Bowmakers

I am so in love with this fragrance. Despite not having much of a budget for these $200+ niches, I ended up roaring through a sample that a friend gifted me so quickly that I purchased the rollerball in hopes that it would satisfy my need to keep smelling this. My friend noted longevity issues on her skin, but this is actually something that works with my skin chemistry and lasts, so your mileage may vary. I think I become a little anosmic to it, but I've gotten comments and compliments on it several hours after application and I tend to catch whiffs of it further along in the day, particularly when it's warm outside. I think because of how unique this smells, it might be good that this is more subtle and I cannot wait to see how this develops in colder weather. In the summer, the opening somewhat reminds me of hanging out with my dad as he cut and stained wood outside in the summer when I was a child. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and there's a realistic pine sap note at the top of this that makes me think of playing outside among the tall Jeffrey Pines, Redwoods, and Sugar Pines while my dad drank beer and put together furniture. The backyards of my youth were always covered in pine needles and sticky sap, dappled with sunlight, the smell of drying wood stain and the crackle of the radio wafting in from the distance. Just everything about the first 30 minutes is a journey backward in time to the most pleasant parts of my childhood. This is all contrasted by a resinous, almost clinical varnish note--it's kind of intoxicating, kind of like the smell of drying paint or propane or wood glue. It seems weird, but it really works. After the fragrance settles a little bit, I'm treated to a mellow dry-down of ambroxan, iso e super, and resins. It's especially pleasant to me that this contains no incense or smoke. It's more realistic and mature than other woody perfumes that I've tried such as Le Labo's Another 13. It's unique and satisfying and contrary to some of the other reviews, I've generally experienced this to be something people regard as pleasant when they notice it. All in all, this is something that I will most likely buy and rebuy. I appreciate the arms-length projection and subtlety of this beautiful, woody fragrance. I feel like a woodland nymph and I have happy memories every time I apply it.

Once upon a time, a few decades ago when I was a teenager, I fell in love with the sound of bands like U2, Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, Nirvana and other legendary artists... I remember saving up my allowance for months, and whatever little amount of money I was raking in by delivering newspapers around my suburban neighborhood... I was 15, I had only one thing on my mind, and that was buying my very first guitar... The thing I love most about fragrances, and what makes some of them stand out for me, has always been their power to evoke certain memories, like hitching a ride on some olfactory time machine or being teleported to a long forgotten place... Bowmakers is one of those exceptional and magical scents. Each time I wear this, I am immediately transported back to my teenaged self, and that guitar shop I would visit almost every weekend, travelling roughly an hour on the bus, just to admire, touch and smell those beautiful instruments. The amazing part of this fragrance is its ability to capture all kinds of different wood essences, with a delicious blend of mahogany, maple, cedar and pine. The natural aroma and warmth of the woods is pretty much all the sweetness you will get from it, as it is first and foremost a sharp, photorealistic and dry woody interpretation of a instrument maker's shop. There is an unusual varnish accord that seems overwhelming in the beginning, but that quickly fades away enough to reach a sweetspot about 10-15 minutes after spraying. If you've never held a violin or a guitar in your hands, I think the best way to describe this would be to imagine an antique varnished piece of hardwood furniture, mixed with pencil shavings and a delicate cedar breeze circling around it. A very mature, very artistic and masterfully executed offering. Performance is very good, and the addictive nature of this scent is definitely worth trying to get your nose on it.. As always, thanks for reading.!!

