The Dandy

Ooh la la! The Dandy! What a bobby dazzler of a scent! I normally HATE woody perfumes, but this is so cleverly done, that I hardly notice the wood notes at all. I find extreme wood notes to be headache-inducing after a while, so to know that wood is in this perfume, without really being able to detect it, makes me very happy indeed. It is used here as a way to hold down the more flighty tones of raspberry and citrus, that shine brightly on the top. It smells like the olfactory equivalent of a trumpet blast, in a speakeasy that is teeming with illegal whiskey, cigar smoke, colorful characters, and a massive dose of razzamatazz, jazz hands, and well-worn trilby hats. It really wets my winkie and paints an excellent picture in my brain box. Now, the sillage is a bit more personal than I would expect for a Penhaligons scent, but the longevity doesn't disappoint. It really goes the distance, but it is definitely more of a scent to wear when you only want to please yourself, rather than the world you insert yourself into. My main issue with this perfume is the price. It is quite expensive for a scent that doesn't scream the house down. But, that sort of adds to it's attractiveness, as it is not very accessible to the dullard masses. I must say that the bottle is also beautiful. The art-deco graphics really sell the story, and the tell-tale Penhaligons bow tie has never been more appropriate. Raspberry is used so well in this scent profile; it's bold inclusion gives a fizzy, metallic-esque edge to the top notes, especially when it combines with the subtle citrus tones. The raspberry adds a big dollop of fun into the proceedings, but it doesn't outstay it's welcome; settling down well for the base and heart notes to rev up to 5th gear. I love this perfume for days when I want to smell good without anyone else knowing I do. It is a naughty party in a bottle. 8/10. The sillage could be a bit better, and the price a bit fairer, but other than that it is perfect. EDIT (12/03/25) Oh fuck off Penhaligons! What the fuck have you done to this thing of beauty?! You have changed it's name to "The London Dandy" and given it a boring as fuck, posh, racist-countryside-bastard green tweed suit color scheme. Shame on you! It's previous art deco style was absolutely fannytastic, and totally painted a picture in my brain box when I smelt the scent and looked at the bottle. But, in a probable attempt to get more fucking numpties buying it, you've dumbed it down into a design that the dullard masses can understand better. What the fuck does this scent have to do with London?! What the fuck does it have to do with green tweed suits?! NOTHING - that's what! Don't fix what isn't broken! When I saw this abomination in the Penhaligons shop, I was so angry that I nearly did a swear in public. It's score has hereby been reduced to 6/10. The pure excellence of the scent, which is unchanged, saves it from going to 5. Thankfully, I have a bottle of the original design.

This is a nice scent profile, with better performance than many people give it credit for. It opens with the soft woods and whiskey, sweetened by the citrus and raspberry. But the patchouli is quite prominent. When I first sprayed it on test blotter, the patchouli was so strong I thought it might rival my Houbigant Patchouli Sauvage, which is patchouli on steroids. But on skin, The Dandy's patchouli was tamed, though still prominent. The prominent woodiness is soft, almost like sandalwood. To honor its name, I might have favored reducing the patchouli a tad, and maybe adding a bit of iris or heliotrope powderiness to augment a somewhat nice sawdust-y woody facet already there. I read that Oscar Wilde was fond of heliotrope, so there's a dandy model right there. So the added powderiness might impart a more dandy vibe. But it's all quite well balanced, rather soft, and pleasant. Although fairly close to the skin, I am getting occasional natural soft wafts of scent to my nose. And that's satisfactory performance in my book. I have another fragrance called Le Dandy Pour Homme by D'Orsey, released in 1999. It also has a whiskey note, along with rum, pineapple, and plum. More gourmand-y in profile, but I think the two Dandy's might layer very well. UPDATE 1: I tried the combo wear with Le Dandy by D'Orsey, and it worked well. Just hold back on the sprays of the D'Orsey. UPDATE 2: I tried another combo wear for The Dandy with Penhaligon's Much Ado About the Duke, and it was great! The two scent profiles combine beautifully and naturally in the air. Perfect boozy, powdery woods combo. I'll call this my Penhaligon's "Dandy Duke" combo.

