Etruscan Water

This is a piece of artistry that sits amongst the very best of the Chypre genre, possibly perfumery in general! I've read many reviews that state it's citrus, earthy, mossy, spicy, aromatic.....the list goes on and on. It's crazy but they are all correct! This is a powerful potion that opens with a bang, be in no doubt about that. For me, pretty much all of the above descriptions just hit me within the first few minutes, quite breath taking! ******************************************** In the spirit of openness and honesty, I will state that much to my surprise and delight, I've recently discovered a Chypre I prefer overall! Not quite as long lasting or projecting, still very good though. 8+ is probably more than enough for a strong scent! This product is an even darker, deeper and more opulent alternative to Etruscan water, although not as fresh. Suited more to the cooler months. I'm talking about Chypre Fulminare from Naughton & Wilson, bloody glorious. It's quickly become one of my all time favourites and very worthy of your consideration. To my astonishment, their whole range is just stunning. I'm not a fanboy or shill, just a guy who loves high quality traditional perfumery with a modern touch. The brand has been a very fortunate discovery. ******************************************** Back to Etruscan water; I thought I may have over sprayed a little to start, 6-7 sprays was a bit of a worry for a few minutes. It settles quickly though and the initial smack smooths out just enough but never loses it's impact. Four hours in and I'm still projecting to the room. 6-8 hours and others are easily catching the scent from over arms length. luckily, no one minds as it's such a gorgeous blend of Moss, greenery, powdery, salty citrus and musk....and so much more. In fact, I keep detecting a nuance of smoke. I'm not sure from where, possibly vetiver! Honestly, it's a chameleon. Every 15-30 minutes I notice that it's constantly evolving and note swapping or another note just seems to make itself known. What never changes though is a beautiful aromatic but somehow earthy freshness on my skin. This really is top level perfumery. It's a fragrance that I'd personally wear any time to any occasion, just not every time. The only possible caveat would perhaps be a very chilly day, I'd opt for something warmer and even more animalistic. 😆. I'm a fan of traditional perfumery and enjoy scents before over regulation and paired back offerings! Wonderful as it is, most days I'll choose to wear a fougere/barbershop scent as that is my favourite genre and suits my particular style but I love a chypre and this will definitely be a consideration more often than not. Anyway, Etruscan water will shine any time you opt to wear it just by the sheer quality of its craft, ingredients and blending. It's unisex to me, not for the younger crowd and certainly not for guys and gals just taking their very first steps into this world. You'll either scare yourself or spend the rest of your days trying to find other scents of equal brilliance as you've started near the pinnacle. It'll last easily until the next day, never truly leaving until you shower! On clothing its a permanent addition. Yes it's a little pricey. But, if you seek out high quality and artisanal mastery it's good value. A little goes a long way! Probably best to sample if you can. Although, if you enjoy strong, niche perfumery that's reminiscent of both the modern and traditional Chypre genre then you can't really go wrong....in my opinion! This scent is one for collectors and chypre fans alike. Personally, not one for everyday as I wouldn't want to become accustomed to it's distinctive character. Be mindful to limit your sprays depending on your environment. Do this and it's actually quite versatile. It's a wonderful option to have in your rotation.

