Vinyl

Today’s review marks a return to the house of Franck Boclet, following my recent experience with Ashes, a fragrance I praised for its bold, artistic approach and willingness to push beyond convention. This time, the focus shifts to Vinyl, a scent that suggests a different kind of expression, one rooted less in abstraction and more in atmosphere and attitude. With a note structure that blends bright citrus, boozy sweetness, tobacco, and warm resins, Vinyl hints at a composition that balances playfulness with depth, evoking nightlife, indulgence, and a slightly rebellious edge. It positions itself as a more accessible yet still character-driven offering within the brand’s lineup, raising the question of how well that balance is struck. Let’s see how Vinyl brings this lively, retro-tinged idea to life once worn. Opening: The opening is sweet, boozy, and spicy. The most prominent notes are whiskey, Coca-Cola, tobacco, and vanilla, with whiskey and Coca-Cola immediately taking the lead. From the first spray, Vinyl opens with a warm, boozy whiskey accord that feels impressively photo-realistic. While not as raw or confrontational as something like Nasomatto Baraonda, it is noticeably more refined and convincing than most whiskey notes found in designer releases. Coca-Cola arrives almost simultaneously, introducing a sweet, syrupy, and effervescent accord that is strikingly accurate to the real thing. A subtle cinnamon-like spiciness rides along with the cola, adding warmth without overpowering its fizzy sweetness. Together, the whiskey and Coca-Cola recreate the sensation of a whiskey-coke cocktail, one of my personal favorites, and the effect feels intentional rather than novelty-driven. Tobacco and vanilla then enter the composition, with the tobacco adding a warm, dry, lightly sweetened character, while the vanilla wraps everything in a cozy, creamy sweetness. A touch of lemon also appears in the opening, reading almost like a citrus garnish on the cocktail, lending a slight tartness that keeps the opening from becoming overly dense. Dry Down: The dry down settles into a sweet, spicy, and ambery profile. Coca-Cola and tobacco remain the standout notes, supported by vanilla and amber. With the whiskey receding, the Coca-Cola becomes even more noticeable, retaining its sweet, bubbly, and gently spiced character from the opening. Tobacco grows warmer and sweeter here, moving closer to the style of tobacco found in fragrances like Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille, though it remains slightly less photo-realistic and less dominant by comparison. Vanilla stays tightly woven into the tobacco, reinforcing the creamy sweetness and further nudging the fragrance toward that familiar tobacco-vanilla territory. Amber gradually emerges beneath these notes, adding a deep, resinous sweetness reminiscent of the amber found in Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Grand Soir. As the dry down progresses, that amber becomes increasingly prominent, subtly shifting the fragrance’s center of gravity toward a richer, more enveloping warmth. Performance: Projection during the first hour is extremely strong, easily filling a room and leaving a thick, heavy scent trail. After several hours, projection remains impressive, hovering around six feet, with sillage only slightly softened. Around the seven hour mark, projection settles into the three to five foot range, while the scent trail remains clearly noticeable. The fragrance continues to perform for approximately eleven to twelve hours before fading into a skin scent. Overall, performance is powerful and fully consistent with an extrait de parfum concentration. When to Wear: Vinyl is best suited for fall and winter wear and truly shines in the evening. Its rich, decadent profile makes it an excellent choice for special occasions or nights out, where its bold character can be fully appreciated. It can also work in more casual, out-on-the-town settings, provided the number of sprays is kept in check. That said, it would feel out of place in formal environments or office settings, where its sweetness and intensity may simply be too much. Blind Buy: Despite its bold personality, Vinyl is not particularly challenging. The Coca-Cola note adds novelty, while the tobacco and whiskey lend maturity, but none of these elements come across as abrasive or off-putting. For those who enjoy sweet, boozy fragrances in this style, Vinyl would be a relatively safe blind buy. Final Verdict: Vinyl continues to reinforce my impression that Franck Boclet is a house with serious creative strength. After being impressed by the artistic sophistication of Ashes, Vinyl delivers a different but equally compelling experience, leaning into indulgence, confidence, and character. The combination of tobacco, whiskey, and Coca-Cola feels playful yet well executed, striking a balance between novelty and refinement. Strong performance further elevates the experience, giving the fragrance real presence and longevity. As someone who appreciates bold, masculine compositions with personality, Vinyl checks nearly every box for me. It stands out in a crowded field and leaves a lasting impression, earning its place in my personal collection without hesitation. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 8/10 Sillage: 9/10 Versatility: Average Mass Appeal: Average Gender: Masculine Value: Good