Penhaligon's is one of the oldest perfume houses in the world, serving the British aristocracy. I am honored to own The Dandy as my first perfume. For me, the scent of this perfume is 8/10, outstanding enough and has something very unique, expressing the true spirit of Penhaligon's. The first time I tried it, the oak smell was so prominent that I couldn't detect the other ingredients and honestly, I didn't see the uniqueness of it. Come back the next day and try it right before my nose gets distracted by other scents, I can already feel the difference. Oak is still the focus of the opening, but this is not a raw wood smell but the smell of oak barrels that are aging aromatic whiskeys. Another prominent ingredient that I missed the other day is raspberry. The raspberry in The Dandy is skillfully combined to make the scent more unique and "juicy".Combined with other ingredients and in secret proportions, it creates a harmonious whole. Besides, there is one thing that convinced me to choose this perfume, which is the "aristocratic feeling" that I think always appears in every Penhaligon's perfume. This is a very good perfume, suitable for parties where you want to be a unique color. Let's try!

I don't get the negativity with this at all. This should be over a 4.00 rating on here, I know 3.82 (at time of writing) isn't exactly low, but this stuff is great considering the price per ml compared to other Penhaligon's fragrances. Opens very boozy, woody and a little earthy. Dries down with the same nuances but the woody earthiness takes the foreground with the booziness poking its head through, but you can definitely still pick it up easily. It's classy and masculine, the name is very fitting! On me, the projection and longevity are moderate. By that, I mean it lasts well enough and projects well enough, it's not an in your face fragrance by any means, but it is certain not poor in either of those two fields. It's well put together, very nice quality, and worth picking up for sure. If you do get it, I cross my fingers for you that you don't have the poor longevity and sillage that some people apparently get, if you believe those reviews. The comparisons with Straight To Heaven are justified, by the way.

A distinction needs to be made between A. smelling of a high class gentleman entering a classy bar for drinks, and B. smelling like the actual bar; polished wood furniture, clinking drinks, barrels and all. I believe The Dandy veers off to the latter. The bergamot (or Citron?) adds a nice "twist" to this composition by boosting that effervescing sparkle many oak-dominant fragrances lack. Not too tart, but enough to lift the slightly moldy woodiness of the barrel-aged-whiskey that is supported with the equally oldly (but quite clean) patchouli. It's nothing to right home about, but nicely done. An easy grab for those wanting to venture into the world of boozy, liquor inspired perfumes. Doesn't project heaps, but lasts a good 6 hours on skin and fabric. An easy over-spray inducer for the autumn and a good formal occasion piece to add to my Penhaligon's collection.

The dandy is a very simplistic scent done to a very high standard. It start of fresh and sweet from the raspberry, to my nose the raspberry note is very prominent, and I really enjoy the sweetness of it, the fresh and sweet is then beautifully mix with a very boozy single malt whisky smoke and encased within a wood barrel, the woodiness and the patchouli creates a kind of earthy scent alongside with the whisky. For me the dry down still have a little bit of sweetness but it is more earthy and woody. Overall I very mature scent, fitting for formal occasion, definitely can be worn daily in all season except for when it really hot outside, I left a tester strip in my room and can smell the scent by the door, good projection cant really say much about longevity as I havent try it on skin yet. 10/10 for me

I recently purchased a bottle of "The Dandy" even though I saw quite a few reviews indicating that the scent does not last or is fleeting. I am happy to report that I have experienced the opposite at work yesterday. I wore The Dandy thinking it would be light and only detectible in very close quarters, but almost everyone mentioned that they could smell the fragrance before they even saw me, it pushed into the office ahead of me. This was one hour after application at approx 8:30am in the morning. At 5pm, carpooling home with a colleague, I asked if she could smell my fragrance and she said yes. I'm happy with my purchase, I love the smell, I think it is good value for the money. I am coming from being loyal to Creed only. Thank you Penhaligon's!