Those of you who have read several of my reviews will likely have read this before: I’m a sucker for green perfumes. I’ve got a bias and I know it, so I try hard to keep it in check, but sometimes I just succumb to the bias because, well, why not; I like what I like, and that’s what perfume is for, after all. However, it was not a foregone conclusion that I was going to like Francesca Bianchi’s green perfume, Etruscan Water. As I make my way through the brand’s discovery set I notice recurring themes and styles: one of them, sex. Another, tending to reuse materials and having a sort-of devil-may-care attitude towards blending them; seeming to shove stuff into the formula and letting the materials lay very roughly and unevenly over each other. The theme and style are working for Etruscan Water. The stylistic morass is no more apparent than it is at the beginning of the perfume, where everything - rough hewn, vivid and saturated, languidly laying over each other - catapults at you. Aldehydic galbanum, bergamot, tangerine, grapefruit, basil, immortelle, caraway, petitgrain, jasmine, orris butter, vetiver, musks, tree moss, labdanum... the kitchen sink, basically. Weirdly, it works! The aldehydes, hesperidics, galbanum, and petitgrain hover just above the surface; bracing, sunlit energy. Basil, immortelle, and caraway just underneath; more sun-scorched, parched-landscape goodness in the form of bright anisic notes. Jasmine and orris butter sit large in the background; indolic florals providing dry but powdery silky skin texture. Vetiver, labdanum, and enough musks and tree moss to make a whole other perfume, create the stage all of this sits on; salty, sweaty, oily, dirty, sea-kissed skin, and the woods of trees lining the coast and your sea-worn wood deck furniture. The image this is creating in my mind... just wow. It makes me feel lewd to the point I’m looking around to see if anyone is raising their eyebrows at me, but it’s also that kind of beach so who cares. The hesperidics and green characters are the first to dry down, where the perfume goes very convincingly towards an anisic-immortelle-flecked chypre. Perhaps things have calmed down at the beach, the sun is going down, and the bronze-red glow of salty-sea-soaked and sunburnt skin against cooling shrubs and woods becomes more apparent. Green chypre this is not; it switches character quickly to a deep, woody, animalic, sticky, labdanum-tree moss-musk chypre. Mind you, since this is an extrait, I say quickly but that’s two to three hours after application, and maybe longer in more humid conditions. The perfume finishes in this chypre vein many, many hours later. I want to wear this to a humid beach somewhere in the Mediterranean, where the sun is brutal and the energy is sultry and lively, where nature is allowed to thrive and it isn’t some well-manicured beach with tourist resorts and perfect-condition chairs and chaises; somewhere where real people and real nature let themselves free (maybe even free from clothing). It might very well be oppressively loud, huge, and lascivious in that humid heat but I don’t care. I would not be there to be coy, sit in the dark of foliage, and observe; neither is Etruscan Water. This is going in my full bottle collection, for sure.

I just received mine today, and, as is my custom, I macerate it: do my spritzes, then, sit it down for a month (or, thereabouts). But, obviously, in spraying it, one is given something wherewith to come to some initial thoughts & opinions. I didn't know that it had arrived already, and, I was headed out, so, I had already put on Francesca's Libertine Neroli, which, in a very short time, I've come to really enjoy. However, being such a strong scent, when I was trying to smell the Etruscan Water, I kept getting hints of neroli, which I suspected was the Libertine Neroli. Mind you, I've been amply made aware of Francesca Bianchi's famous use of animalics, in her FREEFALL collection. Being somewhat still new to the fragrance game, I wasn't sure if I had already experienced animalics, from some of the other fragrances I own, or, if what they were referring to was something I had yet to come in contact with. So, anyway, I left the house, went about my errands, and, when I returned, I was able to catch a less-contaminated whiff of the EW in the air. NOW, I have a MUCH better idea of animalics, too. When I was stationed in Okinawa, upon arrival, one of the very first things you'll notice is that the Japanese people, because of their diet, have a MUCH different body odor than we're used to here, in the U.S. Hate to say it, but, it was actually kinda rough on the nose. Over time, you do become accustomed to it, but, I don't think that I'll ever "like" the smell. The animalics, in Etruscan Water, that I now am picking up, underneath what is a fantastic scent, are along those lines, in my opinion...not that it smells like the Japanese body odor, but, that it's a B.O. that, at best, is gonna take me some getting used to. In her FREEFALL line, I believe that Etruscan Water is one of the least strong, in terms of the animalics, so, unless macerating does something incredible with that aspect of the fragrance, I probably will be sticking to her fragrances not in the FREEFALL line. However, having said that, "challenging" is part of why you go with Francesca Bianchi, so, she has definitely fulfilled her end of our bargain. Update: So, my impatience won out. I didn't like the way that I was left feeling, after my initial questions about this one, and, it kept bugging me. Because, I purchased it to be a warmer weather option for me, and, today was unseasonably warm, I used that for an excuse to wear it, see if my opinion changed any. And,... ...Thank goodness, I did, too! I am so glad to report that I get none of that B. O. that my nose was finding objectionable, and, all of that scent that I found to be fantastic underneath. I'm four hours in, been out & about, walked the neighborhood, then, went to pay a bill, and, I'm still smelling a great fragrance, and, once again, Francesca Bianchi has given me a winner, imo 💎🏆👍🏿