LOVE! I get the varnish, woods, and resins. It's slightly pine-like, but not too much. I don't feel like I'm in a pine forest. The resins provide a bit of (subtle) sweetness and roundness, therefore I don't find it as sharp and turpenic as Precious Woods by April Aromatics. At first I didn't notice any leather, but as it wore on my skin, I began to envision this scene...a foggy day in the 1800's, a dark little studio without electricity, a violin maker carving, shaving, sanding, varnishing and plucking strings in his workman's apron, sleeves rolled up, walking around on the creaky floor boards in his clunky, worn leather boots, the same ones he has worn for 20+ years as he hones his craft day after day, year after year. So it turns out that I absolutely smell leather. It's not chic black leather, but his old, brown leather boots. I think I have a crush on the violin maker. This scent is somehow sexy and addictive to me. Overall this perfume feels rugged and natural. Bowmakers is linear, which is fine by me. I get the varnish, woods, worn leather, and resins all the way through to the very end. It is not a powerful fragrance and gets fairly close to the skin after an hour, but it lasts many hours. Wish I could compare to the oil version. Update: Have a full bottle now, plus a backup bottle. The scent of turpentine and varnish is even more intense when sprayed from the bottle. Sillage and longevity are HUGE, very different from my experience with dabbing from a vial. Just one spray lasts more than 12 hours easily. My signature scent is the fragrance that I feel is the most "me", but if my signature were based on what I actually wear or reach for most often, it's Bowmakers. It's been years since I wore a fragrance this often. Update 5 years later! 3/14/23: This is still my most reached for perfume and still on my Top 5!

Just got my hands on a travel sprayer of this little gem, via FN. And let me tell you, it's absolutely true to both its name and its notes. In the opening, I (like others) do pick up something reminiscent of turpentine -- or maybe a bit more in the direction of camphor rub, along with a solid punch of pine wood and tree resins. And weirdly, right between inhalation and exhalation, I also sense an ever so light trace of sweet, almost syrupy maple. The delicacy of this note is really something, as much more of it might come across as cloying and a bit discordant. But here, it works. Brilliantly. Further into the dry down, that initial solvent-like hit fades away, replaced by more pine and woodsy notes, and yes, that maple, combined with what at times hints at walnut oil to my nose. Or maybe that's just my imagination -- I don't know. Bowmakers is truly a work of multidimensional subtlety rendered from a woodsy palette. The main wood note is clearly mahogany, as there's a note in this that immediately reminds me of Odin Tanoke, which is also prominently mahogany-centered. But dare I say that this one is more subtle in its use of that note in balance with others. A true pleasure for one who enjoys olfactory memories more than just perfumes. What begins quite strong falls back into a nice arm's length type scent aura, which frankly I can imagine leaving half of us thinking it's entirely gone, with the other thinking it's a longevity beast. A little seems to go a long way, so it's fairly potent at least at first -- but being a more experiential fragrance, this is not going to please everyone. Wear this for you, and for those who venture close. More than that, and you might be mistaken for someone who resurfaces wood furniture for a living. ;) I like it.

Smoky camphorous opening (the 'varnish' accord), sharing a (remote) similarity with CdG Hinoki. Then, I get a creamy gaiacwood note, supported by a healthy dose of saffron and vetiver and a hint of cedar (the 'mahogany' accord), reminding me of Initio Divine Attraction. In the base, the vetiver tones down and a subtle but noticeable rose note comes as support and with some resins that will round the edges (the 'maple' accord). At that stage, it shares close similarities with Vilhelm Smoke Show and AC Emeraude Agar. One downside though: performance is below expectation given the price point, but it seems to be a flaw common to many fragrances in the DSD line-up. Even if not unique anymore in 2021, Bowmakers deserves the praise to have paved the road for his followers, and stays, as of today, the better accomplishment of them all (arguably on par with Vilhelm's). That said, in view of these many fragrance 'inspired' by Bowmakers, it seems reasonable to wonder if DSD did hire a big fragrance corp starting in 2011 given the many pre-2011 discontinuation and how the releases after that become commercial successes. I would even risk to question the truth behind the in-house perfumer story, and would not be surprised of Moltz role has only been limited to marketing since day one, and Bowmakers signed by Epinette or Flavigny. In any cases, that doesn't take anything out of the beauty of Bowmakers, even if I wish it performed better. Recommended, if you get a good deal, otherwise, AC Emeraude Agar might be a great affordable alternative (without the varnish opening). Best for colder days, unisex leaning masculine, 25+

