Brummel by Antonio Puig

Puig attempts to compete with the leather scents of the past, such as Aramis or Hermes, but with less density and a more cologne-like style. With Rosendo Mateu, it doesn’t come across as cheap, and neither does Brummel; the originals from the 60s to 80s were majestic, not boring. There’s a lack of respect for history, except for Álvarez Gómez and Loewe. Puig could charge €50-100 for that green leather that I’d happily pay for as much as a Chanel or Hermes, but they sell rubbish because they can. The same goes for Quorum, a fine, luminous green fern that is now out of fashion.

It smells like gangster jokes, Cañita Brava, Jesús Gil, and a Renault 4. Fresh, spicy, and green opening; then the spice and woods rise to add depth. Warm, earthy base with tobacco and moss, very classic and masculine. It smells like a father if you’re over 40, and like a grandfather if you’re 20, like a comb in the glovebox, and like unwanted advice. It also smells like simple elegance, when there was no need to spend €180 or have a French name to smell good (although this one is called Brummel). I don’t own it, nor would I use it, nor do I like it; I’m just making an impression of what it evokes in me.

Friend Konvulsion, they’ve recently released the Premium version. It’s not yet on Fragrantica but is easily available at Primor for €13. It’s the same scent but with a higher concentration, so don’t hesitate to grab this instead of buying two bottles of the original.

Speaking of Brummel is a painful task. It hurts to see it in shops and in my wardrobe, and even more to smell it. It was my father’s cologne for his entire life, bought in 1975 when he was 21 and accompanying him until his suicide in 1999 at the age of 45. It was his defining scent. Twenty-five years later, I still keep the last unfinished bottle, which I never opened until today, held back by the cowardice to desecrate a treasure. Instead, I have a 30ml vial that I occasionally reach for to feel him close, though it has little in common with that which once invaded spaces in the 80s and 90s. My father and I never had an easy relationship; two similar personalities prevented a love that both felt but could never offer. That is why bitter memories outweigh the happy ones, which were scarce and have not been diluted by time. Brummel hurts because in it lies my father in both his greatness and his misery. It kills me and gives me life. In Brummel lies everything that could have been but never was.

It reminds millennials of their grandfathers and I love it. Perhaps when I have grandchildren, I will use it. There are great memories behind the bottle, reflected in the bathroom mirror. Essential oil from Spain. Past future. Good past. Sunday paella. The youth of the old.

It brings back memories of wanting to be like my father and ending up putting the bottle on my eye as if it were eye drops because I didn’t know how to open it. I still keep it to travel back in time, although I notice something that doesn’t quite convince me. Perhaps the essence remains the same, but there’s something else that doesn’t fit.

I read the Brummel reviews and agree with everyone: the projection and sillage have nothing to do with the past. I believe it is a perfumer’s cologne. If a niche perfumer were to create a similar one with better projection tomorrow and sell it at a luxury price, it would be a legendary fougère and sell out instantly. I don’t want to criticise anyone, but I think we are often led astray by lack of criteria or commercial interests. I have a niche collection and a trained nose, which is why I defend this cologne. I keep it alongside reasonably priced fougères. Thanks.

I’ve also been told it was more intense in projection and longevity before. I agree it has that old imprint. I can imagine it worn by a man leaning on a railing with his friends Agua Brava, Quorum, Jacq’s, and Stetson, all in trousers and plain shirts, exuding that air of simplicity and neatness of middle-class parents and grandparents. I imagine them looking calmly at the young fragrances walking down the street with stickers, taking selfies, and showing off what they’ve eaten. These ‘gentlemen’ live quietly, liked or not, indifferent to trends, still alive. They evoke memories and sometimes spark interest in the era. I like Brummel, although it’s not for everyone. Fresh woody with a spicy imprint; certainly more intrusive before, today it leaves a decent sillage for an appropriate time. Recommended? At least try it, yes.

This fragrance was my grandfather’s signature from its launch until his death; he didn’t use any other for all those years. I struggle not to associate this aroma with older people, as in my circle only he used it from the day I was born until his last days. It was much more potent; before, it left a lot of sillage on the street. The current versions my husband owns are only noticeable for the first hour and then are just skin scent, much softer. The scent hasn’t changed, but the intensity has dropped noticeably. As it was so mass-produced due to its low price and easy access, it seems to have passed its moment. I don’t find it unpleasant or outdated, although I find that I am incapable of using or imagining the signature perfumes of people around me on others. I only keep it now for nostalgia and to remember a loved one.

It is currently distributed (I’m not sure if manufactured) by ‘De Ruy perfumes’ from Alcalá de Guairas, Seville. A friend who also uses it bought a new flanker (Brummel Sport) which, he tells me, doesn’t smell absolutely anything. I fear the worst…

I believe there are other equally ‘elegant’ perfumes that could replace it. I remember living in my parents’ house and emptying the bottles I found down the toilet so no one in the house would use them again. 😅 For the sake of your loved ones, use a little and never before the age of 60.

After trying an eighties bottle of Genesse, I confirmed that my memory had erased nuances of this true time capsule. It was so popular and lasted so long that the image I had of it had become distorted. Brummel is a witness and instigator of an olfactory collective memory in an era when fragrances reigned. I think overexposure works against it; smelling it so many times for so long means saturation is the most likely consequence. It’s hard for me to wear it, but I like smelling it from time to time. However, it’s not as I remembered it; it’s much better.

All I can say about this fragrance is that it smells like my maternal grandfather, one of the people I loved most in my life, who passed away many years ago. It smells very well, even if it’s old, but classics never go out of style, do they? That’s all.

A cologne I still use, even though it has nothing to do with the Brummel of the nineties. Unfortunately, it hasn’t just been cut down on the essences; it doesn’t smell like the old Brummel at all. Those who lived through the nineties know what I mean. This was a bomb; you’d splash a little on and smell it right down the street, lasting many hours. Now it’s a simple eau de cologne, cut to the bone, with a totally different scent. I still buy it for its low price and because it has a little remnant of what it used to be. Pity that this fragrance is ruined just to adapt it to new times and, as usual, to save a lot of money (Puig), mixing water with a tiny hint of what this fragrance once was.

Good afternoon. Updating after three weeks of using Brummel daily in the mornings and reapplying after lunch before going to work. I’ve had some positive comments and no negative ones, just a couple of notes that the scent was classic, masculine, which leads me to think this cologne is suitable for men of a certain age or also for young people seeking fragrances different from what the market currently imposes. Regarding longevity and how I like to smell what I’m wearing (hence the reapplication), Brummel lasts well for eight hours, which for my workday is a bit short if I don’t reapply. During this time, its aroma is present, especially when I enter a warm place; on those occasions, Brummel peeks out to say ‘here I am’. Overall, I’ve liked it; it offers nothing special to boast about, except a nice, calm, masculine scent without harshness once the first few minutes pass where it can be a bit heavy. A classic, relaxed aroma, with good performance and a discreet trail; it doesn’t need more. By the way, for its price and even if I had to pay for it, a ten out of ten. Pity that prejudices might make us think the cologne our father used is something for old people when this might actually be a value added. Now I’ll move on to another fragrance, but Brummel stays on my daily aroma shelf. Best regards.