Etruscan water It starts with a blast of a sort of bitter dense earthy mist cloud. Not as unpleasant dust that makes you sneeze but a sort of pungent mist as a if you opened a lid of a cooking pot and a thick vapor cloud escapes. The weird thing is that this chord gives me the feeling of something that is smokey and yet green. Very perplexing, I think its the combination of Bitter citrus vetiver and moss. The earthiness and denseness from moss and vetiver together with a sort of bright but bitter citrus. It gives me the sensation of vapor or water when its hot, and of thickness and condensation when its cold. This start alone is worth having this perfume I have not experienced a perfume that starts even vaguely like this. It then morphs into a aura of something vintage as if you are wearing an old classic citrus focused parfum that has dulled with time. It makes me think that this is a reissue/time machine to 60/70's because it does smell focused and modern despite this vintage vibe. I refer to this as a classy freshness. Not shower-gel or spicy freshness of mint. The freshness reminds me of a salty breeze without a distinct ocean smell. This freshness settles down into a a salty skin vibe. This also blows my mind, how can it evoke "watery-sensation" without that classic designer fake water vibe or a specific "watery-note" freshness. There is also an ambery theme that is brooding and amps up as the top fades. This salty ambery base is nuanced with something that reminds me of cumin. ( I think its the caraway that is listed here in the notes) This caraway reminds me of its use in Pasha Cartier maybe this gives it that vintage character and illusion of smoke. I have read someone below refer to it as ashy, I sense it as faded smoke, reminds me of a stone oven that stands outside it doesn't reek of smoke or ash but has a smokey stone smell. This fragrance seems linear and yet there are layers, and it reacts to temperature. I do wear it in colder seasons but it shines when its hotter, and sometimes even better when I have worked up a sweat on top of it. So, I really like this one, after one wear i knew i would need to get the full bottle, I usually only need 1 or 2 sprays for about 6 hours enjoyment, after that it is skin scent, that salty skin feeling. She really made a unique piece of art and a very imagination tickling fragrance: which reminds me of locations I have been which have a connotation with sea, forts, moss on stones, abandoned structures. Where once campfires have been build or still are shown in burn marks and wind blown charcoal pieces scattered over salt eaten lime stone floors.

The one thing I love the most about Francesca Bianchi perfumes is that each and every one of them is telling a story. And that is why I consider the house one of the best niche perfumers, because they don't care if not all scents are easy to wear or 100% people pleasers, but they are unique and of the highest quality. This is the third piece in my collection by the house and it's also a masterpiece, just like The Black Knight and Libertine Neroli. This one is not super aggressive, even the opening is a bit more laid-back than other pieces in their catalog, despite the strong and sharp citruses in the opening. As it starts drying down about an hour after applying, the sun-dried fruity notes are coming forward - those are not the fresh, sweet fruitbasket-like accords, it's darker and has more depth to it with a lot of amber. It takes me to a place in my head picturing myself as if I were brought up in sunny Italy, where I could spend the summer days in the backyard of grandparents, not necessarily on the beach but definitely near the seashore. Where there is a scorching sun and heat all day, the smell of raisins, sun-dried fruits and tomatoes mixed with open-air grill and red wine, also a nice lotion and sunscreen lingering around. It's like spraying the Mediterranian childhood on your skin (even though I wasn't anywhere near any seashore growing up :D). It's not that much of a projection monster, although it has very good performance in terms of longevity, it just sits closer to the skin rather than being beast mode. There is a very beautiful green backbone to it with the signature Francesca Bianchi powdery iris notes, those who wrote before me that it's a dense, aromatic chypre are totally right. It's like green herbal/floral notes soaked in some ambery patchouli. The other thing that comes to my mind when smelling this fragrance is that it smells obscenely rich, someone with all the money in the world, it's such a high-class scent. It's very elegant, for me it's hard to imagine wearing this just casually, but it's not seasonal, you can wear it all-year round, just be careful with how much you spray on because of the extrait concentration. However, I don't recommend blind buying this one, as it could be challenging for some. Hats down to Francesca, this is master perfumery again.