I have a bottle of The Dandy and one of The Cut from Penhaligon’s. Personally, absolutely in love with their scents. I am a guy who normally wears hoodies and jeans, but this perfume makes me want to dress like a gentleman from movies, but not in an extremely formal way. If there was a scent “Smart casual”, this would be it, totally. Perfect for a business dinner, theatre, stuff like this. However, and I will write this in “The Cut” review as well, I am extremely disappointed with how long it lasts, since it’s a really expensive perfume. If there was an intense version for this one, I’d be the first one to buy it. It can last more on clothes, but again, I find that pointless, since it’s an addictive smell for me.

The Dandy smells amazing but dissipates in 10 seconds. I was in the UK and excited to go to my first Penhaligon’s boutique. I went to try and buy The Dandy. I tested it and got almost nothing from it. I thought that it was because my nose was overwhelmed by the shop. They didn’t have samples so the associate put it on a hanky. Happened upon a second boutique on a day trip. The associate convinced me to buy, but gave me a sample just to be sure. I used the sample for two days. The Dandy has no oomph even when first applying and has zero staying power. I’m really shocked Penhaligons put this on the market. Thankfully I was able to exchange the unopened bottle.

I’ve loved wearing this sample today. I feel it is a more refined, less cloying Jazz Clue style boozy scent. (I adore Jazz Club!) I would be happy to spray this during the heat whereas I would keep away from JC!! Yes this chills down to more of a subtle scent. But I keep getting whiffs of it even 8 hours later. I can imagine on clothes this would linger. I would be happy to wear this on a special night out or even just as a coffee shop date. I think this is the best of the past few Penhaligon’s releases. (Although I liked them esp Solstice) this has something more unique more interesting to it. I will be getting a bottle of this when my sample runs out.

I feel this is the best fragrance from the brand. The woods creates a symphony that blends perfectly with a wiskey bozzy note, the whole composition plays the part of The dandy, a charismatic eccentric person, with its characters inspires people and with its unconventional ideas shakes the world. This fragrance is a true gem, if you like to play the part of the eccentric the ecclectic of the group this is defentely your fragrance, woody, boozy, original, unconventional. Perfect to play the part of The Dandy or to seduce a woman. 9/10

Ooo this is good. Up on the spray on the tester strip it opens up to me exactly like santal basmati even though none of the notes are similar. Being intrigued, I sprayed on skin and this is so nice. It’s fruity yet woody and even though it’s in the same vein as the normal scent profiles I lean towards, it somehow is still super different. It’s slightly tangy from the raspberry but still has a soft woody powderiness. I thought I was done buying perfume this year but I may pick this up if i hit a certain milestone at work.

Really nice boozy scent. It’s literally Straight to Heaven with Halfeti Cedar and a fruity raspberry. The performance unfortunately isn’t great. The scent itself is lovely, I’m really loving how it smells, but it’s too light and doesn’t project off the skin much. I think they missed a trick here by not adding enough weight to the scent. I purchased a day ago and I’ve already made a dent in it from overspraying.

This is a really nice scent and good performer if you ask me. I think the name is actually fitting, as it’s woody, and slightly sweet with a hint of fruitiness. Refined yet casual, it can make an excellent signature scent imo. If I smelled this on someone who seemed stylish and well groomed, I would think yeah it makes sense. Though I wouldn’t really associate dandy with a young man particularly.

