Yacht Club

The smell is Fascinating! I have not smelled 40 knots, but thought the DNA was something I'd like. It's probably the most beautiful a masculine scent can be, while also being heavy and funky. This could be my broken sniffer, but it smells like sitting on a boat on the river, sun baked leather seats, and faint plastic inflatables, with a touch of that sun screen powder-ness. Interesting combination, but it works so well. It has to be that iris and leather note working together with the sweetness way in the back. I cannot imagine wearing this in any high temp environment. It really is that heavy sun bleached leather smell. You can get away with this in summer but just not in intense climates. I think it's a great date night scent and can be used year round depending on how many sprays you use. This is absolutely nuclear on my skin and clothes, I smell it way after the 8 hour mark with 2 sprays. I would start with a few sprays and not treat it like a designer blue. You will air out the room and you will not get that plastic, powdery leather out of your nose. If you think the bergamot will come through, wrong, its a phantom note. Same or the vanilla. Now it does get to a more amber, dark style later, just not sweet amber. All in all, this is highly interesting and I find joy when spraying this. I do really enjoy the darker nature and complexity that I perceive. This is not suitable for younger men that prefer more blue fragrances that aren't up for a challenging wear. For the price this smells incredibly niche. 8.5/10

Some people think this smells like Coca Cola dipped baby wipes so I tried to recreate the scent using exactly those products in an attempt to save on an already inexpensive fragrance. I found the finest cola known to man and poured it into a box of baby wipes made for the most sensitive behinds. To my dismay, the results were scents you might smell in NYC on a hot summer’s day. Now the house smells like regret. I finally decided to invest in this bottle that, while held in high regard, may have a dirty little secret. Once it arrived, I tore into the outer packaging with the excitement of a diabetic bee about to taste the sweet nectar of syrup. However, I took my time with the elegant inner packaging to preserve its innocence like changing the diaper on a new born. I unbox, prime the atomizer and release a galaxy of molecules destined for a cerebral awakening. This fragrance is stunningly beautiful! My ROI is confirmed when the Mrs compliments my sillage and without a primal need to reproduce due to not being reminded of infant hygiene products. Do try this at home and anywhere else if you decide to join the yacht club. Enjoy!

Reviewers on YouTube keep calling this an aquatic, salty fragrance. No it is not. Put it in the luxury soap category, not Aquatic in any way. And I could see men saying this is too flowery, so not a safe buy for guys unless you already know unisex luxury soap is ok. The quality of the perfumery and ingredients is surprisingly high. It smells and performs niche, not designer. But being niche in scent, it wont be for everyone (male). I think of the scent more like taking an afternoon bubble bath followed by applying a honey scented lotion. The opening lasts a really long time before developing into a basswood honey with balsamic undertone. If you have tasted basswood honey, you know what I mean. This fades slowly over time with a wood scent becoming more prevalent until it fades out by 7-8 hours. For the first 90-120 minutes the scent smells more wet, thus the lotion reference before it slowly dries out. It never becomes dusty. Its mostly white-floral luxury soap, with violet in the background. The honey note starts coming through at about 30 minutes, but does not reach the 50% mark until 2-3 hours.

Brand's not all hype after all... Mind blowing presentation. Seriously. Props. Not great for you peeps who like to throw boxes away - that'll be hard with this one. As for the scent. More floral forward take on 40 Knots with a very prominent violet. Executes the cola-like amber that 40 Knots is known for to damn near perfection. The quality and depth is genuinely mind boggling. It will sound weird, but imagine dipping baby wipes in a glass of fresh coke and ice. It might just be me associating this particular violet with baby wipes, but the OG gave me similar vibes as well. Fascinating DNA that just oozes luxury, indubitably. Not a 1 to 1 necessarily, more feminine but that's what makes it beautiful. You do have to be a lover of violet. And no, not every guy can pull this off. This is different juice.

What you are basically getting is a niche DNA at 80-100 dollar designer level quality for a very affordable price (I paid 28 Euros). Powdery, clean and even slightly soapy violet with hints of smoke and leather and a moderately sweet undertone coming from the honey and vanilla which can give this ambery Coca Cola vibe. Well-blended and sophisticated. It's by no means a summery aquatic nor feels it too heavy or sweet at any stage. Fairly unique with very good performance on my skin: 10-12 hours with solid projection for the first 3 at 25% oil concentration, but it never feels too much or overwhelming. On clothing I can still smell it 24 hours later! Not completely blown away as of yet, but I expect Yacht Club only to get better over time. Anyway, a very nice addition to the collection! 9.2/10