Old school chypre goodness. Don't be fooled by some of the comparisons such as Bijan for men which is an atrocious floral hodgepoge. Maybe it shares a little character with Diagalev which is a great fragrance (old batches) if you have $1300 lying around, but this is much greener and more masculine then that. FB likes to use iris but here mostly muted but you can still find it if you look. I'm picky about green materials in fragrances (vetiver excluded, I love vetiver) but this has a lot of nuance to it. Specifically, the pronounced citruses and saltiness with a little bit of a sour grass vibe. It's slightly animalic but not bothersome to most so long as you don't spray heavy. Which brings me to performance. You really don't need to spray heavy as performance is very good. She did a good job making this feel like it has more oakmoss in it than it does (IFRA restrictions) and it along with the grapefruit, petigrain, vetiver and cumin are perfect together. There's a medicininal vibe that reminds me of Manuel Cross Mousse Illuminee, although they are different experiences. I think this is an upper middle, borderline intermediate perfume for people that are used to wearing designer fragrances. My friend who does not have much experience beyond Prada and Tom Ford could not handle this one. It's strong enough to wear in winter but fits nicely into moderate to warm temps. Overall, a great & fairly complex fragrance, that I wear for self. ------------------------------------------------------ Scent 93/100 Performance 90/100

As usual, incredible perfumery here from Francesca Bianchi. The opening is all you would want from classic niche perfumery - overwhelming, choking cloud of real natural ingredients, such as her signature ambergris, orris root, real oakmoss and musk. Some light zestiness from the citrus, followed by the green herbs and spices into the complex flower notes from immortelle and labdanum. Drydown - dark, complex, vegetal, hint of animalic quality. Incredible creation through and through, especially for the colder autumn days. One issue you will run to as a Francesca Bianchi collector however is the noticeable redundancy. If you own several others in this style, like The Dark Side, Under my skin etc. the similarities are quite difficult to overlook - most of her fragrances seems to be iterations, rather than completely new things, with few exceptions like Sex and the Sea and Tyger Tyger. But if you are enjoying that style of perfumery, Etruscan Water is as good as any, if not even the best of its type. One thing to note however is that unlike something like the bold jasmine in Lost in Heaven or the brutal violet leaf in The Dark Side, it lacks that single punchout note that gives the scent its signature character, making it closest in spirit to Under my Skin. Paid about 100 euro for the 30ml bottle, a bit more than the usual, but these fragrances are becoming increasingly rare.

