Bourbon Amber Cologne Intense

This is a very strange fragrance. It starts out smelling overpoweringly synthetic -- almost like citrus vanilla bathroom cleanser -- and between 10 and 30 minutes later it starts smelling pleasant, like a warm woodsy vanilla. I will warn everyone that if you judge this stuff on the initial blast of spray you are going to hate it. It's not so much a boozy bourbon scent as it is just... a strong ethyl alcohol fixative aroma. Unpleasant. But give it a chance to settle down and you may enjoy it. I'll admit I had the exact opposite experience with Bourbon Amber as I had with TAOS' Vetiver Citron. I absolutely LOVED Vetiver Citron for the first fifteen minutes or so... and then the beautiful sweet zesty citrus (grapefruit?) aroma melted away and I was left with nothing more than a weak, green, herbaceous skin scent. I also tried Sandalwood. It was a scrubber for me -- I hated both the top note and the dry down, but folks who appreciate dry woodsy scents will likely enjoy it. There was no sweetness to it. I tried Oud Suede and I am shocked at how many people on Fragrantica loved it and gave it high praise. While I loved the scent on a paper tester, it smelled horrible on me, both at the top and upon dry down. As a lover of gourmands, Bourbon Amber sits in a weird spot between "dislike" and "love" for me. It has a certain muskiness up front that I hate, and my feeling is that stems from the cypriol note. Frankly it has an animalic "urine" scent that I cannot imagine anyone would enjoy. But if you're patient enough for the heart and the dry down it becomes a rather pleasant vanilla-ish woodsy scent. If you can focus on the lemon note at the top it makes the initial spray slightly more bearable -- otherwise your nose will probably just feel confused and offended. I'll be the first to admit that for $100 the juice's top note should be far more refined. However, if you're like me and really enjoy vanilla and amber, there may be something for you to like with this one. Final note: the glass atomizer is beautiful. It's very thick and heavy. Pretty packaging. The atomizer itself sprays a large blast so be careful!

Ive had this for awhile now but can never think of a way to interestingly describe it. But since fragrantica has finally added it here I feel like at least someone has to give it a little love. Although not the same of course, whenever I smell it that cypriol oil or whatever mix of notes it is instantly reminds me of herod. I think overall I like this smell, but its just never something I totally feel like wearing. If this was a little darker, or a little more yummy it would be amazing and totally up my alley. But its just not quite enough to make me reach for. So it just sorta collects dust and becomes a do I have to run to the store for 15 mins I should put something on just in case kinda vibe and I feel like picking something different. Wouldnt pay full retail for it as it does seem like a lot, but if you can get a deal on it, its not bad imo.

Stinky, not good, had to wash it off.

It’s been a while since I’ve smelled this fragrance, it’s been maturing in my collection since my dad bought it for himself in 2018, it still smells the same as it did in that time. Performance isn’t spectacular or anything, it starts with cypriol and a rind-forward lemon. It dries down to some nice lavender, vanilla, and a somewhat spicy saffron. The base is of course amber, but that’s all I really pick up. Overall 6/10.