Esprit du Roi

It was a blind buy after being stuck between this and castile....A nice addition to the collection of refined TRADITIONAL cologne lovers. I like Bayolea better (a bit more modern smelling) this is just not great...not bad either...just an upper average cologne...BTW..the bottle is just gorgeous... Smell: 7 out of 10 Projection 6 out of 10 Longevity 7 out of 10 (5-7 hours) Presentation 9 out of 10 versatility: 7 out of 10 Overall: like a 7 out of 10 Edit: After a couple of more wearings I have changed my opinion on this a bit....it is a very nice fragrance indeed...very manly...not so abbrasive like Sartorial which is a good thing....It immnediately came to my mind some resemblance to Acqua di parma colonia (original, intensa)...at the end I just discovered all were made by the same parfumeur....it is definitely SOMEHOW similar to those ones......they share the same DNA....if you like those one...you may indeed like this one as well....so...here is my final score... Smell: 8 out of 10 Projection 6 out of 10 Longevity 6 out of 10 (4-7 hours) but after the first 2-3 hours it gets really close to the skin Presentation 9 out of 10 versatility: 7 out of 10 Overall: like a 8 out of 10 A great fragrance for the classic cologne lovers...very well done!!!!

Esprit du Roi was an impulse buy when I was at the Penhaligon's store looking for a gift. This is the closest I've found to a modern yet "traditional" EDC, but at the same time it isn't overbearing (as Sartorial and Opus 1870 can be, in my opinion). The open is a burst of citrus, blended with mint, raspberry, tomato leaf and geranium. The latter notes sustain into the drydown, after the aldehydes, vetiver and oak moss kick in. There's also a hint of musk in the drydown. The tomato leaf makes this a rather tart and astringent fragrance, but it works very well in my opinion. To me, this definitely isn't a citrus aromatic. The citrus lasts for maybe a minute, before you get the divine florals and oakmoss-musk base. It's more in chypre territory, to be honest, so don't expect too much citrus. While this is a very complex fragrance, it's extremely versatile. I think you could wear this anytime of the day for any season. I personally like wearing it to the office. It's subtle enough that you don't raise too many eyebrows, but at the same time unique. Longevity is good, I get over 6 hours on my skin with moderate sillage.

Very pleased to have this scent in my collection. Penhaligon's have given a new school twist on an old school style scent which works sublimely well. It's a fresh clean and classy scent with a fantastic rich musky drydown. I can imagine this scent working well in any situation, any time of year, day or night. Reminds me of a spicier version of Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa. Longevity is 4-5 hours on my skin. Highly Recommended.... 8/10

Three solid sprays on my arm, night time in spring: wow, what a beauty. One of my best fragrances. I recommend this.

Esprit du Roi is my latest acquisition from Penhaligon’s just off New Bond Street in London this Xmas and it will make a lovely springtime/early summer alternative to Penhaligon’s Douro. EdR opens up with a very smooth and sophisticated burst of citrus greenery - aromatic and clean like a fresh-bloomed April garden with fantastic tomato leaf that dominates but is tempered by soft raspberry and mint notes for a wonderful hour or so, on my skin.... After this, Esprit du Roi - admittedly in cold weather - ages into a very warm and almost peppery cloves skin scent that remains complex and rich for another few hours. I can understand comparisons to Acqua di Parma’s Colonia Intensa but EdR has a far superior and more interesting opening. My girlfriend, who is very difficult to please fragrance-wise, loved the sample application before immediately saying I should get a full bottle.