Korrigan

I have been meaning to review this perfume for ages, but I kept putting it off because I find myself really struggling to describe it. It's buttery and nutty (I actually looked for chestnut or roasted hazelnut in the notes and I still can't believe neither are listed, maybe this effect comes from the interaction of vetiver and the other notes), initially wrapped in a thin layer of smoke that quickly dissipates. Rather than caramel, I smell the idea of caramel, if that makes sense. It's a mix of milky-sweet and salty that isn't caramel, but that is guaranteed to bring up caramel in the mind of anyone who smells this. That salty edge, by the way, is what makes this perfume truly special in my opinion: it helps it blend into my skin, to the point that it sometimes becomes hard to tell where my natural scent ends and where this perfume begins. The leather takes a while to come out, but when it does, it gives this blend allure and poise - and it started unfolding exactly at the moment where I was beginning to tire of the sweetness of the opening and wanted something different to happen. I experienced a tiny moment of dread during the evolution of this perfume, when the mix of leather, sweetness and nuts started to give out a strange smell that reminded me of Play-Doh, but then, like clockwork, the cognac and whiskey kicked in and the Play-Doh smell immediately faded away. By that point, Korrigan managed the incredible feat of smelling both sexy as hell and really comfortable and natural - what it makes me think of is that annoyingly sexy person we all know who doesn't even have to try, and who is probably sexy precisely because they don't try. Korrigan, at that stage, is self-confident and down-to-earth without being obnoxious or boring. The animalic notes that come out as the perfume begins to fade accentuate the dirty, sexy characteristics of the perfume and create a scent that's not entirely unlike the smell of warm, somewhat sweaty skin (but in the nicest possible way). Saffron made a quick apparition around the end, but to be perfectly honest, I might not have realised it was there had I not read the notes beforehand. The woods and juniper are very soft, almost indetectable, but they stay in the background for the whole duration of this perfume's evolution, and their austerity and dryness work as a perfect counterpoint to what would otherwise be a rather cloying (and frankly, pretty boring) cocktail of notes. The juniper, in particular, brings an interesting tinge of herbal bitterness that I had never smelt in that kind of perfume before, but the association just makes so much sense to me now. In fact, this whole perfume could be summed up as such: it plays on the obvious to create something entirely unexpected. I strongly urge anyone to whom the notes appeal, even vaguely, to give this a try. It's utterly worth it.

I am always really impressed when a fragrance delivers an experience that can't really be compared to anything else out there, and Korrigan is definitely one of those cases, if I had to describe it in 3 words it would be 'cream of incense'. Spraying Korrigan for the first time I got a bizarre abstract take on booze, along the lines of whiskey vapors, woody and slightly smoky, but light and ethereal. The opening was surprisingly devoid of sparkly top notes and I initially found it quite stark. Just as I was about to dismiss it, the intensity of the smokiness toned down and a buttery musky sweetness appeared, not syrupy or vanillic at all, rather a fatty sweet note, first like cream liquor and later like sweetened almond butter or even roasted marshmallow. What is really remarkable that there is no vanilla or powder to it, but rather it appears that the right combination of sandalwood compounds, ambrette musk and perhaps other lactonic notes are responsible for the addictive sweet cream accord. Regardless of the butteriness, this is not a pure gourmand by any means, your brain still clearly registers this as a predominantly smoky woody scent. Beautiful composition, smells modern yet completely different, surprisingly light and radiant for how rich it feels. However it still sits within the realm of likeable meaning it is safe to wear as an all-round nighttime fragrance and unlike other sweeter wood scents alla Initio it does not produce a monstrous gag-inducing sillage, which for me is another positive.

Wow, this is another LUBIN I'm falling in love with. As usual with this brand, the quality of the product is paramount, it's quite expensive, but it's worth it. The KORRIGAN-AKKAD-GALAAD triptych is a great success, in my opinion. Before I tried KORRIGAN I thought that AKKAD must be the best of them, because it's a masterpiece, it's just flawless, perfect! However, KORRIGAN is just as amazing as the amber-resin goodness of AKKAD is, but its character is different. KORRIGAN starts with a fresh aromatic blast of juniper, and right after that starts the magic. Something creamy, like Irish cream liqueur, kicks in, and it is not just sweet and milky, it also has a salty, gourmet edge, like slightly salty caramel, or like your own clean skin when you are inhaling the fresh and salty sea air, and a glass of White Russian is in your hand. I guess the salty feel is here due to the ambrette. It all might sound strange (salty??), but in reality it smells so natural and appealing, and refined. The leather note is very delicate in KORRIGAN, as well as oud (feels like a touch of smokiness). This is probably the most unusual gourmand I have ever tried, it's difficult to describe. I think it's unisex, almost definitely.