If like me, you are a lover of sweet boozy fragrances, you'll definitely want to get your nose on this very underrated fragrance by Franck Boclet. To understand the concept behind this bold and spicy scent, the first thing to do is to hop inside a time machine, back to an era where disco was king, and where nothing was more fun than spending your saturday nights in a smoke filled nightclub, sipping a Long Island iced tea and dancing the night away. I have to admit, this fragrance is a bit all over the place, as it attempts to paint a very precise portrait, and might seem a bit too eclectic and ambicious at first spray. The result, however, is a rich, vibrant, spicy kaleidoscope of a fragrance, which truly comes to life during its remarkable drydown. Opening with a cloud of cinnamon, vanilla, whisky, fruity sweetness and ginger, it definitely sets the tone for a very wild ride. Although it takes a few minutes to wrap your head around it, Vinyl doesn't stop there... Soon after, the smokiness of the tobacco and the amber join in, alongside a very hefty dose of tonka. You immediately start piecing the puzzle together, and that boozy cola vibe comes to life on your skin. As the fragrance begins to morph, it tricks your nose into detecting cherries, which are nowhere to be found in the pyramid. I believe this is the tobacco, vanilla and candied fruits acting together with the spices.. In the background, you have a woody base, reminscent of older wooden bar counters that have seen their fair share of spilt drinks and sobbing Stellas. This is reinforced by a subtle, albeit very detectable patchouli base, projecting us even further into the groovy vinyl era. This perfume is quite difficult to describe due to the many different facets it brings together, but people who enjoy Feve Delicieuse, Tonka Cola, Tony Iommi Monkey Special or even Angel's Share will most certainly enjoy it. This is a fun and expressive trip into the past, suitable for casual and leisure evening activities. To me, this seems totally unisex because of it's sweet profile, and probably better worn by the a 35yo+ crowd. That being said, it's not about your age or how you wear it.. It's all about the boogie, baby!! Thanks for reading!!

A bold and boozy chocolate patchouli. I love liquor in fragrances and I enjoy bourbons, scotch, and whiskey, and this is a well done and accurate rendition of whiskey. Coca-Cola isn't an easy accord and some are downright terrible. Ironically, the best cola I've smelled in niche perfumery was done by accident. The sum of the parts smell like you're drinking a Jack and Coke, while eating chocolate and wearing patchouli, perhaps from Jovoy. You are also doing this in a bar with ashtrays in the background. I think Kilian does liquor in fragrances the best but this can hang with them (although not surpassing them) and some of the heavy hitters in the genre. Boclet hit this out of the park IMO, and if you can find this discounted (I bought a 100ml for $60) it is absolutely worth the money. Im still testing, but so far this also seems like a tremendous value proposition, as you only need 3-4 sprays, so the bottle should last a long time -------------------------------------------------------- Scent 87/100 Performance 90/100

If you're looking for a boozy scent, the kind of scent that you can detect when you talk to someone who just drank beer or whiskey... This is it.... The beer/whiskey note was so prominent in the beginning, it reminds me of my hangover era.... Then it evolves into a scent that more or less could be associated with cola, and funny enough i think this is the phase where it resembles the vinyl the most, it's a bit sour, and a bit industrial. The first and the second phase do not last too long, overall it stays only for 10-15 minutes and it enters the dry down phase which consists of mainly patchouli, tobacco, and vanilla. It stays like this for the rest of the perfume's lifespan. Honestly, i think the opening is a bit challenging, as it's associated (for me) with the scent of shame, but it is a fun scent, unique, bold, quite masculine scent. Even though the dry down makes this perfume wearable, and more pleasing, but the dry down is not as unique as the opening.

Another great blind buy! I've been looking for a boozy scent that suits me for a long time, and I found it with this one! Realistic whiskey cola opening with tobacco, to which is added the undertone of dark chocolate cognac cherry and this is what I feel later on. In the long drydown, it becomes a cola, ambery, woody vanilla scent. It's absolutely wearable, there's nothing offensive about it, and it won't have a bad effect for me either, but of course you have to love boozy scents. This will be great for me in the colder weather from autumn to spring, I already know... In addition, the performance is excellent! This scent is addictive for me!