I love how complex this fragrance is. I was expecting a very woody dark fragrance but it opened with a very light and sweet oaky type of smell. It then changed really quickly and kept the sweetness but I could smell the woodyness more. Overall love the fragrance, don’t expect anything dark or boozy mostly sweet and woody. Smell: 8/10 Silage: 6.5/10 Longevity: 7.5/10

It’s earthy, sour, citrusy and veeeery boozy! Love it :) All this notes are quite balanced and rounded with a touch of powdery notes and soft (slightly oily) woods. For me it aaaaalmost smells a bit feminine because raspberries here reminds me of some lipstick scent. But it definitely can be very sexy (for all genders)).

Very nice winter fragrance not to heavy but its for winter for sure , I get boozy wood with citrus & coconut notes, maybe with hint of patchouli & vanilla not sure ... the citrus notes will fade away after quite some time ..the performance overall is fantastic... it’s rich , deep and quite unique... well done 👍🏼

Stunning fragrance, smells to my nose like Jack Daniel’s with raspberry in the opening, then when it dries down it smells like a lighter version of Halfeti. Penhaligon’s are becoming my favourite niche house, not the best sillage or longevity with some of their perfumes but the craftsmanship is second to none

This is my favourite Penhaligon release since Constantinople (RIP!!). Such a beautiful, cosy, woodsy fragrance, but also weirdly works in summer? I get slight hints of coconut which aren't listed anywhere. Absolutely divine. I bought this for my husband but I keep stealing it hehe.

this was good!!!! i enjoyed the whiskey, patchouli and woody notes to this!! its yummy and inteesting! i get a bit of incense vibe from this as well! it also kinda feels when i am at a shrine in a woody green area, incense lit, after the rain!

This fragrance is a boozy and classy wonderland. It truly is magical, the only downside to this fragrance is its high price like other penhaligons fragrances. I would highly suggest getting Babylon or halfetti edp over this.

Fresh Cedar is the word. With the citric top and the cedar heart and oak base. This is the perfect spring/Autumn fragrance. Not sure why ppl rate this as a winterish fragrance.

Woody and tangy. Kind of like a mix of Straight to Heaven and Halfeti. Doesn't project much, but lasts all day. Smells high quality / nichesque.

My favourite of all Penhaligon's. I would have loved if it was a bit more linear, but didn't stop me from getting the second bottle.

Really good scent! Warm uniquely sweet boozy patchouli. I will buy this one and it’s great value too. Get in.

Gatsby drew me in and the party didn’t disappoint. This fragrance brings me closer to the green light.

The best smelling perfume ive seen. Unexplainably good. Lacks performance which is why i dont own it.

A beauty... for me it smells like a gentleman... alltime, all seasons choice and very easy to wear.

I love this on my husband. Wife approved. Great masculine scent

good replacement for the discontinued tom ford for men extreme

A New light version of Kilian Straight To Haven

It is every time and every where fragrance

that one is just amazing! 10/10

Does the whiskey accord really well. Would be a pickup for a good price. As soon as you spray, I get this very nice 'whiskey with ice' smell. I don't get the citron and raspberry much at the start as much as I'd like. I was under the impression that it would be the smack of citrus followed by the whiskey, but I mostly get whiskey. However, this doesn't smell like angel's share and smells like a photo-realistic whiskey smell. I do actually get a halfeti backbone to it, that patchouli-esque smell with something else. If you sprayed halfeti on one hand and this on another you would see what I'm talking about. This really is quite linear, but if you're looking to smell like refined whiskey, this is one to pick up. I believe this is part of the 'British Tales' line. Others in this line are the typical scents such as Sartorial. However, the latest limited edition fragrances such as Sports Car Club and Brilliantly British, this stands head on shoulders above those. Projection and longevity isn't amazing, but it's acceptable. Penhaligons have never been particularly amazing at that department though. 4/5 for me. It's probably one of penhaligons better scents in recent times, but a shame they missed out on the fruit/citrus notes.

