Japanese Whiskey

What an unbelievably stunning fragrance this is. Recently I received a Memories of Japan discovery set and, excluding Kimono, every fragrance in the set was great, they all smelled of incredible quality, great blends and really natural. Japanese Whiskey wasn't really too stunning on paper but it still smelled really neat, it was a sweet and woody clary sage and chestnut scent. I didn't get any whiskey at all and I was a bit underwhelmed given what I had heard about this fragrance before trying it. Made it my scent of the day today and holy, what a stunning fragrance this is. I was immediately hit by a strong smell of very alcoholic whiskey backed by the same woody chestnut and clary sage I smelled on paper. My mom and my sister almost immediately told me this smelled amazing and walked up to me to smell it. I also couldn't stop getting my arm up to my nose to keep smelling it, the slight sugary sweetness to this is intoxicating. The realistic whiskey scent isn't really noticeable up close, I only smelled in in the air as I walked around. Japanese Whiskey is a bit linear as the dried down skin scent is pretty much unchanged from the opening, just a tad bit less sweet but overall it's basically the same. I'm absolutely going to get a bottle of this at some point, it's totally worth its price in my opinion. Performance wasn't as amazing as the scent but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt because a) I sprayed it off a sample and b) I just love the scent that much. Projection is moderate and sillage is light but persistent, you'll catch very light whiffs of this for a few hours. Sprayed from a bottle this might have a denser sillage. Longevity is good, it's been around 7 and a half hours and I can still smell it a bit faintly on my skin, so this can reach 8 hours without much of a problem.

I won't lie I braced for impacted before I sprayed this. I love whiskey notes in fragrance but those initial blasts of straight liquor make me nauseous sometimes. Too many bad hangovers and now I gotta hold my breath for these types to dry off before enjoying them. But wow is this special. The smoothest, softest, sweetest whiskey I have ever smelled on a fragrance. There is something lightly fruity about this, kinda reads like a super ripe fig honestly. That combined with the delicious blend of oat and chestnut makes this smell like a fig newton. Not at all what I expected but now I wonder how I ever lived without this? My god. It's gentle, well rounded, grassy with a touch of honeyed fruit. Not even particularly Whiskey forward. I'm very pleased. My only complaint is that it doesn't have much strength or reach. Wish it was a bit louder.

Literally my favorite perfume of all time. Keeps smelling better and better with the dry down. The sweet scent of the whiskey is delicious but not overpowering, and is perfectly complemented by the woodiness. Every time I wear this, I feel like I'm a sophisticated businessman at a high-end cocktail bar (lol). The sillage and longevity are moderate, and I wish it were a bit stronger, given its higher price point. As most others have stated, it is only available in a 5-oz option at approximately $380, whereas all other d'Annam perfumes are 50ml and retail for around $160. If this weren't my go-to cold-weather scent (I'm a male btw), I would definitely be a bit annoyed. Overall, I recommend anyone looking for a unique winter/fall scent who's willing to break a bit of their bank.

Wow, I am unexpectedly enamored with this one. I bought the discovery set that includes Japanese Whiskey and didn't expect to enjoy this scent because I don't normally go for gourmands, my partner normally goes for aquatics and I was much more excited about the verdant scents in the rest of the box. But this one is so mysterious, complex, warm and sexy. I enjoy the depth and changes it goes through on the skin, it does have a light scent of whiskey but like others have said its not straight up alcoholic. It dries down to a sultry, clean woodsy scent that's rounded off by vanilla that isn't too sweet. Its balanced, not overpowering, and inviting.

Revisiting this again and there's no doubt that this is my favorite from the house. The three standouts for me are Japanese whiskey, tokyo nights and through the forest. JW is probably my favorite boozy style fragrance that I've come across. No only does it have an amazing whiskey note that somehow doesn't make me smell like an alcoholic, but the supporting notes; smoky, creamy, semi sweet, woody - just add to the composition giving it a cozy, complete and intriguing twist on a scent profile I usually avoid. And wow what a dry down! I doubt I will buy a full bottle (way above my budget), but I think I will pick up a 10 ml and enjoy it fully.