Clubman Special Reserve

I got this for Christmas as a blind buy, so I really didn't know what to expect. When I tried it - BANG! - memories of my childhood came flooding back. This is a very vintagey fragrance. I have smelled this before, and I think I can recall when. It was just before Christmas 1966, when my mother and I visited the apartment of a couple of her friends who sold newspapers on the corner of Hollywood and Western in Hollywood - Marcella and Johnnie. Mom was a waitress at a place called "Toppy's" on that corner and met lots of people, including stars who were filming at Desilu not far away. Marcella and Johnnie were of very limited means, and we enjoyed a dinner with them. They presented me with a little collection of scents for men in small bottles. I recall one was lime, another was spice and another was just like this - a leather. At the time I thought it an odd gift, but I have remembered Marcella and Johnnie fondly. This is a wonderful leathery/pine masculine fragrance with a touch of smoke - don't be fooled by the inexpensive price. It's only a safe blind buy if you like traditionally strongly masculine scents like Antaeus, Quorum, Z-14, Polo Green, Santos and Tsar. If you like those you'll probably also like this. Pinaud Special Reserve is what World War II veterans often smelled like when I was a boy, and that's plenty endorsement for me. Great stuff!

Special Reserve is a real leathery classic that you will either love or hate.I had to give Clubman Special Reserve about 5 times to really appreciate this fragrance. At first, I really did not care for it but again after 5 tries I started to really enjoy it. The scent is very leathery with hints of fresh cigar tobacco and old money (in a good way). This kinda reminds me of the popular colognes of the 1970s that are very very masculine with a powerful presence. The scent actually last over 8 hours and is great to use for an after shave. As I stated earlier you will either love this or hate this. Expect the same reaction from the people around you as well. For an example, without asking my fiance what she thought about this fragrance she immediately told me she really liked how I smelled one morning as I was heading to work. However, my sister on the other hand told me that I smelled like a old man and could not be around me while I was visiting her. Would I buy this again? Yes, this aftershave is perfect for the fall season. Nothing better than slapping this on and taking the hog for a ride on a nice fall day. But I would not wear this during the summer season. The Gents Score 9/10 (A Gentlemen's Classic) Clubman Rankings so far: 1: Original 2: Bay Rum 3. Special Reserve 4. Vanilla 5. Musk (Still great)

It comes in a plastic bottle, so you'd think it was cheap rubbish. And you'd be so far beyond "wrong" that the light from wrong won't reach you for years. THIS IS GREAT STUFF! Powerful vaguely animalic leather with a touch of citrus, some warm resins and enough herbal astringent and floral qualities to make it barbershop in the best way. I don't go in for gendering fragrances much, but if any scent is masculine, this is it. The leather is warm, but rough and a touch smokey. Like a work glove that has been held too close to a fire. This stuff smells like it cost 5-10 times what you'll actually pay for it. Longevity is around 7-8 hours with moderate projection for the first half of that time. This scent is for grown men, kids need not apply. If you're feeling metrosexual, reach for something else. But if you want to smell old school leather with just a hint of danger to counter its moment of florals, you can't do better than Clubman Special Reserve by Pinaud. Top tip: this fragrance will actually mellow and improve over time if you move it from the plastic it comes in to a glass bottle. That's how I store mine. If you are a man and have any affection for old school barbershop scents, go ahead and blind buy this fragrance. I think you'll be glad you did.

An old 2-story bank building with huge windows and marble floors. An airport concourse c.1977. The bar near the $50 window at the horse track. A dark old steakhouse full of smoke and brown leather. Ashtrays everywhere. Great big tubs of sand full of Mores, Kents, Salems, Carltons, lipstick-stained Benson & Hedges. Special Reserve does one thing and one thing only, but it does it so well. It doesn't develop, it doesn't evolve, it's as linear as a tramway. Hands down the manliest frag in my entire collection. Strong, too. A little goes a long way. I wear this when I'm being an old-school degenerate. This is my smoking, drinking, gambling scent. The scent of shouting for the #4 horse through teeth clenching a cigar. The scent of re-raising in position with any two cards and staring the opener in the eye like "well?". Downtown Reno in a bottle. If someone under 30 wore this it would give them tufts of hair in their ears, bags under their eyes and change their Subaru BRZ into a '79 Plymouth Volare. Like all Pinauds, SR REALLY needs to be decanted into glass from the cheesy plastic bottle. Makes all the difference in the world.

Leather, leather and leather. I didn't expect to enjoy it so much, I was thinking it would be another overhyped cheapie, but I really like it. It does give a 70s chain smoking alcoholic vibe, and I don't condone it, but there would be misogynism involved. Smells like the era of drinking beers on the work site and smoking in the car with your kids. I can't compare it to any of the vintage perfumes I have, they're all more oakmossy, and even Fahrenheits leather is really light compared to this. The closest perfume for me is ELDOs Rien, another leather powerhouse, though this is spicy, and Rien feels fresher. For $30 I was not expecting this kind of quality. The bottle is cheap, sure, but I can't complain at this price point. I have decanted some into a small spray, not sure if it's made a difference to the scent.