Vetiver Bourbon

I love vetiver. I also love Parfum d’Empire. It might be a foregone conclusion that I would love Vetiver Bourbon. Wrong! (Hopefully). I try very hard to turn off my biases when assessing perfumes but I honestly cannot tell you if I succeeded with Vetiver Bourbon. Vetiver is a very talented actor, the type that you can see in several movies or television series and question whether or not you’re seeing the same actor. Vetiver Bourbon does what the best vetiver perfumes do, which is to give you this very complicated and multi-faceted material in all of its chameleonic forms while making each character coherent. Upon application you view a scene of enormous complexity, the opening sequence to a very well done action film. See the strongly medicinal and woody angelica muscling its way in causing a big green explosion, while musky-oily and earthy ambrette keeps the explosion from developing into total chaos. This is largely the same ambrette that Marc-Antoine Corticchiato used in Le Cri, except dialed way back so that it doesn’t come across as blinding sunlight but rather as a density with a gravitational mass that keeps the angelica explosion closer to earth. To keep proceedings from getting too medicinal-woody and oily-musky, a dried and spicy woody clove provides a lift into the air, the human emotion and personality to these serious and heavy action characters - which is funny to say for clove. But then arrives a massive dose of hydrophobic and oily orris as well. How did MAC achieve this? Orris is not a wallflower, yet the overlap between the top section and the orris and the growing vetiver accord in the base is masterful. There is the Bourbon vetiver which is musky, oily, pungent and robust in the aromatic way, and the Haitian vetiver that is dark, earthy, and woody. There are very nearly two dry downs to this perfume. It takes forever for the top section of angelica, ambrette, clove, and orris to depart before the orris link takes us to an aromatic and green Haitian vetiver and then finally settling on a Bourbon woody vetiver bolstered by cedar and a resinous labdanum. The Haitian vetiver - separated from the Bourbon vetiver - plus the cistus at the base is inspired. It smells dark and earthy, woody and green, but also resinous and slightly floral. Here, and as always, thank you, Marc-Antoine Corticchiato for not ignoring your dry downs and making them just as beautiful and intriguing as the upper layers. What is remarkable about Vetiver Bourbon is that, like the greatest of vetiver classics, it gives equal balance to the bright green and energetic vetiver notes as it does to the dark and mysterious notes of vetiver. The only thing that is missing is the more off-putting side of vetiver, the swampy, salty, fetid side of vetiver but yet you do not miss it - if that is something that allures you; the rather difficult and “look at me” explosive opening of the angelica more than makes up for vetiver’s naturally challenging characteristics. MAC displays a masterful and encyclopedic knowledge of the overlap of materials and their notes with Vetiver Bourbon, cramming so much into the perfume without ever losing the plot line or letting actors/characters become overshadowed. This is damn near as good as my beloved Guerlain Vetiver EdT (the original), which is saying a lot... a whole lot. This is one of my favorite vetivers to have emerged in many years.

Vétiver Bourbon is a truly lovely take on a vetiver-dominant scent. Much as I appreciate vetiver as a key perfume note, I don't gravitate towards vetiver-dominant scents - I find them to be very masculine and sometimes a little astringent. This is certainly not the case here. The gold standard for me is Guerlain Vétiver, but VB gives it a run for its money. Hiram Green's Vetiver also comes to mind as a decent example of a modern vetiver scent, but VB is more well-rounded with a nice chypre base - more tailored to my taste. The use of orris here is inspired - adding a powdery, rooty quality to the base, in a similar way to Mal-Aimé by the same house. Overall, this is an aromatic, musky vetiver scent with a chypre base (and is much less challenging than the aforementioned M-A). The vetiver used here is top-quality, and every note serves to present it in the best possible light. Cohesive and creative, the composition is masterful. VB is vetiver-dominant from initial spray - typically dry and woody with a nice grassy edge. Angelica, an underrated note in my opinion adds a earthy herbal quality that complements the vetiver to perfection. The opening is green and aromatic. As it develops, the vetiver remains centre-stage, but the rooty, powdery orris emerges, enhancing it to perfection. It adds body and enhances the earthiness, but in a smooth, luxurious manner. Iris is perhaps my favourite note of all, and its beautiful, melancholic, powdery complexity is why. I also enjoy creative applications of iris/orris in perfume, as seen here. The orris-vetiver accord remains throughout, but it becomes increasingly musky as it dries down, thanks to the slightly sweet ambrette. The earthiness persists, and it becomes slightly mossy in its later stages too, in the manner of a classic chypre. Notes like vetiver and patchouli can often give an oakmoss-like effect in modern chypres (necessary nowadays, given the oakmoss restrictions), and this is the case here. It fades to an ambrette skin scent, deliciously musky and smooth. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is a transeasonal masculine-leaning scent in my opinion, but is certainly unisex depending on taste. It is ideal for everyday use - it is sophisticated yet has general appeal. A beautiful modern chypre with vetiver as a focal point, VB is a deeply pleasant, satisfying scent throughout, made of high-quality, natural-smelling ingredients. One of the best vetiver scents I've tried. 4.5/5.

