who wouldn't like that???

Finally got to trying this legendary fragrance (reformulation) and it was beautiful to those wondering, there is a distinctive dark smokey forest fire note on the dry down and a bit of lavender as it projects ...it opens with the castoreum making its presence known I call it the baby diaper note.. i can only imagine how this note projects in the vintage bottle its animalistic and dirty followed by unique take on green woody aromatics which the lavender carry's to the end. As it drys down the base notes become more prevalent I don't get the celery note that others talked about if you want pure celery Guy Laroche Horizon 1993...This is a very masculine refined fragrance the dry down reminds me a bit of Action Trussardi's opening with its powdery herbal greenness..Yatagan takes a turn instead of bright Mediterranean herbs it becomes a dark forest on a rainy day this forest has been burnt down many times as you walk deeper into peat bogs earthy mist hides the moss laced ground you find a dirty leather sheath laying under a giant pine tree , as you pick up the sheath a scabbard and Arabian sword carved out of oak falls to the ground right into a fresh pile of horse dung all these notes project into the green dewy atmosphere that is Yatagan it's dark it's daring and it's wonderfully refined ..Masterpiece get it ,try it ,respect it ,or hate it ...9.6 of 10

This is such a classic. The opening has a deep and slightly warm pine smell, It's really straight-forward, but still complex and nuanced. The pine is definitely the main element, but there's all these bitter and soft supportive elements around it that adds to the warm nature of the pine. Once it starts to relax, it settles into a mix of herbal mossy and woody mix, with a slightly leathery background. Very subtly though. It's not a leather-forward fragrance, and it's not at all like Ombré leather or Tuscan leather, I'm talking about just a smidge of a leathery supportive element to the headliner, which is the woody moss with bitter herbs. Note breakdown does indicate animalics (castoreum), but I'll add that it doesn't smell outright animalic, there's no strong castor sac smell, so the addition of animalics here is mainly to add warmth and complexity, and doesn't really stand out to me as a distinct note. The scent profile is definitely very old-school, so if you're more into modern fragrances, this is not going to be for you, although I think it's worth smelling. It has no real apologetics to being masculine and classic I could easily imagine this being perfect in an upscale cocktail bar. The smell of pine, smooth woods, bitter herbs and moss is a timeless classic

@Lwjm has hit the nail with his review. Not much I can say after that. I do have this to say this about Yatagon, it's really damn good! I always was a bit curious about the fragrance because of how much praise it gets in the corner of people that seem to compensate their masculinity with ''ultra manly'' scents. And almost always the scents don't come across as testosteronic as claimed to be. However this one? Is one of the rare instances that it really is the case! It would boost anyone's confidence. I am mostly getting a straight up piney, herbal bitter green with some slight freshness and a frankincense smoke edge. It really isn't a ''powerhouse'', it is for sure classic. It's quieter compared to something like kueros while not coming off as timid. To me this is straight up an elevated and perfumed ''old spice''. Herbal green, watery, piney, basil, lots of worm wood, fresh and heavy patchouli push. Lots of woods, with an animalic leathery castorium but the wood flattens it a bit. I thought it wasn't as prominent at first. You can tell it's there in your own scent bubble. Combined with a simple and sturdy musky wood structure that just sticks and lifts off the skin decently for a good amount of time. Really cool fragrance with in a retro package!

I believe I was able to smell this before I opened the box, but I'm surprised how inoffensive and balanced I find it. It's kind of dry, brown, peppery, earthy, somehow zingy, probably smoky, somewhat mossy-soapy, etc. etc., but I do not find it all harsh. (It probably helps that I have sprayed this cautiously, as I always would.) The combination of earthiness and a kind of--I don't know--zing (or whatever) reminds me of the earlier stages of Bvlgari Man In Black, but I'm pretty sure I prefer this. I can see this being a solid day/night three-season fragrance, and, for me as the wearer, a very pleasing one at that. It may not be a crowd pleaser but I don't think it will have the villagers chasing me with pitchforks and flaming torches either. Oh, and--celery what now? Hmmm, I think I can just about see what people mean, but it's probably more like celery seed or parsley seed than any actual plant or herb. Anyway I like it, and the whole thing smells warmer and browner than I expected. This will be a sweaty brown joy in the autumn. P.S. I agree that this bears some similarity to Devin. Whereas Devin is maybe 60% greenery and 40% earth and wood, this is the other way around.