If I ever was to wear a fragrance out of sheer nostalgia or joy it would be Korrigan. Here the legend gathers booze (whisky, cognac), lavender, leather and musk. On top an ample Juniper note sets off the scene. Immediately a buttery shampoo accord paired with liquor dances in like a spinning delight in the thin air. At the center, a lavish lavender touch so fresh and uplifting compels the scent to radiate with rakish elegance. Finally, thanks to divine providence, sumptuous dry woods flesh out the path to grand manner. The notes become flamboyant players in their own stages supporting a fragrance that is at once smaller and larger from its parts. Sometimes from this fusion an image of perfect beauty will emerge like cypress trees whistling in the calm summer wind. Such a smell is so inexplicable and irreproducible that all the heart can do is suffer with gratitude. Korrigan was made for Lubin (a brand revealing great depth and integrity) by Thomas Fontaine in the height of his powers. It feels like a scent made by a hustler on the make, composing a heedless perfume. To me it is like a fragrance conjuring memories of memories working its magic with hypnotic fashion.

I found Korrigan when I was looking for a substitute for Bond No. 9's brooklyn. I loved the juniper and leather hints in Bond but wanted something a tiny bit more unusual. After going to MiN I was given samples of Heeley's Cuir Pleine Fleure, Keiko Mecheri's Cuir Cordoba, and Lubin's Gin Fizz. Pleine Fleure was too heavy on the patchouli for my taste, while Cuir Cordoba devolved into something like baby powder. Gin Fizz is nice and bubbly but dissipated almost instantly. Korrigan, though... Korrigan is special. The opening is atrocious. It reminds me of burning tires and the smell of... well, diarrhea. Those twenty minutes of acrid are almost impossible to get through... but then Korrigan turns into something that is, quite frankly, stunning. Warm, leather, wood, salty caramel without being too saccharine and with just the slightest hint of smokiness. I spray it on after I shower at night so that I can spare the general public that opening hell. By the time I wake up it is perfectly mellowed. It has excellent longevity and decent sillage. After about six hours of wear you can still smell it about half a foot off the skin. Amazing,

This must be the most misleading set of notes listed for any fragrance that I've ever owned. Korrigan is lactonic, artificially musky but not annoyingly so, with some extra cappuccino foam added on top. It is the niche, unisex interpretation of my beloved and long ago terminated Trussardi Inside for women. The notes listed here suggest a robust, masculine, club scent. This is nothing alike. First of all, it's soft. It's not fresh nor heavy, but rather mild and somehow lukewarm. In my head, I often compare it to cat's fur. Maybe it's the milky quality, but also that fluff and something organic, rather than clean or perfumy. I prefer wearing it in summer for a few reasons: there's nothing heavy or overly sweet about it and it smells way better on my skin than what ends up on my clothes. Summertime provides the surfaces of bare skin for Korrigan to shine from. It isn't exceptionally long-lasting nor wildly radiating. It's a discreet, polite skin scent, which is anything but boring. Worn for the wearer's own pleasure.

This is a gorgeous offering from the house, which is not surprising. I have Idole and Akkad as well. I recently picked up a 5ml of this Korrigan. It’s not as strong and projecting as the other two I mentioned, but I don’t think it was designed to be. I get a gorgeous soft, almond type leather sitting on some woods. It does seem to change from time to time with the boozy notes. The other two I mentioned are some of the best boozy fragrances money can buy, with Korrigan, it’s more of their signature DNA in the background. This is pure art. I love this house. Very slept on, probably bc they don’t hand out a bunch of free bottles to influencers. This fragrance is perfectly unisex. I would recommend this one for sure. Gorgeous scent. My favorite from the house are Idole, Akkad, and Korrigan, in that order. All are top tier blends using high end naturals and aroma chemistry. 1000% niche.