It is a musky Vetiver with both high quality of ambrette and bourbon Vetiver, with noticable orris of quality. Very earthy no smoky, very lineal to me since maybe the perfumer want to keep the original bourbon vetiver without excessive decorations. It's good, but I prefer Hemingway for the same category of vetiver (for me they are the same). Hours Afters, it lest a special musky scent due to ambrette seeds, that a wonderful smell. For this dry down I would like to wear it, but at this moment there vetiver and orris are much weaker. Beautiful dry down but not for everyone's taste (different musky scent, not típico to my nose). By the way, the great quality of vetiver OIL smell recalls me the Vetiver Nocturne from Bortnikoff somehow, those perfumes apreciate that much the oil smell and alow it stay as what it is. Good one. But not my style. Edit: More and more I got used to the strong musky scent, and now I can enjoy the bourbon vetiver oil scent without disturbance. I have to change my rating to 5 stars. This is another love at the third or fourth sight!!! Have to be patient and have to sample it and give it full wear for more than two weeks before buy it!!! Would buy it? Maybe, once I become older enough, or a CEO, or I have to go in first clase to somewhere to do negotiations. 😅🤔😉 I have to RE-compare with its similar rivals like Hemingway, Vetiver Royal Bourbon and Hiram green Vetiver again with new perspectives.... Edit again: just did the comparison of those four similar type of vetiver frangrances, and Vetiver Royal Bourbon from Oriza L. Legrand outstanded of the others in durantion, Hiram vetiver and Vetiver Bourbon gave similar duration and strenth; while Heminway faded away sooner than the others as skin scents. Interesting! Since the price counts, Heminway is not worthy of its price tag but for the complexity that it gives only. I noted that Hiram green and Vetiver Royal Bourbon from Oriza L. Legrand have also so natual ingrediant the smell than others.

VETIVER UNTAMED! Stunning! and how long will it take to this sample transmute into a full bottle, is just a matter of few weeks. As the name of the perfume implies, VB unfolds like a conceptual monochromatic study of the green, but able to negotiate an entire palette of greenish shades. The opening avoids any sort of citrus and it is so sparkling bitter green like my baby cat's own eyes. The responsible for this greeness is one of my fav notes: angelica. Bitter, herbal, emitting bright burts of pepper, it made me wonder whether some additional pepper was used. Naturally musky, angelica complements what I would call the co-star of the show: ambrette. The seductive muskiness emanating from the use Corticchiato does of ambrette is gorgoeus to say the least (see Le Cri de La Lumiere) I detect slightly floral undertones - and even slighter leathery ones. As the ambrette recedes, there come some Madagascarian cloves paving the way to the most "pure" vetiver I had occasion to smell. It appears to me that cloves serve a modulatory function from the greeness of the openng to the hearthy-greeness of the main note. A woody and earthy iris-like note eventually cloud the profile in the base, sweet notes join in, in minimal amounts, preparing the fragrance for a balsamic, very soft finish that rounds off and completes the green facets once more. For those that are material nerds, Vetiver Bourbon comes from the Reunion island in the Indian Ocean. I am wondering if the raw material come directly from there and then goes to PdE's lab or, as some sources claim, it is cultivated in Madagascar where the aforementioned lab is. If you want your vetiver to be raw and untamed (perhaps someone would say unrefined if you compare to other treatment), but very true to the nature of its olfactory profile, then look no further. Follow me on IG @alexolympia6

