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

Just gorgeous. Elegant. Like sinking into the crisp sheets of a five star hotel. Lemony and milky and soapy. I can see why they went for bright whites and royal yellows when they designed the bottle. Picks my mood right up. I can understand why people tend to like rather than love this fragrance: it's literally impossible for any of the notes to offend. But I tend to look for comfort and deliciousness in fragrances, rather than challenge and uniqueness, so this is amongst my favourite fragrances. On the CK One comparison, I kind of get it, but CK One is synthetic citrus to me. It hits me a bit brash and sharp. Quercus feels more blended and soft and cuddly, and I think is worth the massive price difference.

Pity the dismissal of this clean subtle and very classy fragrance. The comparisons to CK are useless if one's never smelled CK. It seems though that many reviewers spend their day doused in cleaning products, throwing their nose off. We both wear it in our home. The fresh citrus is delightful, not astringent, with the dry down rounder and to my nose, softly woody with notes of amber and sandalwood. An everywhere and anytime fragrance that is not found everywhere and always welcome. Penhaligon's threw in a mystery gift with the purchase, a full sized Babylon. Wow, what a contrast! Absolutely thrilled. My calculating self thought, hmm, that's half price for each. Two great perfume investments.

When initially sprayed, it seems like Quercus will be another 4711-type of 30-minute freshen-up you need to carry around in your man-purse if you want any practical use out of it at all. However, it has enduring tenacity on skin! What a pleasant surprise, though, remaining true to its cologne character, Quercus is never more than a pleasant reminder to one's proximate companions that a well-groomed gentleman is in their midst. It can be found for low prices (for Penhaligon's) worth the cost if you are looking for a fine bitter lemon supported by floral greenery. There are some days that call for something like this, and this is just the thing for that!

I haven't smelled this for years, so I have no idea how it smells nowadays, but this was a regular in my collection. It is a beautiful fragrance, but the sillage and longevity were shockingly poor (like many Penhaligon's perfumes tend to be). That's the main reason I stopped buying it — poor performance. I get the comparisons to CK One, which I also like, but this is infinitely superior in every way......except maybe for the weak performance.

Oh I love this. It's really well blended but I still can make out the juicy citruses floating over the white floral heart, with a gorgeous oakmoss, sandalwood, galbanum, and amber base. The sillage is decent, and the longevity is moderate, but this is a great all-around scent. I would enjoy this in all seasons, day or night. Someone in the comments said it reminds them of CK One and yikes on a bike that's true, just more substantial.

Penhaligon's Quercus is totally gnarly It's like a wave of freshness and energy that hits you right in the face The citrus notes are totally killer and give the fragrance a super-refreshing vibe n then you get hit with a smooth n chill wave of jasmine n cardamom that totally mellows you out And let's not forget about the base notes. The moss and amber give the fragrance a solid foundation that totally sets it apart from other scents

I get why this is compared to cK1, but I think this is better, more grown up, more refined. I like ck1, and I really like this. I thought it was weak though.But after wearing it,I was wrong.Its not weak its deceptive.It lasts and projects quite a lot better than I first thought.I had stopped smelling it (nose-blind?) after about two hours,but other people had not,and I was surprised I could smell it on my clothes the next day.

It indeed brings back CK One memories. But the quality of the ingredients is incomparable. It's an upgrade both in quality and in age appropriation. You can easily wear this as a gentleman, while CK One is a teeny gym frag. Nice and nostalgic, just the way that I like a fragrance to be. It's a shame that it's so ephemeral.

took me a little bit of time to fall in love with this one, but now I just love it it's very fresh and citrusy and the dry down is absolutely gorgeous earthy and mossy giving the feeling of being outdoors in nature after the winter , when it's still mossy from a lot of rain but fresh , just beautiful

Light, spring like, fresh and citrusy.. It's a little too manly for me, but if I came across a guy wearing it I think it would give me a serious case of the fanny gallops. Smart wool suit, crisp white shirt, five O' clock shadow and chiselled cheekbones. And Quercus. Sigh. Yummy.

This is my all time favorite summer scent. It is different, classy, and clean. The performance is lacking but I find that simply spraying it on is something I look forward to so I reapply multiple times on the days that I west this.

This is a nice summer scent. One of my favorites out of the Penhaligon line. It is too bad that out of all of the toiletries Quercus has to offer, they do not include a shaving cream or balm.

Great summer scent from Penh's. I only compare it to Fleur d'Orange Amere Hermes. Excellent for the sunny days and warm nights of the Mediterannean.

Lemon, citrus, fresh, light and airy. Perfect spring & summer scent. At this price, one could buy a few bottles of CK One though.

This may be aimed at men, but I just love it! A soft and classic fragrance.