This is very fluffy. Foamy. Cappuccino foam. It's hard to believe that there is only one more review reporting it. If there's any liquor here, it's most likely Baileys, I don't care what the pyramid says. This is my niche Trussardi Inside. Soft, semi-gourmand and a bit animalic. Milky. Suede more than leather. Furry to be precise. It smells like warm, vibrant feline fur. Musky and organic - neither clean nor filthy. I could swear that Siamese cats smell like this, those thick hair coated, cuddly inhouse felines, presented tastefully in all the café latte shades. And if they really don't, they should be smelling like this. However fluffy in nature, this fragrance stays close to the skin. I avoid spraying it anywhere but directly to my skin, since I noticed it smells much better from the bare skin than on clothes. Unisex.

Just received this beauty, what a treat! My initial reaction was "This is CHRISTMAS", this is what I'll wear this holiday season. Very comforting and warm, with lovely hints of saffron and juniper. A typical winter scent. All the different notes come together in a very pleasant way, sweet, but not excessively so. There's a gourmand feel to it, but the whisky and cognac balances it all out so it doesn't become syroupy or sticky. Gingerbread and fudge come to mind. As it progresses, because of its subtle lavender note, it turns into a very "clean" fragrance, stylish and sophisticated. Definitely one for the festive season! Highly recommended for anyone into well rounded boozy scents! And I must comment on the bottle. In my opinion the best looking bottle on my shelf, solid and oozing high end perfumerie! 7/10

Man this thing is interesting...... I want people to try it bc it’s such a good scent for perfume lovers to experience. This is my second time wearing it and it’s completely won me over. The first time I was a bit disturbed I found it kind of musty and reminded me of stale maple syrup. But that only lasted like 15 minutes and I enjoyed it afterwards. This second time I’m wearing it was such a treat though. Reminded me of roasting marshmallows with my best friends dad. My family never did outdoors stuff so the experience stayed with me and it takes me back there. It’s definitely a father scent to me. And when u smell this on him he comes off as a guy who just emanates this scent naturally. Sorry my mind is preoccupied with dilf fantasies as I smell this bc it is kind of sexy and musky.

Lubin Korrigan (2012) - boozy vanilla - #thomasfontaine starts the perfume with a mixture of boozy notes (whiskey to my nose), piney and woodsy Juniper and Lavender. It transitions so effortlessly into a Woody (Cedar & Oud) and Ambrette musk heart. The combination of the two transforms the perfume into a vanillic amber that resembles some Guerlains, but because of the construction makes this perfume trail like soft-clouds. This isn’t sickly sweet, but perfectly pitched throughout its lifespan on skin. I can see how tirelessly the perfumer might have placed in balancing the white musks, ambrette and wood accord - that is no ordinary feat. I love how it morphs when someone smells from afar and what they can smell when close enough. A perfume intended by the perfumer to be great.

This feels like Juniper Sling's evening counterpart. There a similar obvious sort of juniper freshness that is very apparent in both, but whereas Juniper Sling leans soapy and citrus Korrigan goes aromatic, smokey, boozy, and buttery. The lavender adds a distinct sort of aromatic/agrestic feel, but something about this feels like a G&T wading through butter. There's an intriguing butyric thickness contrasted against the freshness of juniper berries and lavender. Imagine a room where Palo Santo burns, G&T cocktails are sipped, a stick of butter sits at room temperature, and a baby is freshly coated in diaper rash cream. IDK how or why it's all of these things, but it is. It smells like the Destin x Aesop collab we didn't know we needed -- and tbc, I love it.

Someone olfactorly challenged removed my recommendation for Parfum De Marly Herod as a similar recommendation. I don’t know why? The note table here is askew and it is recommended as an oriental vanilla despite no vanilla or tonka in the table. So I own this and love it because it reminds me of Herod without the damp pipe tobacco, meaning it is more presentable for work and also meaning I can wear something akin to Herod more often which is my fave scent. It garners many compliments. Despite the leather and light rummy feel, again I say, it has a creamy cinnamon, vanillic vibe with subtle spice replacing the tobacco found in Herod on top that presents similarly to Akaad and Herod. A classic that everyone must at least sample once in their life!