با تعریف هایی که از این عطر خونده و شنیده بودم احتمال زیادی میدادم که با علایق من هم جهت باشه بلایند بای سفارش دادم ولی بعد از تست اصلا فکر نمیکردم اینقدر من رو هیجان زده کنه عطری شیپغ و تا حد کمی فوژه با رایحه ای کلاسیک اما مدرن شده مثل عطرهای مردونه قدیمی هست ولی نه به اون شدت تند و تیز و نه به اون اندازه رایحه اش میکس شده . نت ها بسیار شفاف تر و باکیفیت تر و تفکیک شده تر هستند ولی درکل یاداور عطرهای کلاسیک قدیمی است شروع با مخلوطی از روایحه گیاهی و سبز برگرفته از ایمرتل، پتی گرین و زیره است که پشت سرشون تلخی و طراوت برگاموت و گریفروت همراهی شون میکنه بعداز مدتی خزه بلوط دوستداشتنی و گهگاهی وتیور بالا میان و کم کم تاحد کمی حالت شیرینی مشک بهشون اضافه میشه هرچی جلوتر میریم رایحه چوبی تر و میکستر و حس تلخی بیشتر میشه در انتهای رایحه شما میمانید و خزه بلوط که در اعماق خودش شیرینی خفیفی پنهان شده. برای منی که خزه بلوط یکی از روایح بسیار دوستداشتنی هست و سیاست های مسخره حاکم بردنیای عطر به اسم الرژی و... باعث محدود شدن این نت در دنیای عطرسازی شد این عطر موهبت محسوب میشه. اگه تو مناطق مرکزی کشور با هوای معتدل و خشک زندگی میکنید این عطر کاملا مناسب بهار و پاییز هست هرچند برای شب های خنک و فضای باز تابستان هم کاملا جواب میده. خودم بین عطرهای روژا داو عاشق دیاگلیف هستم. شروع این عطر یه جاهایی رگه هایی از فضای دیاگلیف رو تداعی میکنه که هرچه بیشتر دوست داشتنیش میکنه پرفورمنس عطر، ماندگاری و پخش خوب و راضی کننده ای داره در این مورد به رای های داده شده میشه استناد کرد.

The name “Etruscan water” — and indeed some reviews —made me expect a light, summery perfume with a neroli vibe. How wrong I was. On me, the performance is much too strong to wear in high heat, and I find the character draws a lot more on the dressed up chypres of yore. Immortelle, or curry plant, is polarising sometimes, and for me, it takes the leading part for the entire experience. The execution owes some inspiration to Histoires de Parfums’ 1740 Marquis de Sade, but is put into a different context. Together with the oak moss, it behaves a bit like L’Art de la guerre from Jovoy, but it has retained more sweetness and a bit more spicy facets. Libertine Neroli from the same house uses the same base, but it draws that impression towards bright citric top notes. I find Etruscan Water to be more of an allrounder, and a lot more masculine. The emotional reaction is strong, bringing on memories from voyages to the Mediterranean, sitting in a bar or restaurant, when breeze from the heated, stony garrigue terrain adds woods and the unmistakable immortelle to the mixed crowd as summer and sunny days tend towards autumn. A personal favourite. Yet it is to be worn with care, because I can easily grow weary from the strong performance, because after eight hours’ time it is still a strong presence. Thumbs up, but try first.

When you get into fragrances, there’s temptation to overspend, overcollect, and wallow in the degraded delights of all the rich, unique scents, like some fin de siècle aesthete. And for the most part I lean into this idea of the hobby as a celebration of the cardinal sins: pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth are the categories I use to label the shelves of my fragrance cabinet (so much more interesting than amber, chypre, gourmand, ... yaaawn). But Francesca Bianchi’s fragrances are where even I must draw the line. The decadent, heavy orris butter should be enough on its own, but it is amplified by the nauseatingly rich, ripe rot of animalics, as if the intrusive thoughts of the devil on your shoulder urging unhinged overindulgence finally won the day. Not that her fragrances are all the same ... they’re all totally different and unique and whatever ... but yeah c’mon really they are all the same. And Etruscan Water is all these things - rich, decadent, sickly, overwhelming ... but also quite beautiful, floral and leathery, classic but also new. I felt like I needed one of her fragrances and this is the one I picked, but if I ever manage to finish it I’ll be happy to replace it with a different FB - I respect them all in much the same way, my little 30ml tribute to the devil.

Etruscan Water takes inspiration partly from citric moss-heavy colognes from the golden age of men’s perfumery, but also Bianchi’s personal memories of an Italian summer growing up in the South of Tuscany. It’s a scent which whisks you away to a place free of worry and doubt, and as someone who has spent many summers in the Mediterranean, feels very special to me. Bianchi describes a brief walk through the woods to get to a small cove beach, with the overwhelming smell of dry Mediterranean vegetation reacting with the heat - this is not a smell you can describe, but only experience for yourself, however Bianchi has recreated it beautifully here. An array of invigorating citrus fruits and ambergris represent the subtle salty spray of the sea soothing your sun-kissed skin. All this rests on a beautiful base of leathery labdanum and a hefty dose of oakmoss. This scent is absolutely sublime, a significant step away from Bianchi’s usual dark, heavy and erotic fragrances and yet, it’s one of my absolute favourites. I would even go as far to say it’s an absolute masterpiece, perfectly recreating such a special memory which many of us in Europe can link to a specific time and place in our memories.

