Bizarre Brandy

First wearing of Molton Brown’s seasonal (allegedly limited edition) offering Bizarre Brandy, an artistic boozy take on the eponymous brandy, which, as some have pointed out, is not quite as boozy as it is sweet and indulgent, but it’s a good balance some semblance of booziness and more dessert-like accords. It does have a rather prominent maple accord, something I’ve not experienced much in fragrance, and I like it for that reason. It has familiar touches that liken it to other boozy fragrances—it even reminds me a little of Gallagher Wicked Good—but it has its own character. The full note list is, per the house website: Top notes of cardamom, orange and ginger. A heart of aged brandy, coffee and maple. A base of incense, cedarwood and tobacco. I get the heart notes more than anything else: brandy, coffee, and maple could very well sum up this fragrance for me to the point that the top and base notes are really just supporting characters there to round out some of the sweet foodiness of the heart. On the one hand, I can see how some might regard Bizarre Brandy as nothing new, but for me, it does scratch the neverending boozy/sweet itch and executes on that vision in a both artistically interesting and wearable way. At EDT concentration, its full retail pricing is $120 for 100ml but it currently appears to be on sale/clearance everywhere it’s sold, including Neiman Marcus in the US, so now is the time to buy. Who knows if it’s actually a limited edition or one-time offering, though. 8 out of 10

Oof. Splurge guns at the ready, this is a randy dandy, ra-ra jazz-pizzaz scent in a bottle. The scent of this perfume will send your brain to a dimly lit speakeasy, in prohibition times, where people smoke loads of cigarettes and dodgy deals are done. It has a strong woody base, which allows the warm brandy note to sing at the top of it's lungs, like a desperate cabaret act, struggling to keep their booking at the speakeasy. The brandy tone, much like the desperate cabaret act in your imagination, does eventually succumb to time, as it slides away from the profile, leaving only a hint of it's past existence, amongst the wood tones and tobacco notes left in it's wake. It's boozy up to a point, almost like the rozzers have burst into the speakeasy and removed all of the alcohol after a few hours. It's pleasant, but needs topping up every 2 to 3 hours, as it was only ever released as an EDT. It remains one of the only EDT's in my vast collection, as I appreciate how rare it is. The fact that it is rare usually means that someone is asking a lot more for it than it is actually worth. You will struggle to find this in a brand new, boxed and sealed state. I got mine on eBay for a very good price. 8/10. An EDT doesn't punch much harder than this!

My boyfriend bought me this as he loved it on me when we were in the shop, although I thought the cardamon and tobacco were strong at first and I wasn’t sure. It smells like smelling a bag of loose tobacco. But I’m glad he did as I got past the strong masculine opening and it’s really unisex. The tobacco and cardamon fade, and the booziness takes over with Brandy and maple. And a lot of woody notes throughout. Gets sweeter as it dries, a cardamon flavoured sweetness. Very strong and long lasting, can’t believe it’s an EDT. Smells AMAZING layered on top of a simple vanilla like The Body Shop Vanilla or on top of the Bizarre Brandy body lotion, which makes it sweeter and last forever!

I love this for its dark, leathery, and spicy character, combined with a touch of sweetness. It behaves almost like a luxurious boozy gourmand, rich with spices, wood, and leathery notes. It's rich and addictive. To me, this scent invokes thoughts of spending a cold winter evening at an old village pub, drinking brandy cocktails and keeping warm in front of the log fire until late into the night. This shines on cold winter nights. With hints reminiscent of Muddled Plum, Tobacco and Black Pepper, the delightful brandy notes and caramelized maple provide a subtle sweetness. Longevity and Sillage are strong. This scent is fabulous!

This is absolutely glorious. It's like the steam rising from a hot coffee made with brandy, brown sugar, and maple, sprinkled with ginger and stirred with a cinnamon stick. The boozy maple note is strongest for me, with the coffee and spices taking a back seat, but it isn't overly sweet or cloying at all. It's cosy and warm and comforting and I didn't go anosmic to it all day. It lasted around 8h on my skin without fading very much. Very, very well done by Molton Brown.