Bourbon

Breathtakingly good. For true wood and resin lovers there's all the timber you could possibly want - living, breathing, carefully-worked slabs of rich, mellow guaiac, like barrels from heaven. Inside them, some kind of beautiful booze, which even for me (a teetotaller) is equally smooth and delicious, with no harsh raw-alcohol smell to it, just a burnished deep-golden glow of warmth within. Sweet deep-orange resins and smooth, grown-up, not-sickly vanilla yoking it all together harmoniously. Mmmmmmm. A retro saloon with everything glorious about liquor culture but none of the ugly. Like all Hendleys, uncompromisingly strong and unapologetically individual; a self-consciously niche take on boozy woods, and I do not mean that as a criticism - rather that this Bourbon sets out right from the start to be different. Not rough-hewn - it's far too sophisticated for that - but very definitely rugged and handmade, and one man's olfactory vision made reality. It's from the Durga / Dame style of New American Wild West perfumery, not the haute cuisine gourmand style of French classic houses. The tang of real wood and peaty-oaky-poky notes might be a bit too sharp for some. But as it happens Hans Hendley's nose has a vision of the world much like mine, so the mesh is almost always spectacularly good; he can make me love notes I waver on, like rose (because he does it butcher and wilder than anyone else, as in Rosenthal) and even tolerate strawberry (in the monstrously overbearing but still seductive Amora) ... so when he's operating in my imaginary workshop space, the woody resinous cellar of my dreams, then it's a done deal. Bossy projection and a little sharper at the start; dries down to something smoother and lasts ages. True unisex for those who can deal with it. Never been a liquor drinker myself but this Bourbon is so good it leaves me giddy. Big tip of the stetson to Mr Hendley, Esq, on this one. ETA: so much in love with this that I parted with the (considerable) RRP +shipping costs to get a precious 30ml of the recently-brewed batch of this delivered to the UK. It's SO wonderful that I regret nothing. Buyer's bonus: the bottle version seemed a very tiny bit more vanillic and a little sweeter and less oaky than the tester, but stronger on longevity - with a lingering whiff of heaven on skin as late as 11h in. And the most wonderful surprise of all: when applied properly from a bottle, the drydown becomes a whole different beast, with a totally seductive, fluffy, powdery/almost rose-scented/sweeter wood aura. Winner on every possible score. And a free sampler of the EdC version thrown in too! (Thank you Hans Hendley!) The EdC is recognisably in the same vein, but lighter and more transparent - still gorgeous but surviving only 5-6h. It lacks the full weight and rounded, burnished woods of the EdP, but has a larger and seriously beautiful cinnamon note a bit further to the fore. It's also very very well priced; the EdC might be one of the best things you could possibly spend $55 for 30ml on, while the EdP (still my first and greater love) is a much bigger ask - though IMHO still worth every penny- at $160/30ml or $250/50ml. It might be the most expensive thing I own at that price. And yet again: I regret nothing. Bourbon addict for life now.

This review is for the new EDC version which came with an order, though it took me a while to realize it was the EDC and not the original extrait. I used to hate Shalimar despite repeated tries. Then, one hot summer day, I was compelled to apply a drive-by spritz in a shop, and Shalimar and I had our moment. I went on a hunt for vintage versions and was vaguely obsessed with it. But the bottles languished (my husband and cats are not fans of it) and so I rehomed all but a vintage PDT, which still languishes. Instead I find myself wanting to wear modern interpretations of Shalimar: Aroma M Geisha Noire, Cire Trudon Olim, and ELDO Bijou Romantique. I'm testing Bourbon EDC today and it's striking me the same way. This interpretation (though maybe unintenional) is a mellow, sheer version. The opening bergamot mingles with a hint of booze giving it a sophisticated sparkle. As the woods and vanilla emerge it takes on a fuzzy haze, like sun streaming through gauzy curtains. It's warm and comforting without being heavy and I could wear this on a warm summer evening, for sure, where I suspect it would bloom beautifully. As with everything I've tried so far from Hendley, this is blended beautifully into a cohesive whole. It's subtle, but for me this is its strength. Like wearing the lightest, softest cashmere wrap that is so comfortable and weightless that it lets me breathe and move about effortlessly. Nice!

Over the weekend I listened to a Hans Hendley interview. Then on Saturday I was a few seconds late on my quest to purchase my first Hendley—even though the bottle was in my cart (must have sold out under 2 minutes. Insert sad face here). I was that close to owning one of 25 bottles of Bloodline. Oh well, onto the review for this wonderful creation. My second time wearing Bourbon and I just love it. It’s a boozy, wood scent softened with citrus, tonka and vanilla. The opening is thick and full of sticky resins. Everything smells natural and I am not disappointed with performance. I’m getting about 2.5 hours before Bourbon turns to a skin scent.... though it could still be projecting softly (I’m not sure). My husband also likes it. If I knew he would wear it, I would immediately buy it for him. Unfortunately he’s not much a scent guy. This is absolutely the opposite of a light summer scent, so I want to test this again when the weather changes. So far I’m really impressed with everything I’ve sampled from Hendley.

Opens a bit citrusy, immediately quite animalistic, a bit spicy, very warm, amber notes, something sweet like orange, some woodiness throughout... Honestly quite lovely. A bit creamy. Boozy but tamed, not like rum or whiskey. It's quite mature, quite wearable. The dry down is sweeter and really lovely. Very soft sillage/projection, which is always a let down for me. Every now and then I catch a strong wave of it, so I might be a bit nose blind to the fragrance. Ultimately though, I can only rate my experience, the dry down lets me down. Like I said, it's sweetness elevates and props up a lovely vanilla note mixed with something reminding me of oranges. And that's really all. The first hour it's a solid 9 out of the gate for me, but the remaining time spent turning into a skin scent, it's maybe a 7.5? I'll round it to a 8/10. I love it, I just want more of it. Will revisit when the weather changes.

This is a beautiful more masculine foil to Cola. They have the cinnamon, chewy amber accord, tonka and vanilla in common. Whereas Cola is an uber smooth, gourmand leaning almost coffee-like spiced amber, Bourbon is a smokier, leather+cognac take on the similar genre. If you're shy about animalics, the castoreum in this may challenge you, but I wouldn't be afraid of it. The castoreum is so well blended with benzoin, labdanum (think it gives this an incensey vibe), cinnamon, and dry woods that it smells less like an animal and more a cozy, spicy, and smokey energy. This gives off the feeling of having a post-dinner-and-desert whiskey by the fireplace in the dead of winter. It does remind me of Ambre Loup, as they both feature animalics + big labdanum-based amber, but this is a far smoother blend to my nose. Really enjoying this one so far.