After a quick blast of bitter green-ness (artemisia), it's Mr Vetiver to take unapologetically the lead, and dominate down to the base, with noticeable support of cloves, and probably also ambrette to round a bit the darkness of the vetiver. The orris also plays its role by rounding things up by giving a hint of powderiness. Great performance. What Corticchiato delivered here is a stunning dark vetiver, arguably the best iteration of rooty/nutty vetiver I got to smell in my life of vetiver-addict. I said it. At the intersection of Givenchy Vetyver (the nuttiness, but VB is deeper than Givenchy's), Elie Saab No.6 Vetiver (powderiness with a hint of cloves, but VB is of higher quality, and much more masculine) and Heeley VV (the dark earthiness, without going into a catacomb). Useless to say: only Heeley's compares with PdE Vetiver Bourbon in terms of quality. If one found Saab's was a bit too shallow, Heeley a bit too earthy, and MPG Route du Vetiver a bit too damp/dark, PdE is the perfect tuning for an easily wearable high quality rooty vetiver, that stays on the contemporary side of things. . That said, I expected a bit more originality in terms of blend coming from PdE, not only a 'best in its category'. Ok...ok... I might be nitpicking here, but PdE sets the bar very high in terms of expectations.... Still, a deep love for me, and I had to go for a full bottle, at full retail price, a few minutes after trying it in store. That says it all!

Marc-Antoine Corticchiato tried to showcase the full character of Bourbon Vetiver. The story is that he did take some vetiver from La Reunion and then tried to cultivate it in Madagascar (where his lab is). According to him this task was very arduous and not always successful. One thing I learned from reading the background to this story, is that Bourbon Vetiver from La Reunion is very rare, almost extinct (like Sandalwood from India I guess). This I didn't know. To the scent now. This is a great vetiver perfume and impeccably elegant to wear. The start has some cumin which I ve smelt on Nicolai's saturnine Vetyver. From there, the vetiver takes center stage with the addition of the driest iris rhizomes imaginable. The perfume exhibits all the nice faces and elements of vetiver (all shades of brown from desert sand to dark liquorice) and smells unquestionably marvellous (from acidic, smoky to softly woody). I have never smelled vetiver oil from La Reunion and can't vouch for the incarceration of the note but I found some bottles in discount and have been dousing myself and my clothes with this potion every day. Wonderful scent, a bold and classical vetiver.

My most worn fragrance of 2024. It perennially vies with Guerlain’s to take the top spot on my shelf. This is the highest quality, earthiest, greenest vetiver blended masterfully with a rooty angelica, warm spicy cloves, powdery orris butter, and a deliciously musky ambrette seed oil in the base. To me, VB effectively works as a hinge between Guerlain’s vetiver and FM’s French Lover, two other favorites in my wardrobe. In terms of their vibe, the Guerlain is gentlemanly and thoroughly complex, with a citrus top, a distinctive tobacco that acts as co-star, and an animalic undercurrent. French Lover, for its part, is bold and more modern, using an astringent angelica up top and a unique incense accord that is bolstered by a well judged woody amber base. Corticchiato’s vetiver, in contrast to these two, is bright, light, eminently natural, and thoroughly realistic (as in accurate). This doesn’t imply a lack of finesse, don’t get me wrong; it is simple in the best possible way. In a word: elegant. I feel invigorated, sharp, focused, confident, and smart when I wear it. And who wouldn’t enjoy a boost like that?

As I am testing all the fragrances by Parfum d'Empire, I was hyped by Musc Tonkin, Immortelle Corse, Ambre Russe, etc. I did not expect to like this perfume, I do like Vetiver but there is some kind of pungent, powerful bitter after odor in most of the vetiver fragrances I have smelled. Vetiver Bourbon is the best vetirer I have smelled, ever. The Vetiver is at the center of the composition, but it is sublimated by other notes like Iris root that make this perfume silky and powdery (which is rare in vetiver centered perfumes). I did not smell the clover, however. The longevity is pretty good and the sillage is ok as well, but these are secondary features of this fragrance. What is phenomenal here is the smell, performance comes way after that. Corticchiato excelled once more, and you can smell some of his signatures bases/philosophy. Namely, the fragrance is pretty 'green' and 'natural', it smells like natures, not synthetic (I don't care how the ingredients are obtained, but it does smell different). This one is definitely one of my preferred from Parfum d'Empire at this time.