9 - Powdery, caramel, tobacoo-y leather. Smells like waking up on a camping trip in Central Texas, minus the dew. I don't get the bandaid/playdoh impression, but do smell the juniper strongly and wonder if that's it. 1 - Forgot to pay attention to this. Turned into a pleasant skin scent, no real evolution except for intensity. It's not something I'd wear for drama, but I can see it being a comfortable everyday scent. The price is completely reasonable, making Korrigan a woodsy, leathery, ambery gem. I thought it was super femme but sniffing again, I'd be into it if a dude around me was wearing this. edit - however long later - I wear this sample all the time and have decided I needed a full bottle. Also, LOOK AT THAT BOTTLE. It's awesome.

The opening is a chocolate pastry, transitioning around the 30 minute mark, and morphing into a decadent leather scent. Initially I was thinking Korrigan was too masculine, not the right fit. But the dry down is best described as a leather gourmand, and it’s much more unisex leaning. Surprisingly I like this a lot, it could even turn into a love. The Oud note is turned down a notch, and blends well into a milky, wooden hull—like something from an old boat. The gourmand vibe never leaves, it must be the combination of the whisky and cognac notes. Overall scent is rich and luscious, with good performance. My second favorite from the brand with Akkad in the lead, and ahead of Kismet.

Korrigan is the fragrance of the senses set free, to be shared or saved for intimate moments, when caresses follow on sweet whispers and bodies draw closer. It is an invitation to voluptuousness, to sensuous pleasures, and to fantasies of the most extravagant kind. Perfumer Thomas Fontaine first of all imagined a tree for Lubin, to be called “Caramel Wood”. Its sap would be sweet like English toffee, but with tangy accents of wild apple, juniper and saffron, to answer for some of its mystery. He wanted a note of leather yet appetizing, smooth like a whisky cream liqueur, yet smoky, fragrant and slightly bitter like superb pure malt. This is Korrigan, my best nowadays choice.

Top notes: carousel, unrestrained laughter, 1000 colorfull ballons fly up in the air Middle notes: walk with your head in cotton-candy clouds Base notes: a dreamy smile when you remember your last visit to your private Paradise... ====== When I first sampled Korrigan it almost made me laugh out laud, luckyly I managed to restrain myself and grinned like a madman instead - to an obvious satisfaction of the SA in Jovoy. For me this is a pure essence of joie de vivre in a bottle. Of course, I took it out for a walk on my wrist - made my half a day in Paris really splendid. For me this is worth every penny you spend on it, the quality of Lubin is unmistakable.

Korrigan is one of the nuttiest perfumes I have encountered to date. It starts out coconutty. I wasn't sure if I was smelling coconut or the creaminess that I associate with perfumes containing sandalwood. The coconutty quality soon mellows into something more like a soft nut, such as chestnuts or acorns (it turns out to be beech nut). Combined with smooth black leather, herbs, and a sweet liquor of some kind, Korrigan smells decadent. The heart consists of a luscious milky-boozy accord that reminds me of buttered rum with a splash of cream. Lubin describes Korrigan as "Caramel Wood Liqueur," and that is surely how it smells, summed up in three words.

I absolutely love the artistic representation this house brings to niche perfumeary. Idole is still the “king of boozy”, but this fragrance seems sculpt its ideal around creamy leather. It smells expensive, unique, and brings a wow factor to the table in a world of dull and desperate flanker releases after profits more than producing olfactory art. I think this could be worn anytime by anyone, but I only see connoisseurs spending coin for it. It is a fantastic performing high quality luxurious boozy leather fragrance, but it’s not leather jacket like Ombré Leather, it’s creamy luxurious high end European leather that’s been broken in. Genius idea

I love how the faintly dry, almost metallic astringency of juniper berries, saffron & ambrette balances out the creamy sweetness of the whisky-coffee-caramel-milk (aka Bailey's); this is one of the few gourmand-leaning perfumes I really enjoy and can wear without feeling self-conscious. Also, seconding @Nomen - Korrigan is much fluffier/cosier & less 'Alpha-male-in-leather-armchair-drinking-whisky' than the notes suggest. The sillage is intimate & intermittent, and the overall effect is quite delicate, what I perceive as the femme side of unisex, although (of course) very wearable by any gender.