Ohhh this is gorgeous! Just received a sample of this and it immediately made it onto my wishlist. It's a casually elegant fragrance. I'll admit that Penhaligon's recent solo launches have been a bit of a miss for me but this one is finally a winner. Its a woody/patchouli dry down and the opening is very liquor and citrus forward with a bit of a spicy/cinnamon feel (think winter spices). The opening doesn't last very long. The patchouli in this is similar to that of Tempo from Diptyque. I think this is unisex leaning traditionally masculine but unisex nonetheless. This is not a super loud fragrance, which I personally appreciate. So that's something to keep in mind if performance is your #1 priority. By no means is it a skin scent though. I think I finally found *my* perfect woody/patchouli perfume! 🙌 But... I will keep testing it just to be sure 😄 Edit: the longer it sits on my skin, the more I'm loving it. At times I'm getting Tempo from Diptyque and at times I'm getting a soft Santal Blush (maybe even EL Sensuous). Definitely loving this!

This is quite a nice masculine. It has facets that remind me of Halfeti even though it isn't similar. There's something a little buttery and salty in the opening, like shortbread served with whisky (Coal Ila, for sure.) The citrus/raspberry notes aren't that apparent to me as there's an abundance of woods drowning those out. The woods have a slightly rubbery/smokey quality but this registers quite low in the main body of the scent and subtly compliments the composition. The Dandy lasts a decent amount of time on the skin and has moderate silage which I think suits the composition well; if it were too strong it would risk being brash and overbearing, like a Tom Ford, and that just isn't the way of The Dandy.

This is very pleasant! Warm, slightly sweet, and utterly cosy. The whiskey comes through nicely but isn’t dominant, blending nicely with the woody notes throughout. It gives off the vibe of aged whiskey barrels. On the whole, this is wonderfully different to a lot of Penhaligon’s other fragrances. No florals here - this is an autumn scent. It leans masculine but is definitely unisex. As far as boozy scents go, I still prefer Baraonda, but this holds its own and I can see myself wearing my sample occasionally.

For me, I think this would be a good fragrance for autumn. I normally stick with florals and fruity scents and stay away from heavily wood based perfumes but there is something about The Dandy which makes it stand out for me. I enjoy the mix of whisky and patchouli which breaks up the woody notes. I just wish the raspberry and the perfume as a whole lasted longer.

Right away it reminds me of MFK Grand Soir... but the dry down is where it departs. It becomes very dry and woody with a hint of the booze element lingering. A Halfeti like spice is lingering somewhere deep in the core. Nice for cold weather, but I will stick with the Halfeti lineup from the House.

This to me smells exactly the same as Penhaligons ruthless countess dorothea, same spicy woodsy dna! It’s nice and it’s unique.... but I don’t know if I’d want to wear it a lot! It’s a good evening winter scent but definitely no everyone’s cup of tea.

very nice scnt, quickly turns into a skin scent, so if that is what you are looking for, this it top notch

If Bentley for Men Intense & Ébène Fumé had an unholy bastard child, this would be it.

This is a very nice scent and good performer. It's the dandy boy

Smells like a high end oriental fragrance but nothin much to it

The most whiskey smelling scent I have smelt. 8/10. Pleasant

With The Dandy, Penhaligon’s continues its drive to introduce a greater range of modern style fragrances, which play to a younger crowd looking for something rather more sweet than traditional male leaning perfumes. To my nose, The Dandy opens with a mild single-malt whisky note that is closer to the smell of the cask than it is to the whisky itself. I get notes of oak and cedarwood mainly, with a touch of sweet, ripe raspberry in the background. After the first few minutes on my skin, I find that the whisky cask note starts to recede and as it does so the fragrance gives off a slight furniture polish vibe. It’s not unpleasant but it is not what I was expecting or hoping for either. Happily for me, this stage only lasts a short time and once it burns off the oak and cedarwood notes truly dominate for hours to come. I do detect patchouli in there too, but it is a bit player to my nose. Although I found that The Dandy did last for 8+ hours on my skin, the smell of the fragrance came across to me as quite washed out, powdery and floral soapy in the last few hours of its life. There were moments while wearing this fragrance where I really liked it, but then something changed about it and it became, for want of a better word, “mediocre”. Tested: 1ml decant. Seasons / Occasions: Winter and autumn mainly. More for formal occasions. Key thoughts: Opens with a whisky cask note, becomes woody, with furniture polish vibe. Overall rating: 5/10. Buy full bottle: No.