Soon as I heard the name I knew this was for me. Soon as I saw the notes it was confirmed. Soon as I could find an FB I could afford I jumped at it. And as soon as I smelled it I was (and still am) in love. One of the most completely spellbinding woods I've ever sniffed - utterly natural and true to life, endlessly refreshing and totally honest. It doesn't unfold much in stages because it doesn't even need to. It is very, very, very warm and very, very, very, very woody. Varnish and sap and turpentine and resin and sawdust and the tiniest bit of beeswax ... that's what it does and that's where it stays. Truly refined and truly unisex. Somehow it smells *burnished* - planed and polished and sanded to the most bewitching form. It is perfection imo. (But only if you are a serious lover of wood.) Didn't get any of the boredom or other issues with dry down that other reviewers here have. For my own heart of oak this could duke it out with Chene and I am not sure which would come out on top - high praise indeed. 9.8/10 but honestly the numbers are irrelevant! Try this if you are seeking your wooden Holy Grail. Don't bother if you find plain wood scents dull or too macho. ETA: wearing this again in much warmer temperatures ( almost by mistake) and it performs very differently: sweeter and waxier, but with the high turps and whiskey note REALLY making itself felt, in steady wafts for hours and hours and hours. Luckily I hadn't oversprayed but it could get a bit much - apply with caution if it's over 25C, or you might end up smelling a bit more like a freshly-creosoted fence than you want to..

This was a blind buy. A successful one. First of all, the scent is very close to the concept: "Amongst the transcendental woods of the 1800s, craftsmen from the Massachusetts Bay Colony built violins & bows in the tiny towns of the Pioneer Valley. The shops were riddled with old growth mahogany, burled maple shavings, amber pine rosin, aged walnut & their unique secret varnishes." You get the scent of fresh, crispy wood shavings. It reminds me a bit of Tam Dao edt, but also Gucci pour homme 1. They doesn’t smell the same, but its same style. I really get the image of craftsmen in the forest, working with wood, focusing on the quality of the materials and the work. I also get the leather. The leather of the craftmen’s apron is not like the seats in a sporty car, but dirty and slightly sweaty. And yeah, the varnishes are certainly there, but not being too much. Varnishes add a creative touch to the fragrance. Interestingly, one layer tells the story of the bowmakers. Another gives the impression of a classic masculine perfume. Ah, love it. Im very attracted to this scent. I have a large collection, but reach for Bowmakers all the time. Its very interesting and I am addicted to this composition. The quality of ingredience and of the blend are very high. The bottle is simple and great, I love the click when the cap goes into place. For those who like woody scents that are photorealistic, artistic, interesting and with a small touch of dirtyness. It is one of those scents that affect me emotinally. Relaxing and aromaterapeutic. This get top score from me.

I absolutely adore this fragrance. I was in a relationship with someone who played violin, and on one of our first few dates he took me to a violin shop on a high floor of a building bordering millenium park in Chicago. The walls were lined with violins and violas of all price points and the large practice room smelled of rosin and polished hardwood floor. That's what this smells like. intensely woody, piney, but with an ambery resinous warmth that is addictive. On me, and I don't know if this is unique to my skin chemistry, I get such a nice maple-y note on the dry down as the astringent varnish cools. This sweetness does dissipate over time, but that sweet spot... I want to live in this. I see some saying that they appreciate it but don't want to wear it. I don't feel that way. I once wore this to a graduate class. My classmate sat down next to me and said "you smell so good... like being wrapped in a blanked by a fire during winter." I found that so interesting, because it's not a fireplace scent like those that really strive for that. But that's the emotional experience that this scent confers. A fall/winter scent if there ever was one. Masculine, sure, but not in a way that is off-putting when paired with my feminine style and appearance. I love this scent, love love love. It takes a lot to get me to consider purchasing a full bottle of DS&Durga, but once I build up the courage (and the funds...), this is the one.