The only one of Francesca Bianchi's scents that break from her traditional DNA. This is an old school re-creation of a masculine stone cold classic chest-hair Tom Selleck perfumes. I am not into vintage masculines, I gave it a go but don't feel they are of my time, but Etruscan Water is modern enough for me and would be my cutting off point for a "classic" masculine scent. At the start this is reminiscent of Dior eau sauvage to my nose, not 1 to 1 but in that style. Then what I get is the mix of oakmoss, ambergris, citruses and orris. The blend is great and is soaked in that sweaty dirtiness one asociates with the 80s. Like your drunk uncle at a family reunion, this one performs and is a loud presence. I guess this is what I appreciate most about it, you can find a good clean, sophisticated citrus, but you rarely see one with personality and real lasting power. This delivers. For the cons, well no surprise, my girlfriend is not a fan of it and I doubt most people around you would be unless they are fragheads. Is that important? To me it is, but I find time to enjoy it nonetheless. Also, the price is pretty good on these, event at retail.

Agree with a lot of comments on this one. A timeless chypre that could rival the best from Guerlain and Roja (as some have stated). If you are a real chypre fan you need to get your nose on this immediately. The oakmoss is so spectacular here that it could give Roja Haute Luxe a run for its money! The fizzy citruses only shine for the 1st 20-30 minutes or so, then oakmoss and buttery leather dominate for the remaining life span of the fragrance. It seems the buttery leather accord is a signature of Francesca Bianchi as she often uses a combination of orris, leather or labdanum. Orris is a beautiful note that adds sensuality to perfumes, in this case Francesca blends it masterfully with citrus and oakmoss to utter perfection. Comparing a chypre to anything Guerlain or Roja is a very tall order and Francesca has absolutely achieved this feat with Etruscan Water. For the great quality and performance you are getting it almost seems like a bargain! This would have been a masterpiece 30 years ago, but this is easily a masterpiece today.

My fascination with chypre started with what I consider the best chypre fragrance of all time “Chypre palatin” Ever since my fascination started I was obsessed with chypre fragrances Bought a lot and tried even more In the end some of them were placed in my shelf of honor and others were kept safely in my storage room Then the fascination almost disappeared and I kept a small percentage of it in the back of my mind After a couple of years I heard about this one Wasn’t sure how good it would be But I felt that maybe just maybe it could the next big thing for me Bought a sample and I wore it once In the end of the day I had already ordered a bottle It’s that good for chypre loving fragheads I just wish madam Bianchi could keep here distance a little bit from iris or orris root I found out that when she leaves here comfort zone with iris she can create genuine masterpieces Just as it arrived I instantly placed it on the shelf and was already looking forward for my next wearing Unbelievable scent

ahhhh yiss. Etruscan Water is exactly what it sounds like: an ultra-oakmossy, grungy, grimy neo-1970s summer scent, like O de Lancôme but more so. Etruscan Water rides the line between chypre and citrusy cologne. It’s all bright sun and cool shade, sweat and fresh air, animalistic and civilized at once. It’s masculine-of-center but I find it works fine on me. It’s got that slinky, androgynous, louche vibe that can go either way. Deeply comfortable. Etruscan Water is, tbh, a lot like my beloved Niki de Saint Phalle (ultra-mossy retro green chypre) but in a citrusy summer mode. Easy to wear, easy to love. Tom Ford Vert du Bois is the other natural comparison point, as a mossy neo-1970s chypre that hits a similar “chest hair and satin jumpsuit” vibe; but Vert du Bois is blocky and try-hard and loud (big grape! big patchouli!) while Etruscan Water is just chilling by the pool with a drink waiting for you to come over.