Mm-mm-mm. He is no dandy. No velvet smoking jacket, no champagne flute, no sly gin-soaked wink from under curled lashes. This was a blind reach, and how tragic! Instead of rakish charm or fruity intoxication (where is the cassis? the rum? the juicy spill of indulgence?) mentioned in the notes, I’m greeted by... a thud. A dense slab of vanillin-drenched woods, powder-choked patchouli, and this unrelenting dry heat that clings like synthetic velvet in summer. No movement. No flirt. No fun. The vanilla isn’t that silky coumarin caress nor a radiant heliotropin hum. It is, and with a capital letter H, Heavy. Laced with labdanum’s syrupy resin and choked under the creaking weight of overworked sugary patchouli, this accord reads like an old theatre curtain—dusty, moth-bitten, and swaying with stale air. Not vintage, not charming. Just thick. Thick. Too thick. Suffocating. Reviews below say masculine. Masculine? No—this doesn’t strut or swagger. This leans neither dandy nor dame. It sits. Sulking. Flat. It’s not that I mind soft masculinity (or powder for that matter!), but this leans into something shapeless—no definition, no silhouette. It’s a blur of overly persistent base notes that try to act like personality. Where them satin cravats and sandalwood breath be? Bring out gin-laced cherries, a hint of sin, anything! A blind date (or grab) gone wrong.

EN. Unfortunately, Penhaligon’s “The Dandy” doesn’t live up to the expectations set by its price tag or niche branding. While some users find its woody notes layered and complex, I struggle to identify the nuanced, luxurious elements others describe. The dominant woody undertone, though not unpleasant, lacks the sophistication or depth one would anticipate from a fragrance costing €240. It simply doesn’t convey the exclusivity or refined character that I expect from a niche perfume. IT. Purtroppo, “The Dandy” di Penhaligon’s non è all’altezza delle aspettative dettate dal suo prezzo o dalla sua fama di profumo di nicchia. Mentre alcuni utenti percepiscono note legnose complesse e sfumate, fatico a identificare gli elementi lussuosi e sofisticati descritti da altri. La nota legnosa dominante, seppur non sgradevole, manca della raffinatezza o profondità che ci si aspetterebbe da un profumo dal costo di €240. Semplicemente, non trasmette l’esclusività o il carattere raffinato che mi aspetto da un profumo di nicchia.

Upon first trying this fragrance in Penhaligins Liverpool, my first thought was MM Jazz Club. There's more than a passing resemblance; with the art deco packaging and the themeing of the fragrance including the lines "toes start tap tapping" "endless nights" "another whisky from the barrel" they may as well have just written "inspired by Jazz Club" It's a nice fragrance, raspberry the on-trend note of the moment, it doesn't lean particularly masculine or femine to me. I also sampled Dior Savage Eau forte and Pen's terrible Teddy and this is the one I plumped for on price vs performance. It is still detectable (tho not projecting) some 18 hours later. It's nice but not special and it isn't very original.

Well what to say about The Dandy, what a let down! Went into Penhaligons in Glasgow & the kind assistant applied 2 sprays to my wrist, so it's an immediate "Oh I like this....." not picking up any raspberry though but 5 mins later I'm struggling to pick up anything, it's gone! This very very quickly became a skin scent & very much reminds me Bacio Immortale by Argos although in that case it's cheaper & IMO & much better scent. This is very much a very watered down Ombre Leather & if this is a scent profile that you love buy either Bacio or Ombre, you'll be much happier in the long run.