Yup, photorealistic instrument case opening of varnish and mahogany. The mahogany note is punchy and accurate but only for like 5 mins tops. It brought me back to a time when my parents used to dropped me off for babysitting at my grandparents who had almost every furniture in the house made of mahogany. It used to pissed me off everytime as there was no form of entertainment in the house (this was the 90s, internet was still shite). Now that they're long gone - Bowmakers makes me miss them so much. After the opening, it becomes one of the cleanest ethereal woody drydown. Like sitting in a zen temple made purely of cedar, surrounded by thick lush misty forest at dusk. I honestly think it has a calming effect. Kudos to D.S. Moltz for this armchair travel homerun. Yes, Bowmakers is in the same realm as CdG Hinoki and Aesop Hwyl. I owned both in the past and wore them to death. The former is fantastic; but is now hard to find and doesn't perform at all. The latter is very nice but expensive. DS&D can easily be found through discounters making it more value per ml, I got my 100ml Bowmakers for the price of 50ml Hwyl (in my country at least). Sillage and projection is moderate, but enough to garner compliments in conversational proximity. Lasts a long time on my skin, at least 7 hours. This is now my signature scent along with DH2020. I'm now known as the forest smelling guy in the office building.

Before I became obsessed with perfume, before I liked florals, I was a girl who liked masculine scents. Bowmakers reminds me of a different time in my life. A time when I was a student in art school. It reminds me of the print making and painting studios — the unique smell of paint, wooden brushes and their cleaning materials. And it smells like the location of my college in the Pacific Northwest; in cool, wet weather with tall pines in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain range. Bowmakers is transformative like that, and I personally love that this scent can take me back more than three decades. Resins, turpentine and tree sap without a hint of floral. My first olfactory true love. This is linear, projecting in the opening then becoming softer over the remaining life of the scent, a few hours. Which leads me to a pet peeve: I have no issue with Bowmaker’s performance. Getting 2 to 4 enjoyable hours from a perfume is quite good. I don’t need something to last 8 hours to qualify for a purchase. I’d rather have a natural smelling perfume over a scent loaded with ambroxan and iso e super just to eek out more time (and by the way, I think both are used with a light touch here). Will I purchase a bottle? Possibly, but I will need to drain my 10ml decant first and experience this scent thru cold weather. It’s definitely a niche perfume.

Bowmaker's is a violin concerto in scent . . . raw materials that still have their potency, a fairytale setting, and the runic hand of an alchemist. The inspiration for this scent is a violin maker's workshop located in the middle of an old growth deciduous forest. Bowmakers lives up to its description, although this is so magical I picture Middle Earth instead of the East Coast! This comes from D. S. Durga, whose Pale Grey Mountain, Small Black Lake scent is one of my all time favorites. A haunting masterpiece that is unforgettable. In Bowmakers, tree sap, wood shavings, varnishes, lacquers, leather tool bags, are all mixed from the vantage point of a talented perfumer. It captures the terpenic, camphorous aroma and enhances with perfect accents. There's even a hint of incense adding to the magical feeling. I wish it was stronger, but the high percentage of natural ingredients has other benefits. Like amazing nuances throughout, akin to the extraordinary tonal characteristics of a fine instrument. So much depth I could just sit and take in the details for hours. (Reminds me a little bit of Olympic Orchids Woodcut, another favorite love that has cut wood as it's focal point.) Love it so much, I've already gone through a bottle, and with my reorder I'm getting the oil along with the perfume!