In Vetiver Bourbon, the starring vetiver is treated as the headlining orange and citrus notes are in Azemour les Orangers of the same house: with subtle, finely-tuned nuances that take them from what might already be extraordinary, to sublime. With Vetiver Bourbon—as Chandler Burr said about Malle’s Bigarade Concentrée—one’s retinas expand upon smelling and contemplating it. What is so arresting about Vetiver Bourbon is how Corticchiato noticeably cools the already rooty vetiver with orris and angelica while simultaneously warming it from underneath with a dusting of spice and musk. It feels mineral, raw, and elemental, but also refined by careful and precise artistry. It feels like the sky darkening on the coast as clouds gather to announce an approaching storm. This is an all-season, all-time-of-day, all-scenario fragrance that feels at once debonair, mysterious, dignified, wild, rugged, elegant, and dapper. It is magnificent.

This is very similar to Vetiver Haiti by The Merchant of Venice. If I had known this beforehand (I bought both without testing first) I would have bought only one of these. I also compared them on my hands at the same time because initially I felt they are exactly the same. But there is a bit of difference: Vétiver Bourbon is a tiny bit more sweeter/floral but that's it, they are both damp, mossy, earthy vetivers that remind me an old decaying house. Maybe VB slightly less so because of the hint of the floral note. I don't recognise what floral exactly although I know the smell of orris in Chanel's 28 La Pausa. Can't remember the longevity, which one held longer, there was some difference. Anyway, both are just incredible. Nishane's Sultan Vetiver is in another direction: dirty and very loud, but these two are enjoyable and pure.

This is certainly one of the most beautiful vetiver fragrances I've ever experienced. The emphasis here is fully on the bourbon vetiver itself, which supposedly the perfumer transported from its declining reserves on the island of Réunion to his own workshops and gardens. The other elements in this seem to heighten the vetiver's freshness and tanginess rather than distract from it: Parfum d'Empire describes it as a woody chypre, and I can certainly smell the citrus on top along with the angelica. I may buy this yet, although I have so many other lovely vetiver-forward fragrances it might be redundant. This would make a superb signature scent because you could wear it night or day in all seasons.

Vetiver Bourbon by Parfum d'Empire is As advertised! Vetiver, highlighting all it's glorious facets to perfection. Rich and very long lasting. The clove note is understated, as it went unnoticed in support of the main show, the finest VETIVER! My wife and I have a few bottles from this house and are fans, but this may be the new favorite. She noticed the Iris note more than I did, but both of us noted the natural rootiness of the fragrance as a pleasing prominent characteristic. Do yourself a favor and sample if you are a lover of vetiver. Agree with Andy the Frenchy, we have a few vetiver scents in the collection and Parfum d'Empire Vetiver Bourbon is special.

A very similar citrusy vetiver (slightly sour and green) to the one used in Roja Elysium or Alexandria Zion. But it's not paired with the somewhat screechy citrus that comes across like cleaning product in Elysium/Zion. Instead, it's paired with soft rootiness of iris/angelica (like mixing in some of Encre Noir a L'Extreme) and a bit of spice. This makes it richer and more masculine and pairs with the earthy aspect of vetiver. The final composition is somehow fresh and warm. Gentle enough to be worn by anyone, anywhere if you want to smell classy and clean.

These listed notes seem accurate to me: vetiver, orris. But this is one of the rare occasions that I strongly disagree with fragrantica's listed accords: this is a very earthy/woodsy vetiver, and nothing more; it is certainly not powdery, floral, or amber-y at all whatsoever. And that's not a criticism. It's actually why I like Vetiver Bourbon so much. I love the simple earthiness of this vetiver fragrance. It's great on its own, and it's great for layering a spicy (winter) or fresh/herbal (summer) fragrance on top of. For me, it's at least a 9/10 scent.

This is my favourite vetiver since Sycomore edt - it's drier and dustier, like an actual bundle of dried vetiver, so different enough to be its own thing, and also just beautifully rooty and real. Great for wearing in high summer heat, but I imagine it would work well in autumn and spring too. Maybe not deepest winter. The Pd'E website has this as a 'ruggedly' masculine scent, but I find it perfectly unisex (though I bet it would indeed smell ruggedly gorgeous on the right guy).

