Quercus

Quercus is Latin for oak, and brings to mind strong woody aromas, greens, leaves and an earthy rooted feel; masculine, yet beautiful and warm...strong enough to stand firm, but supple enough to sway with the Wind,Penhaligon hit the nail on the head with this one! Quercus begins with an utterly beautiful citrus melange that really shines. Not too much of any one particular citrus, but the best of all of them. The mint adds a fresh aromatic greeness to it without the menthol aftertaste or biting pungency. As it dries and begins to develop on the skin, it reveals a muguet and jasmine combo that is clean and not too floral, but still sexy and verdant. Cardamom adds its subtle aqueous spice to this and keeps it from getting too feminine, but guys have a softer side too,(they just don't show it as much!). The basenotes develop on me, but they are very understated: the galbanum whspers, as opposed to it's normally loud scent, and the woods are delicate but firm. The oakmoss is breezy and adds that chypre-ness to the overall feel and the amber-musk adds depth without too much 'stink' (I mean that in the classic and not derogatory meaning!)An extremely elegant scent that is very clean and light, with just enough prescence to linger, but not overpower. Nice enough to be unisex, but probably would do better on a man. Sillage: decent Longevity: good Overall: 4.25/5 I can see why many compare this to cK 1, but I find this scent to be far more elegant and refined than cK1 and would wear it more for special occasions as opposed to an everyday scent. cK1 is great, don't get me wrong; it's just that Penhaligon scents are (besides much more expensive) more natural smelling and quite a bit better constructed on the whole. I am very pleased with my first samplings from this house and see a bleak bank balance in my future...

At the outset, I love this. I've read many reviews here that call this simple, maybe a bit generic, not unique. But honestly, the combination of citrus and florals is equivalent to the four chord in pop music - yes, it's probably been overdone at this point but that doesn't mean you can't write a great song with it. Quercus, to me, is the definition of an after shower cologne. The image I get is that when a new-age irresistible antihero (from any number of tv shows in the past decade) comes out the shower - you know the type, chiseled jaw, slight stubble, waxed chest and then also extremely rich with a suave mansion on a cliff overlooking the ocean, all brutal straight lines... That dude. When he walks out of the shower wrapped in a towel, he probably sprays this on before doing questionable things to the inevitable woman in that house. It might be simple but it's confident in its abilities, knows its place in the world and steps forward to confidently take it. I've written a bunch and I've realized that I actually haven't described the way it smells. But that's alright - others have done that. My job isn't to tell you this a four chord pop song. My job is to tell you that it's a great song. 9/10 Edit: That I've made recent references to a perfume released in 1996 should tell you how timeless it smells. Just and FYI :)

Penhaligon's says it's unisex. When I stayed at the Fairmont, all of their little toiletries were Quercus. It's fresh & clean with a soft woodsy base. The citrus is not overwhelming in any way (I can be sensitive to citrus). It was hard to find in the US, but I was very excited when I stumbled upon a boutique that sold Penhaligon's. I bought a large bottle, which was the most I'd ever spent on perfume in my life up until that point. So imagine how annoyed I was when my friend commented that I smelled like CK1. To be honest, CK1 never even crossed my mind, and I'm very familiar with it. Still, I have not been able to wear it since then. My dad loves it. He says it's "very pretty." He is not a fan of those typical masculine colognes. I'm happy to let him borrow it, and I don't think of CK1 when he wears it.

A beautiful fresh chypre that smells like summer. It is overpriced given that there are designer fragrances from this era (like CK One) that do not smell exactly the same but are similar enough for a much smaller price point. But that does not take away from how pretty and fresh this smells, with citrus fruits and white flowers and with oakmoss and green galbanum underneath. You'll smell great and feel fresh. UPDATE 8/10/22: I was wearing this today in a coffee shop, and the barista said, "You smell amazing! It's like a woody, earthy smell with just a bit of lemon." (I was in the drydown stage.) The more I wear this the more I love it--it's much more complex than I had initially thought above, and is worth the money, especially since CK One has almost no oakmoss anymore in its most recent formulations.

Call me basic but I am in love with this fragrance! From the first initial whiff to the dry down, all I can say is OUTSTANDING! This smells nothing like CK One. I personally think that CK One is more citrus and Quercus is more of a floral and woody scent. I get a strong hint of the jasmine, oakmoss and amber notes! I would say this is the perfect all year round perfume and is very much a unisex scent. Not too overpowering or offensive but very subtle with outstanding sillage and longevity. If the whole Penhaligon’s collection were people and I were to judge or comment on their personalities, I would say Quercus is the down to earth, modest and humble member of the family! This is definitely one of my favourite. It is however, a little on the pricey side. My overall rating: 8.5/10