Absolutely adore this very unique fragrance. Bought it as a blind buy because it was on sale at an incredible price and I have a friend who swears by it. I was a little cautious about how wood-forward it sounded but figured if I didn't like it, I could give it to the friend. Smelling it fresh out of the box was amazing. The sharp note of the varnish is tempered by the softer wood scents and never wanders into smelling too much like a chemical. I'm also incredibly thankful there are very few Christmas candle pine tree notes. It's not giving walk through the forest woods, it's giving, like most people have said here, a violin shop. For me it reminds me of opening my childhood violin case and also of the old antique stores out in the country my parents would drag me to on the weekends. The dry down is pleasant too... spicy and comforting. I planned on wearing this for Fall mostly but wanted to give it a try last night and a friend I met up with said "oh wow you smell goooood." Granted, his job is restoring old buildings and furniture so it was probably a familiar scent but I'll definitely take the compliment. I was also surprised at how long it lasted. I woke up this morning and my sheets and pillow smelled like it still! Love love love. Will definitely buy again.

I’ve been a fan of DS and Durga for some years now, drawn into their collection from a coffee shop that lived across the street from one of my best friends. When I would visit her in LA from London, I could wake up and go across the street to the coffee shop with the expensive goods inside, spray myself for the day, grab an iced espresso and head back out. A one stop shop dream. At the time I was more drawn to El Cosmico because I had honestly never smelled anything that strange that transported me to a place. Years later I wound up in the store in NYC and bought bowmakers. I brought my family with me and showed them the collection, they were overwhelmed and left. I wore bowmakers and then they started to ask me what it was. I kept reminding them. I bought them samples. They kept forgetting. Now my father wears Bowmakers: it replaced his Tom Ford habit. My brother also wears it. My partner and I share it. It’s a gift to be this weird of a fragrance (yes it smells like turpentine) yet be the thing that keeps a family together. PS I recommend the body lotion. It’s much less expensive and quite strong.

As a cellist, I have spent many hours in stringed instrument workshops. The smell of wood, varnish, rosin, hundred-year-old instruments and bow, and newly made instruments combine for one of my favorite smells. I had to buy this fragrance! Does it resemble a violinmaker's shop? Yes and no. The turpentine note at the top is a little strong and this isn't quite the scent of varnish that violinmakers use. Their oil varnish has many ingredients, with turpentine been one of many options for the oil base. However, the main accord (and nicest!) missing in Bowmakers is the herbal/aromatic notes that are used in most varnishes: lavender, turmeric, saffron, sandalwood, etc. If they had included an herbal accord, they would have nailed it. Still, this is a fragrance that 'takes you there'. It is extremely well done. As it dries down, it becomes more in line with how varnish smells. I have promised myself to wear it every time I have a concert- if you see Bowmakers as my SOTD, I am performing! I will become one with my cello in sound and scent! Bravo, DS & Durga!

Bowmakers is the best of three D.S. & Durga fragrances I've tried so far. It's also a case wherein the creative name very accurately reflects the note and heart of the composition--namely, old-smelling woods. Combined with leather and liquor, it becomes a masculine composition that walks the line between sophisticated and brash. It conjures an old house or bar, dominated by the smell of old wood and upholstery, mixed in with some of the spicy, herby notes that appear in a restaurant. Much stronger in projection and longevity than the warm-weather options I've tried from this house, Bowmakers at least begins to knock on the door of being worth the price, especially given the artistry of the fragrance. I can't imagine this would be too pleasing to women, but for men in the pursuit of a woody/leathery fragrance (Tuscan Leather, Pure Wood, etc.) this in an interesting niche alternative. I'm not sure I'd buy it myself but I'm intrigued enough that I'll come back to it during the winter, since it's surely better as a cold-weather fragrance. 8 out of 10

I remember my first sniff off of the atomizer and I loved it, almost as much as Debaser. Wearing it for the first time out in the wild, rainy evening, and it is glorious. It has such a fitting and awesome name; the best name/scent association IMO. Nothing that hasn't been said already. As a cello player, and for anyone familiar with the string family, you know what the reviews are talking about. Spray, sniff, boom. It hits you and you just know it. It takes about half a second to visualize your instrument in your head and a nostalgic comfort sets in immediately. The opening smooths out after about 20 minutes and then lingers as you are surrounded by warm woods. Very difficult to describe it in words. It is absolutely a beautiful scent. Now, you HAVE to be not bothered by the opening varnish. IMO, this is the only fork in the road; you'll either love it or hate it. Even if you love woody notes, the opening might turn you away. However, if you don't mind the opening varnish (or actually enjoy it), boy, you are in for a treat. EXCELLENT.