This and Timbuktu are my favorite vetivers ever. This one counters the problems vetiver has with that romantic orris and uplifting Angelica. It smells like wet soil roots and carrots whereas many vetivers get kinda harsh and monotonous, this girl is a melancholic dreamboat. This is what Cocteau twins more gloomier music smells like to me. When I sprayed my sample a couple weeks ago I gasped bc it connected with me so deeply at an instant. Couldn’t be improved in any way!

..a Vétiver that does justice to the untamed raw material. Vétiver with just some notes that underline or highlight this best of best Vetivers from Réunion. Earthy, rubbery, green, fresh, masculine, mature, genuine, spiritual, grounding, calming, balancing.. If you ever wondered what aromatherapy can do then try a good quality Vétiver. 😌

In first impression i think it's a little bit different kind of Vetiver fragrance. very musky, powdery and Earthy a little bit hint of boozy. but after i wear it 3-4 times it's such a beautiful fragrance. Longivity and sillage kind of a monster I have get compliment in 12 hour after spray it. solid release for sure.

It started out as a very pleasant leather scent. then it turned into a skin odor. I felt a strong green smell on the first spray. It disappeared on the second use. Those who want silage should not buy it. middle aged man fragrance. 7,5/10 edit: I was wrong. smells great. It has become one of my best leather scents.

the unisex chypre of my dreams... the vetiver is earthy and damp and green in a way that isn't cloying which is very very rare for me. a phantom oakmoss scent, you'd swear it was there. would love this to be an everyday scent for me but it feels wrong to wear on days that aren't a little damp.

Forest floor, so beautiful, I adore it. Moist, earthy, green, and yet not heavy or musty, just so airy. I don't know what else to add. One of my favorite vetivers.

This one is surprisingly hitting me as a nice stealthy leather... an ultimate masculine sophisticate. I'll be picking up a full bottle.

It is one of the best vetiver fragrances. If I didn't have so many other vetivers, I would certainly grab a full bottle of this.

If you’re already a fan of vetiver, imagine that distinctive earthy note taken to new heights, refined by one of the most skilled perfumers and blended with absolute mastery. Honestly, if there were to be only one vetiver fragrance in the world, I could live perfectly happily with this one alone. This scent feels like the definitive expression of vetiver: deep, rich, slightly wet, and oily in texture. It carries a similar character to Sultan Vetiver, yet it’s more polished and smoother, without that faint “ashtray” nuance some find challenging. Kudos to Marc-Antoine for his exceptional nose and artistic vision. The craftsmanship here is undeniable as well as the natural ingredients. The experience of wearing it is a genuine pleasure, sophisticated, grounding, and effortlessly elegant. Be sure to try it on your skin to truly appreciate its full evolution and depth.

I wore this after wearing Roja Vetiver Parfum Cologne the previous day. This was a bit disappointing, and doesn't hold a candle to Roja, even with its Parfum Cologne concentration. One of the weird things I experienced upon spraying this was a weird sourness reminiscent of vinegar in addition to the obvious Vetiver. The sourness cleared up soon enough to reveal a suave combination of orris and vetiver. Very enjoyable, but not an exquisite beauty like Cri. I suppose Cri is a pretty difficult act to follow (or be compared with). The other green I have tried from this house, Corsica Furiosa is much less fleshed out than this one. I prefer this one a hundredfold to that one. A minimalist, elegant, sophisticated take on vetiver but not a standout in any way.

37 male Top, Middle, Base notes perfectly describe this frag. Starts off very vegetal. Beets or Radish. On the dry down you get a (middle of the road) vetiver leaning on the sweeter side. (left=barbershop/right=earthy) I get some powder from the Orris, but not the violet. The Ambrette base is definitely sweet, not floral or musky. Overall it is a nice scent. Not my ideal vetiver (I prefer earthy), but I can see why so many people enjoy this. Its not dirty, its blended well, and is easy to wear for any occasion. Not a blind buy, but vetiver lovers understand this based off the uniqueness of the vetiver note.

Opens like a freshly sanded bourbon barrel rolled through damp earth, then quietly collapses into something soft, musky, and woody. Think of a well-worn flannel that still smells faintly of last winter. There’s some green early on, but it’s more mossy than fresh. Eventually it turns into a skin scent, like it gave up trying to impress you. Leans masculine, but if a woman wore this, she’d seem like she knows how to build a fire and win an argument. MOVIE MATCH: A History of Violence — rugged, quiet, and more complex than it first lets on.

