Wellington Cologne

This is a really nice masculine splash cologne that I like to use in warmer weather in casual settings. More complex than Blenheim Bouquet to which it is often compared, it hasn't got the black pepper of BB. Rather, it has an herbal accord in the middle that makes it smell rougher, more earthy, or less polished than Blenheim. As a result I consider Blenheim a fragrance for serious days at work or dressed up on Sunday for a solemn Latin Mass or a high church Anglican service. Wellington fits better on a casual day entertaining in the garden or running errands about town. It can be worn dressed up, but it works even with shorts and a tee shirt and a ballcap. Several Trumper colognes like Astor or Curzon claim a 19thC origin but in reality smell like they're from the 1980s. But not Wellington. It has that almost anachronistic feel. There's really nothing like it today (apart from BB) and it won't appeal to most modern men's tastes. And with regard to Blenheim and Wellington, if you like classic historic colognes it isn't an either/or decision. You need both!

After my recent physical and mental abuse by Blenheim Bouquet, I recalled this brew being a bit warmer and friendlier. It opens as a clean, slightly soapy but dry lemon, a bit like their excellent GFT. The lemon gets lemonier and more bitter, almost to the point of smelling like sweaty BO. This is the phase where I'd almost question the validity of the scent overall. But we patiently press on past the acrid herbs, and a new light green grassiness appears, deepened with a trace of rubbery anise. By the end, an amazing facet has revealed itself...the reedy, bamboo/grass type of note that I've come to love in the base of the new Guerlain Vetiver, new Eau Sauvage, Allure Edition Blanche, and perhaps even Encre Noire. It's sweeter and weaker here, with the rubber persisting, drawing me into a spotlessly clean, heavenly shoe store until it starts to fade leaving only the grassy reed/leaf scent with some florals. I'm really glad I gave this one another chance.

One of the best citrus fresh colognes on the market. Nearly half the price of Acqua di Parma’s Colonia and in my opinion with far better quality and tenacity. It is really nothing made like this anymore, as someone said below. While Trumper’s GFT is more barbershop and has quite some talcum notes, Wellington is more naturalistic and herbal. AdP Colonia sits between those two in terms of style and is to many people the best of both worlds, a position I respect, but I prefer the performance and execution of Wellington.

First, let's put this AdP comparison to bed. I own AdP and Wellington, and these two smell NOTHING alike. AdP is much more refined, much more polished, and much more attractive than Wellington. I actually think Wellington is the harshest of the Trumper Colognes. The fragrance opens with a brisk bergamot/lime note and immediately develops a musk/black pepper/fir/rosemary note that feels slightly medicinal. I believe what reminds people of Pen's Blenheim Bouquet is the black pepper/fir note. I am wearing BB on one wrist right now and Wellington on the other and while the base notes are similar, I find Blenheim Bouquet to be the more elegant, fresh and uplifting fragrance while Wellington remains rather "brutal" relative to BB thanks to the medicinal and borderline animalistic fir/pepper note. The prevalence of musk in the base notes is more reminiscent of Nicolai Cologne Sologne, but PdN did it better and more elegantly. Despite the brisk citrus opening, this is really best suited for cold and wet season wear. I am not sure I would wear this to the office either. Better used on weekends or days off IMO. None of this is to say I don't like Wellington...I do...but it has its limitations.

Very similiar to ADP Colonia, with a more distinct note of rosemary. Or, more accurately, ADP Colonia is very similar to this, as Wellington predates it by nearly 30 years. The scent of a Victorian gentlemen, which may or may not be one's thing.