Rock Volume One

I recently had the opportunity to purchase 3 first release cellophaned sealed boxed bottles of this limited edition offering of *Rock Volume One* by John Varvatos. My first Varvatos fragrance as I was intrigued by it's extreme scarcity as well as the unusual coffee, rose accord, the presentation & packaging is out of this world but sadly I'm sorry to report the actual juice is a huge disapointment, the only floral note detectable is a soft, dull generic rose (possibly synthetic) followed by a seemingly dilute & cheap generic instant coffee note that fades on my skin within 30 minutes after application, Wow what a letdown, seriously none of the listed medjool date, tobacco or leather elements were detectable to my nose ! Maybe I should try the original John Vavatos offering of 'Pour Homme', perhaps a little more complex with a more intense drydown & better silage ? And some folks were shelling out over $200+ for this until recent stock evaporated completely, obviously it suits a select group of perfumistas' just not moi ! The semi tropical climate here in 'Oz' is quite hot & sticky, perhaps this is much better tolerated in a cooler climate. Ciao for Now . . . UPDATE: I came across the opened bottle of this the other day & decided to give it another test drive, sadly it hasn't changed and will be relegated back from where it came, the rose is still dull and uninteresting while the coffee note seems to have gone stale, such a shame as I still have 2 bottles left in climate controlled storage, both are un-opened and I'm afraid they will remain that way indefinitely, the fragrance reminds me of those cola / coffee candies sold in dollar outlet stores EDIT: After my initial reviews and having the opened bottle in mothballs for the last few years I do believe that the juice has mellowed some how like a fine bottle of wine if that's possible? The rose note seems much more noticeable now with a increase in silage also the coffee has almost gone (thankfully) in fact I'm quite enjoying the overall effect now, so glad I have the other 2 bottles in storage as a back-up supply. I came across a tester/no cap or box bottle on eBay the other day with a buy it now price of US$2500 good luck there, sorry to be so hard on this one at the time, some negatives I do take back...will wear this for winter 2018

This is a very nice fragrance, no doubt about it. Rock volume has few things in common with the original john varvatos, they have that pleasant mix of light sweetness and leather in a masculine way. I love the og and i love rock volume too. Here u can find other notes, soft but detectable: rose, metallic notes and coffee. They are subtle but give a bit a misterious and alluring touch to the scent. It's also very appealing and easy to wear, so u can risk a blind buy because it's hard to dislike, especially if you appreciate the first john varvatos. They also have the same performance, so quite average to me. Is it rock? Yes it is, at least in my opinion. If the original to me has a more "eddie Vedder vibe", rock volume is more "dave gahan" from Depeche mode, so more misterious, complex, sexier and darker. Very hard to find now. For any season but summer. Nice presentation as well, im Happy to have it! Rock volume one ha diverse similitudini con l'originale john varvatos, quindi se vi piace il primo profumo della casa vi piacerà anche questo (che comunque è facile da apprezzare). Qui l'aggiunta di leggere note metalliche, caffè e rosa danno un profilo più sexy e interessante al profumo. L'originale JV mi fa pensare ad un rocker in stile eddie Vedder, rock volume è più dave gahan dei Depeche mode. Performance discreta come tutti i profumi JV. Buono in tutte le stagioni tranne l'estate. Molto difficile da trovare, personalmente mi piace molto. Scent-8,5 Longevity-7 Sillage-7 Versatility-8 Presentation- 9 Uniqueness-8, 5 Compliment factor-8 Backup bottle? Yes My vote-8,5 In one word- photografic (the song from Depeche mode..) Alternative - the original JV, JV vintage...

What a moment of serendipity JV Rock Vol 1 has given to me. Little did I ever believe my quest for a sweet lil gem of an evening scent would lead me to this relatively unknown version of JV for men. Many reviewers will speak of style over substance with Vol 1. I would disagree and correct that to a perfectly crafted blending of style with substance. A rarity indeed in my many years of buying and testing perfume. Ok, so onto the impressions from the first spray. Initial opening is somewhat hard to grasp. There is a huge delivery of alcohol with some muted accords that will unfold with time. Rose is detectable after 20mins along with a wonderful sweet coffee accord that will make your mouth water. In fact it does for me every time I wear this fragrance. An hour in and the rose is shining through , not in an overly floral way, but one that makes one pause and wonder how can this perfumer get the rose and coffee to behave so exemplary together. The drydown is exquisite , mysterious, laid back and indulgent. Black leather and tobacco flower give a final decadent air to this scent. All the time, the wearer could be lounging around some uber cool bar looking the part and smelling like the most suave alluring cat in the joint. Rock on JV !!

Its been a few months since I was able to get Rock Volume One eventhough its discontinued. Thanks to a lady on ebay who was selling a few of them was kind enough to sell me one for less than what it use to cost when it was out in the market. This fragrance is masculine, elegant, great for evening. my only problem with it is the same thing of the John Varvatos line. It's longevity or lack of it is my problem, other than that I love this fragrance and all those from the John Varvatos line of fragrances. except that new one John Varvatos USA. haven't smelled it and something about it doesn't appeal to me even to try it.

Update of previous review : My perfume collection is in a state of perpetual flux. Some scents that I liked before show some flaws over time. Ones that I thought of perfect at the time are now demoted to the list of also rans. While there are others that made their way into my top 10 when once written off. Now, that is why I find John Varvatos Rock Volume One so special. After many many wearings, I have been intrigued by the countless facets to this fragrance. The only one in my collection that just hits the mark each and every time. Maybe a holy grail I never saw coming !