Basically French Lover without the frankincense and allspice, while Vetiver Bourbon only highlights the cloves. A lot of it. I also smell parts of Elie Saab's Vetiver in this due to this heavy clove accord. A bit unimaginative and predictable to say the least, especially since vetiver itself is already a trite accord. But despite the negatives, I do enjoy the scent more or less. Vetiver Bourbon might not be in the same league as French Lover but is definitely far better than Elie Saab's Vetiver, by a mile.

Vetiver handsomely done. An elegant statement for spring and autumn but light enough for summer wear. The opening is soft and supple. The vetiver both smoky-woody and sharp-grassy, reflecting the two sources used but blended with something sweetening and smoothing: musky angelica and ambrette, the faint spiciness of clove and a good dose of carroty iris. Austere ashy vetiver, smoky at first then becoming drier and sharper but always balanced with that soft iris.

A strong, aromatic, bitter vetiver with a musky top, then it sort of goes into a slight animalic musk base with clove...very classy, very high quality. Vetiver here is somehow serious, yet comes of as friendly, even handsome and knows how to throw a joke and not to take itself seriously. The earthy factor here is just mindblowing and very well made in the end.

Opening is very green. Becomes more vetiver-y after a couple of minutes. It's dry, more herbal and green than woody. It becomes more rounded after a bit. Something fresh is shining through, almost citrus-like. Is that Iris? The vetiver definitely identifies as a grass more than wood. Lovely!

Nice deep drydown. Opening smells like Parsnip edit: Boy am I ever glad I tried this on skin. Its absolutely fantastic. It does have a rooty green earthy opening but on skin, the citric nuances come out in the vetiver and it livens up. This smells not even a little bit as good on paper.

Nice! Very interesting full spectrum take on Vetiver. This one lies somewhere between Heeley’s earthy take on the substance and Hendley’s fantastic and underrated Vetiver/Iris combo, Untitled. Solid!

I really enjoy this pure, icy, minty and earthy vetiver interpretation. Performance is ok, perfect for mid seasons and summer, it fades pretty quickly during the colder months.

For me, this is extremely spicy upon the opening. Probably the cloves and ambrette, to which I'm sensitive and averse... it's fresh and earthy, for sure, almost leathery (which, upon further reflection, might be what others are identifying as root vegetables - it does lean towards that, especially inside my elbow, though on the wrist, it did not). It's almost fresh-spicy to me, and quite light. It's more unisex than masculine and very intimate silliage. I wouldn't buy a full bottle of it, and it doesn't replace my favorite vetiver (le labo 46), but layering it with Attaquer le Soleil turned the whole thing boozy, dangerous, and really, really sexy... like the second right after a hot whip cracks the flesh, and the air is still static and electrified. Or, your face is buried between a beautiful man and a leather chair... This adds a certain sweetness and lightness to the labdanum, so, it will be useful to me, even it isn't a favorite.

I don’t like this all that much. Personal taste. I have fallen in love with a number of vetivers like Oriza L Legrand Vetiver Royal Bourbon and Eight and Bob Nuit de Megeve. They sort of put a spin on the note that I enjoy, whether it be juicy green citrus and sharp refreshing herbs or the interplay of nutty coffee/peanut and white soap. The twist on this vetiver is a sort of suede-y carrot smell. I’d say the smell of carrots is just as prominent as the vetiver itself. I’ll admit it is smooth, gentlemanly, and expertly made. But it just reminds me too much of carrots. 7.5/10

I loved every fragrance I tried from this brand, and by the notes and reviews this one sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately my sample smells like peanuts for some reason? I do get the earthy qualities of it but I just can't get over that strong peanut smell.

Smells like hospital to me from start to finish. I also smell a little carrot. Honestly, I don't understand this scent. Something is wrong with my nose. I love vetiver. But I can't smell it here. It's so nauseating. It doesn't match my nose. 4/10

It smells too much like vetiver essential oil. Which is kind of harsh by the way.

The opening ov VB is more aromatic than I expected, driven by fragrant spices that give it a lively start. Soon after, the familiar vetiver character takes over: vegetal, rooty, damp, and soily. As it dries down, the scent turns leathery, salty, and quite dry — a combination that I personally struggle to digest. Long story short, this fragrance won’t convert you if you already dislike vetiver. However, if you’re a vetiver lover, this is worth trying as it comes from a very solid, well-crafted brand. VB is just not one for my personal taste.

