Custom by Alfred Dunhill

Apple and bourbon with a hint of incense. Very rich for cold climates, though the longevity is poor; however, I have no complaints given the price.

A warm, sweet, resinous scent with smoky and leather notes; it has a testosterone vibe but feels a bit old school. Performance is good, though it doesn’t project much, but that’s not necessary as it’s for established dates where you expect to be within arm’s length or skin-to-skin (7/10).

The British house Alfred Dunhill has a reputation and doesn’t produce rubbish or clones. Custom Dunhill is an amber, smoky fragrance with an oriental touch; it’s a bit heavy and dark, intended for a niche audience and eminently masculine, nocturnal and winter-appropriate. It is incensed but domesticated, without heavy challenges for the wearer, smelling neither of a burning censer nor of damp wood after eight hours. It is versatile, economical, featuring spiced apple and a constant incense base with a light woody note to last around 4-5 hours. Yes, I know the performance is short, but what can we do, lads? Given the current state of affairs with designers, in my opinion it still punches decently. And for the price, asking for more is almost an abuse. I won’t cite other fragrances with huge hype and 80-90 euro prices for 100ml to avoid offending anyone. All in all, for 4-5 hours, I don’t ask for more from this Custom Dunhill. It seems more suited for gatherings and formal dealings for men over 40 than for splitting the bill in pubs or clubs where you’d want it to last 7-8 hours. It is not the typical cheap clone or uninspired inspiration of the season’s hype fragrance or the ultra-expensive niche scent from Abu Dhabi that many loud-mouths on YouTube and social media boast about. It is dark but without heavy leather like Hell Angel, nor earthy patchouli or vetiver, nor nasty ouds or buttery iris, nor weird niche-y flowers and challenging notes meant to shock. I do not recommend blind buying Custom to avoid disappointment, nor paying more than 50-60 quid for the 100ml bottle, as prices are creeping up on some of us, much like Don Simón.

Very weak performance. The scent isn’t bad, but it’s neither new nor standout. Furthermore, it is very linear and fades quickly to the skin. A sort of watery ‘the one’. I don’t notice that crisp apple in the opening.

Alfred Dunhill Custom is a spiced woody fragrance with a fruity ‘top’ placed just above a nice note of incense, which the box defines as ‘precious incense’. It opens with a ‘dark & fresh’ sensation supported by cedar, which bridges the incense and the English apple, adding a sweet adult halo. It has a huge resemblance to Ambre by Baldessarini, which I like very much; however, I prefer this Custom from Alfred Dunhill, which I managed to get for around 25 dollars. Here is why: in Ambre, as it dries down, the base notes tend to darken too much, obscuring the heart and top notes, thus losing the aromatic twists perceived during the first three hours, perhaps due to the use of very young cedar that literally flattens its companions. By contrast, Custom maintains that apple sweetness with little variation from its opening; in full dry-down it only loses the initial acidity, settling just slightly below its opening aroma. It is a fragrance with few evolutions, but those it has are quite stable; it requires over-application to get the best in terms of aroma, longevity, and projection. Being cheaper than Ambre, this Custom comes out well in workplace environments and even with a certain degree of formality. Its best use is rainy days, autumn, and winter.

I bought it blind based on Fragrantica reviews and because its notes, apart from the apple, are my favourite, but I was let down hugely. I had high expectations and they crashed down like a lead weight. It smells good and I like it, but I can’t find the cedar, pepper, or incense; there is only apple and a little bit of the rest. On my skin it is linear, smelling like spiced roasted apple over a background… is it woody? Is this really cedar? What soft wood, almost imperceptible; I wouldn’t even call it wood. The final dry-down is almost the same, only the apple loses sweetness and shows drier and smokier, with a greyish ash sensation that isn’t unpleasant but not to my taste either. I expected a spiced and woody incense with fruity nuances, and there is nothing of that. It is a very youthful, fruity, and spiced fragrance, that’s it. A simple perfume that smells good without more. Fortunately, I caught the 50ml bottle on offer and it came cheap; otherwise, it would have hurt my wallet for a week. Performance is laughable, around 4 hours, with a trail stuck to the skin almost from the start, except for the first 10 minutes which could be moderate. I see it for warm and temperate climates, for arbitrary use, day or night; its softness and low projection make it versatile. Personally, I would not recommend it, unless it’s for a teenager who just wants to smell good and doesn’t care about the rest; in that case it is good, but for those who know the scene, it is dispensable.

Well, what a disappointment; I expected more from this fragrance; blind buys don’t always hit the mark. The apple note is very prominent and the incense is almost imperceptible. It reminds me of an aftershave. Longevity is 2-3 hours and then it disappears, sticking to the skin. The best thing is its price, but I recommend trying it before spending money.

I like the fragrance, especially the combination of incense, red apple, and pepper. These three notes are easily noticeable: red apple, a hint of incense, and a light pepper touch (smoky and sweet apple). Ideal for autumn and winter, it stands out much more, and its longevity is good at 5 hours; I can still smell it on my skin after arriving home. It has similarities to Hugo Boss Bottled, Baldessarini Ambre, and DKNY Be Delicious For Men. In summary, for the approximate $50 cost, it is a magnificent little perfume to wear if you are a fan of Hugo Boss Bottled; this is in that ballpark but more modern.