Perfection. Calling it a gentrified chypre is crazy though chypres as it is are a perfume style worn by the kind of people that do the gentrifying so I just find that use of the word ill fitting. No offense to chypre wearers as I am a big one but words have meanings. Anyways.... I think it’s better to just call this balanced. In the grand scheme of things this is way more edgy than 99% of the industry it’s just hard to see that for those of us who are in too deep. I’ll wear this thing all year any context it works. It’s sexy it’s sophisticated it’s full bodied yet uplifting. It’s easy to put a bunch of scary notes together and hope the people that love gnarly shit find it, but to know exactly what to add that compliments them perfectly is a testament to Miss Bianchi’s talent and taste. She knows what she’s doing and she does it well. So many scents in this style are just worse versions of this to me.

As a person from the Mediterranean, can I just say - wow? Etruscan Water reminds me of rocky beaches with small bushes of immortelle peaking out on them that, when the sun hits, disperse a certain bitter and unforgettable scent. I don't see it as an aquatic scent, which I think is a good thing - it's not light by any means and the heaviness makes it acceptable for a year-round fragrance, which is good. If you like to give hommage to summer without being explicit about it, this one is for you. At first I almost got an old-person-perfume smell from it but I realized as time went on, it's not "old" but a great nod to vintage style of perfumery. It feels timeless, like a rich man's Tabac. The name also reminds me of the film "La Chimera" and it could be why I tie a kind of melancholic feel to the perfume, almost like a longing for the past that was more free, more green, untouched by human hands.

Reviewing a bottle from 2023. Etruscan Water was launched in 2019. This is a stunning citrus - aromatic -oakmoss Mediterannean version of a classic chypre. Etruscan Water opens with bitter citruses and aldehydes followed by aromatic (caraway) florals over a dense green resinous amber base. A hint of hay like sweetness from the immortelle. The orris is less apparent than earlier reviews state ? reformulation?maceration. Is it beachy? Yes and no. It makes me think of an Amalfi version of Maai with the citrus opening over a salty ambergris aromatic base which is thick and bordering on animalic. This is certainly not your typical summer freshie. Quality-excellent 5/5 ( both ingredients and blending are top notch) Unisex Performance- excellent 5/5 Potent old world chypre with a fresh Mediterannean twist. Remarkably versatile. As with most FB fragrances this is not for everyone. I love it! 9.5/10

Fantastic chypre - very classic, indeed similar to Diaghilev and some Bortnikoff stuff (mainly due to the oakmoss -- maybe it reminds me of Musk Khabib or Amber Cologne or a less green version of Chypre Du Nord). Unlike Diaghilev this one doesn't have peach, and i'd argue it's slightly less animalic and less "pissy", but it still is musky and has depth/weight. But the fruity notes are definitely present and contribute to the sweetness and tangy feel. The sweetness is very subtle - e.g. - i tried Chypre Palatin from MDCI the same session in the store - and that one felt more shrill and "pinkish" or rosy, while this one is more "umami" or savory or salty or dry feeling. i think this saltiness is the most striking feature which sets it apart from other chypres. It feels relatively light so would not be limited to cold weather or evenings.

Wow!! This one will clear the cobwebs. Unapologetic. Vibrant and very alive. A real oakmoss and basil with green bomb. Zingy grapefruit and bergamot start. Gradually those top notes ease up and allow the caraway, amber gris, vetiver and musk to come through. I can see why others mention similarities with Rogues Chypre Siam. I think I prefer this one. It's not just oakmoss but a lot of citrus and green from the basil, petit grain and vetiver. At the back you get a little zesty sweet tangerine. A wee bit of honey sweetness from the immortelle. It's that little bit of warmth and sweetness that keeps this unisex although Im sure many ladies will probably not agree who love mainstream. It really is a tenacious citrus/green bomb. No mean feat. The sillage is pretty good in this chilly room as well. Another to put on my want list.