In the summer of 2019, I had a memorable visit to NYC and stayed at The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel in Lower Manhattan. The amenities included Bowmakers-scented body wash and the memory of it persisted. I smelled it again after so many years and it brought me back to that time, pre-Covid, pre-chaos, and I felt on the cusp of something really great, I just wasn't so sure what it was. Fast forward nearly six years, and I now have a supply of Bowmakers and it is more evocative than I remembered. I recall those days in my late 20s and early 30s using the cedar dry sauna post-workout at the gym; painting classes and the smell of turpentine in the air; sawdust from a carpentry workshop. I am also reminded of the aroma from varnished wood itself: think cherry, or mahogany. The astringent, solvent quality of its first stage of development may be an acquired taste, but I really do enjoy it. What I cannot confirm is if this truly evokes the rosin used for violins. Perhaps I should visit a violin shop and report back. Great stuff.

Outstanding fragrance! So richly resinous and woody. I've been wanting to try this for a long time, but I was afraid it was going to smell like some run-of-the-mill wood accord. Nothing could be further from the truth! Just such a rich scent. I have a new favorite for cooler weather! Long-lasting on my skin. I got right at 8 hours of longevity with about 2 hours of arms length projection and noticeable sillage. I think I might like Bowmakers more than Amber Kiso and that's saying something! Will get you noticed in the best way. I don't think Bowmakers will be easily relatable to some outside the fragrance community. It's the furthest thing from a blue fragrance and it's not meant to be sweet, versatile, or universally appealing. It's a masterwork of olfactory art and it smells like the inside of a library in some filthy rich person's mansion. Wood, resins, and opulence. I think fragheads will recognize the artistry immediately. Bowmakers: Scent: 4.75 / 5 Projection: 4 / 5 Sillage 3.5 / 5 Longevity: 4 / 5

I'm 70% certain this has cedar and 100% certain this also has cypress in it. The notes are either intentionally hidden by the brand or fragrantica is wrong again. In any case, this is deep rich woody fragrance. My favorite part is the rosin note that unfortunately doesn't last all the way into the drydown. Bowmakers reminds me of a lighter and slightly less natural version of Boyd's Texas High Desert. But still, this is a great fragrance that's true to the perfumers vision of a colonial era violin makers shop. The woods and entire experience feels high quality. If you want a stronger version of this with creosote, try Boyd's High Desert. If you want a MUCH smokier version of this (violin workshop on fire) try Mississippi Medicine. Overall a top notch woody fragrance that leans masculine IMO and I've found that women love the smell of this. One of the best from the house of DS Durga. But not the best. That would be Amber Kiso. Scent 7/10 Performance 6.5/10

It makes me sad when people leave reviews discrediting the perfumer or quality of oil, have you ever smelt the raw aroma chemicals of these notes? Crafted a perfume? Alas it’s a review on the web so we persist. Opening: sharp resin almost leather boot cleaner like? and a dash of pine (if you rub pine between your fingers you will realize it’s more of a top note of pinene/lemon-esc than yankee candle leads us to believe; here you have to catch it before it’s gone. The rest comes to me as a dry cedar wood chest from hometown, the resin has long dried from years of use but lends its character beneath. I don’t get any sweaty feeling. It’s currently snowing outside with candles lit and I feel as if the ghost of Christmas past is going to visit. It’s very cozy in a familiar way, like your aunts old antique shop or wood shop. It’s different but not hard to understand as well, I like the direction of DS.