A*Men Pure Malt Creation

Immediately hit with a mild booziness that reminds me of a premium Manhattan -- whiskey, sweet fruits and spices. In the opening the booziness is accompanies by bright sweet citrus with no sharpness. The citrus pulls back quickly, and the familiar coffee-cedar-patchouli-musk of the original A*men becomes evident as the base, but the "Manhattan" smell still sits out front. As the scent develops over the first hour the cedar adds its usual menthol edge and I am met with a rotating set of smells familiar to those who have nosed whiskey including the smokiness of peat, the hay-like, grain smell of barley, the woods of the barrel, and the spiciness that reminds me of cinnamon or clove, yet not quite either. All the while, the A*men DNA still sits underneath. In the end, you still have a wonderfully gently sweet, slightly smoky, slightly boozy, amber, patchouli, woody smell that I think is exactly what the name promises: A*men + Scottish whiskey. I have the 2013 version, and with obvious exceptions, I don't get into the reformulation thing. But the performance I get is pretty decent. Strong fairly boozy projection for the first hour, moderate projection that is more sweet than boozy for the next several hours, and then a skin scent after around 6 hours, but if I get moving it activates and projects harder. I wear this in 70 degrees or less, which where I live means end of fall through beginning of spring, and usually as an evening scent. Newer boozy smells are boozier, sweet gourmand fragrances are sweeter, and there is more frequently an emphasis on realistic expressions of food and drink. While I certainly enjoy those, I think they also show how balanced and ahead of it all the Mugler A*men line was, and for many, Pure Malt is the best of this line. I love sweet amber woody smells and there is nothing about this fragrance I dislike. I quit buying fragrances in 2008 until recently. Completely missed this gem when it was a "thing" but managed to get this for a very reasonable price and would pull the trigger again at a bottle $1 per ml or less. $250+ a bottle, though? Uh, no thanks. Wish Xerjoff would make an inspired by, like Naxos is to Pure Havane. That would be worth $250... Sooooo... What about Star Man Nebula? Oh, it's pretty good. I bought my bottle 9 months ago, sprayed, then let it sit to mature. The opening is still a different experience for me than Pure Malt, especially back-to-back on the same day. Way more citrus, patchouli and musk in the first couple of minutes and I think at that point, this isn't Pure Malt. But then a few minutes later you start getting that A*men-y feel and then it slowly gets closer and closer to the original. In the first 15 minutes, the closer my nose gets to my skin, the more obvious this is a clone. But even at arm's length, it's really, really close. After that, it smells like you are wearing Pure Malt. A little less booze, but even the gradual development of the cedar and A*men base works the same. So is it worth under $30? Absolutely! Shorter performance, so reapply after 3-4 hours if needed, and you're good. Is it a complete replacement for Pure Malt? If Pure Malt was $100 I'd say stick to the original, but it's not, so buy the clone and get a small decant of the original if you want to compare for yourself.

Have to say I agree with @merekkalinowski very little difference between this an the original. The sales assistant (a very pleasant French lady) was so eager to tell me the story about the whiskey casks and how exclusive this juice was, which was nice actually as most I talk to don't have a clue about fragrances or show any real enthusiasm. I have to look at the process with some scepticism because as a man of science I believe it's pure chemistry and I'm not sure how much perfume can be infused with character in this manner. As a romantic I would love these processes to be possible (oak barrel aging, smoking etc...) because it makes the artistry of perfumery even more magical but I think in this case it maybe a bit of a gimmick. That being Said...trying them side by side as I am at the moment, I get a slight(and I do mean very slight) difference between them. It's not enough really for me to warrant any change from my position on the original A*Men, it's a wonderful complex, oriental, spicy fragrance. I'm glad the whiskey, maltiness is not maximised because I was always reluctant to try because of this but it's subtle...very subtle! If you're somebody who really picks up on the difference between these and love it then good for you because this is a great smelling fragrance and it's £20 cheaper than the original so I'd chose this version even if just from a financial point of view.

Well this one caught me by surprise, especcially after I ordered a bottle of the original from ebay and saw that this one would be released this year. I actually couldn't wait to try this one, and when I did my nose told me instantly: "It is the same one". I am sure lots of people can say that it is the same one as 2009. I can smell some differences. The fruity notes are there as in the original, as is the malt and peat. But after a few hours, it turn into a coffee blend with caramel and chocolate, and it is here where the fusion with A*Men (Original-1996)shows up. In the original Pure Malt, I could smell the caramel and the chocolate in it, but this one its smells different, it smells stronger maybe because of the vanilla. Either way, it's good to bring back a classic if you say that this is the same one, or not, this is a great fragrance and my new addiction. Perfect for the winter cold days and nights. The bottle is simply one of the best ones I ever seen, the gold mirroed star is a great feature to the bottle. If "re-releasing" old fragrances as new fragrances is going to be a trend for Thierry Mugler (remember Pure Energy) I don't oppose. I would really like to see a Pure Havane Spirit or a Pure Coffee Blend of even a Gourmet of Fragrances (Pure Chilli). Let's see if he can surprise us next year Fragrance: 9/10 Bottle: 9/10 Longevity: 9/10 Sillage: 8/10 AWESOME!:)

after getting my pure malt creation, there is a difference to me in the opening, a sweeter version perhaps? still has the dna of the original. trying it on the top of my wrist and the original on the other. The original is still a remarkable fragrance and creation is so very close to me. It does seem to have a little better longevity but not overwhelmingly so. Better projection at first. I really believe those who have pure malt and love it like I do, I say don't think there is any reason to dump your bottle for this one. I still have half of my original left and now have this. I have not tried it in the office yet. I think I need some more time with it to really define if there are distinct differences or do I want there to be?.. Overall it is a great fragrance bearing the same fragrant beauty as the USA version I have with perhaps a sweeter overall aroma. overtime I may notice something more that will distinguish this to a solid conclusion but for now I will just give it a thumbs up, rating it as if I had never smelled my version (whatever year it is? I can't recall)before. Don't lose sleep over this, both are winners, I would be stoked with either. I am going to play with blending them.. see what this combination smells like.

Now this is what is truly meant when people talk about gourmand fragrances. Pure Malt Creation is not just a whisky imbued fragrance, it is one which carries caramelized fruit, milky vanilla, honey and coffee, all served on a sandalwood table strewn with various leaves. When I first breathed it in (one does not lightly sniff this, impulsively you will find yourself engulfing it in), my mind shuddered. It seemed like the epitome of a rich, complex, yet entirely modern fragrance - and one which does not get too 'fussy' or perfumey. It has tremendous richness and depth - possibly more than the original - and definitely does suggest high quality and good materials. Pure Malt Creation is long-lasting with enough development to keep interest and enough projection (but certainly not too much). After four or five hours it will sit closer the skin, but in warmer room environments it will give nice projection even after that time. Personally, I wore this in the evenings on a ski-holiday at Christmas in Mayerhofen and it was just perfect. (Perfectly complemented the Burberry London I was wearing during the day.) Highly recommended try - especially as a Winter evening fragrance.