I am in love with the smell of this. I absolutely love it. I gave it a full days wear and I must be honest about it. It smells so freaking good. Vincent Marcello was a master craftsman. He created 3 incredible fragrances...and then disappeared. To me that makes this fragrance even more endearing. Super unique...BUT! It lacks longevity. That saddens me so much because this is THE fragrance that I would wear everyday if were only allowed to pick one for life...this would be the one. I got 3 to 5 hours tops..on cloth. Less on skin. When it is on, it is pure fire. WOW this stuff smells fantastic! Before I give number values to my thoughts I am going to let the bottle age a while since first use and see if that improves over time with natural maceration. I hope so. This frag is pure class. The nose behind it...genius level. 11/29/21 UPDATE: After some natural bottle maceration (air getting into the bottle from normal use) I am getting 7-8 hours minimum of longevity. That is pretty darned good. I guess I had some "new bottle" freak-out.. This might not be my personal "signature" scent BUT that doesn't mean it cannot be my all time favorite. Caron is still doing it right!

Yatagan is absolutely endless! Probably the most uncompromising all-time classic and surely one of the most distinctive male fragrances ever created, Yatagan is dirty, sweaty, almost disturbing and even kind of nasty, but totally addictive. Whenever I smell it or wear it, I get drunk because boy, this stuff is so intoxicating. If smelled today for the first time, it might feel a bit dated in the drydown but its power to evoke a rancid barbershop cologne mixed with a shoe rack filled with old leather shoes and neglected in a dark wet forest, it's unbeatable. Too many times I wished a lot of the newest perfumes, smelled as original and unique as Yatagan still does after more than 30 years from its original launch! A masterpiece. Let me spend a few more words on the bottle and packaging. A great combination of "naif", early seventies, turkish-franco-russian graphic and design. Indiscriminately ugly but hypnotic in its minimalism! What it smells like? Try it. Edit 2014: A few notes on the current formulation. A bit toned down in the patchouli department. Slightly polished but still vastly above the average quality available amongst today's masculines. Rating: 10/10

A refreshing coniferous forest juice. For me it's spruce needles, frankincense, artemisia & bay (castoreum, I think, is hiding in this dominant herbal-crunchy accord which sometimes gets the celery rap), and Diorissimo EDC (that is, a juicy lily-of-the-valley). Sometimes I think of stumbling across a centaur in the forest, and he's all prickly-smelling and bearded but he's walking with a gossamer white shawl wrapped around his shoulders (the lily), disarming my expectations. Other times (don't die when I say this) I am compelled to think of a more pine-y Aramis New West or, like, Tommy Girl's dad. She's so cute and you want to be seen walking her home after school, but then you see her dad packing up the van for camping and he waves and you're like, No *that's* what I want. Sprucey, clean white incensey, and that sporty juicy tea-like TommyGirl/Diorissimo smell. It's brilliant, honestly, but not the castoreum beast it's made out to be. If it were, I'd be having a bath in my holy grail, a half-horse with sprites braiding my beard. As tis, I love it and wear it sometimes but smell the cap probably everyday. I still think lovingthealien nailed it best.

Of all the fragrances I've bought and owned, I've relished none in the same way I relish Yatagan. From top to bottom I'm in love with this perfume. The opening is a vigorous, gut-pulled breath of fresh mountain air laden with conifer. It's glorious and energizing--dare I say "dignifying". What follows is a transformation from leather to the most beautiful animal piss. Don't misunderstand what that means. Yatagan is elegant, understated, and well-blended. In the first days of wearing it, I thought it performed poorly. But on laundry day I could smell it on all my shirts from the last 72 hours and I felt like maybe I'd just gone nose-blind. After all, after the first spray I couldn't stop putting my nose in my shirt and bringin my wrists to my face. Yatagan isn't a sillage/projection beast. It stays on and around you like an aura. More ambient than directional. Is "pheremonic" a word? Indeed it leans "masculine", lending a rugged yet refined aura to the wearer, but I believe anyone could love this fragrance. For me it brings images of riding horses on my grandpa's mountain ranch near Kings Canyon National Park. Fresh air, leather, pine, wildlife.

It's very good. Definitely the inspiration for Antaeus without doubt. I'll leave 4 outta 5 now after the first time smelling it but then again I left Antaeus 4 outta 5 upon the first smell and I fell in love with it after testing it again. The mint as opposed to sage and the lavender instead of thyme makes it different yet somewhat similar to Antaeus, and basil remains the same as the only common note from the Lamiaceae family between the two. Would you call this a semi-fougere/semi-chypre fragrance? It hasn't got bergamot or labdanum to make it a chypre and it hasn't got the Tonka Bean to make it a Fougere either. I like it. I'd say the mint is stronger than pine. Very important fragrance in the history of perfumery obviously. It's definitely closer to Antaeus than Quorum. And I just noticed this one is listed as an aromatic which means a Fougere but it isn't and this belongs in the woody family because the primary component and notes are wood despite having Fougere/chypre characteristics.