Really beautiful vetiver. It's slightly nutty, which isn't my favorite facet of vetiver to lean into, but it has a very appealing pungent, rubbery freshness accentuated with the spice of a subtle but awakening clove note, and it's also absent of any musty, damp, and sweaty character that other vetivers sometimes fall into. It feels moderately heavy and painted with darker shades of green, but it also sits among a number of musk materials that give it a soft, comforting quality, like you can sense the clean blades of grass sitting in plush, high quality cotton sacks. Orris root and ambrette add just a bit of mellow, subtly floral creamy accents to blend seemlessly into the sweeter shades of the heart notes while adding an earthy "dust" to soften the edges. If you pick up cooked carrots in your orris notes I think you'll find some of that here, but personally I enjoy it and think it's a natural compliment to vetiver. I don't get any huge blast of powder either, and while half of the composition feels soft and refined, the vetiver remains sturdy, bordering on notes of leather and ink that remind you this is a more serious, untamed presentation of the note. edit: after owning this for a while I can say I still love it, and it's much easier to wear than I anticipated.

Corticchiato's style really shines through. Rural romantic, in a very elegant way. Someone said it perfectly in regards to Oeilleres – agrestic. I think this is somewhat agrestic too, athough not nearly the same way as above mentioned. I don't like to put perfumes into age groups, but this one is definitely mature. Whatever that really means. One of the most vetiver-centric I've ever experienced. Kind of a minimalistic composition. My first impression was this vetiver is just too sour. Even though I imagine this would perhaps be the best kind of 'sour' you can get. It's not tart. It's gentle and very sophisticated. High quality. Like many of Corticchiato's compositions, I need some time to fully appreciate them.

Whoa! Vetiver lovers rejoice. Talk about a 'grassroots' movement. I feel like I just got tackled face-first into muddy turf. I'm mostly just enhaling pure vetiver here, ...maybe an added aromatic tang from the angelica, Tbh, I'm not always a vetiver lover, but this I am enjoying. Probably because here, vetiver hasn't been sent in as competitive opposition to other notes I like better. So I like smelling it, but would I wear it all day long? I think yes, but mostly in wild or rural settings where I might get a bit dirty anyway. So then, it's a good scent for outdoorsy outings; a 'weekend' frag, as some might say.

There's a conundrum to be considered for the sake of Vetiver Bourbon: should Marc-Antoine have used all of his skill to craft a "best-in-category" scent, as Andy put it below; or should he have pushed boundaries in his usual way? The highly-subjective answer to that question is, of course, dependent on the wearer. Personally, I was bored of the perfume and wished for something groundbreaking from M-A. But I fully acknowledge that any vetiver fan will likely find something they enjoy about this masterful -- albeit quite direct -- take on the genre.

I've been a lover of vetiver centered perfumes ever since I smelled Guerlains Vetiver for the first time (waaaaaay back when!). I've sampled, tried and worn many since and I must say that Vetiver Bourbon is a very beautiful and tasteful creation... Vetiver can be quite spikey and piquant, but here its soft, gourmand and sweet sides are highlighted. It's a curvy vetiver, very smoothe and pillowy. A vetiver for a super sophisticated summer......

Seriously, for the money, Parfum d'Empire are as good as it gets. So painfully arid and of the roots of the earth that you almost feel at one with the hardy, somewhat drought-hit feeling soil depuis Reunion Island and Haiti. I almost feel some dark and bitter metallic facet to this. Feels über butch, strong, immovable. I love this liquid.

Smooth, austere, minimalistic, nutty vetiver, perfectly rounded with clean-musky and earthy notes, just enough. Smells very comforting, mellow. Early cold spring vacation in some village by the coast and it's a slow day, that's the vibe I get. One of the best vetivers for sure.

وتیور خاکی پودری همچنان با کیفیت ولی شبیه عمده وتیوری ها ----------- Scent & Quality: 9/10 Longevity: 7/10 Sillage: 7/10 Creativity & Uniqueness: 6/10 Affordability: 5/10 ----------- Overall: 6.8/10

Bought blind after deciding I was a vetiver fan with Grey Vetiver. Mossy, dirty, damp bark - in the best ways of course - It’s amazing

This is pure earthy, rooty, vetiver unadorned. For the purists.