Ancestral Sandalwood

Ancestral Sandalwood seems like something out of the 80's to me. It opens with a fairly dirty, almost pissy accord that I find really off-putting. It's like a combination of medicinal and musty dampness I've smelled before but can't quite put a name to. Based on the notes, I can only guess this is the dry, leathery guaiac wood combined with a damp, mulchy cedar, a not so fresh hit of clove. Putting my nose right up against the back of my hand, this seems like a scrubber, but at even a few inches of distance, the screech of that funk is thankfully quite diminished. But still, I find that musty garage accord really confusing. EDIT: Now I remember where I've smelled this strange opening - SJP Stash. What's odd is that the two have very little in common when you look at the notes. Nevertheless, there is a certain combo of spice and wood that can come across as musty/pissy to me. Thank goodness neither remains that way for very long. After the less than stellar opening thankfully blows off, the mustiness fades into a much more pleasant spiced sandalwood where the nutmeg begins to challenge the clove for prominence. It's actually decent at this stage, though still a bit muddled for my liking. After an hour or two, everything that can be deemed offensive about AS is gone. The sandalwood is now a much cleaner version of itself, given added dimension by an almond-like heliotrope and traces of patchouli and amber. The guaiac and cedar are either gone at this point or really subdued. For me the base is where AS shines - and it seems to last several hours like this, providing an arm's length scent bubble of clean woodsy style. Presentation is neat if not exactly opulent. The curved rectangular bottle is painted in a light silver, with a chromed plastic cap and thick metallic badge. The sprayer emits a very fine mist, but what hits you is potent, so go easy at first. Projection seems better than average. Longevity is average. I'm not the best judge of sillage, but I'd say this one does not leave a very aggressive scent trail - perhaps owing to the very fine mist emitted by the sprayer. Verdict: This is a mildly spicy sandalwood with an almondy twist, in something of a 80s throwback style. As such, it won't be for everyone -- let's say the 40+ crowd. Your experience may vary, but so far I think this is probably best for Spring-Summer, where the heat will tend to accelerate its evolution to the best parts. Will see how it does in cooler climates later. I think I like this, but as much as I like a good sandalwood scent, this one challenges my patience as it gets to where I like it. But, I can see myself warming to it over time... EDIT: After owning this one for a while, I just cant. That opening is just too much for me to get past, and I have so many much better woodsy scents to go to that this will never get used. Selling my bottle.

Spicy sandalwood with STONG cloves and cedar. The amount of vanilla makes it smooth but not overwhelmingly sweet. Definitely unisex, even though the label says 'for men'. Average sillage, average longevity, overall, a nice, pleasant scent for spring or even summer.