D by Alfred Dunhill

Dunhill in the low-cost segment always hits the spot, though they also have mid-range and premium options. Like Lapidus or Bogart, the house sometimes pays homage to vintage nineties scents, such as this D (I already own the beautiful Black Edition fougère). The notes blend well, with several being intense (moss is my favourite), featuring that solid, aromatic masculine floral vibe. Here, there’s no sugary youthfulness or gourmand notes; it’s floral in the style of three decades ago, always leaning towards the macho-man side, though a bold lady could wear it without issues. It’s versatile, suitable for day and night, more autumnal, perfect for elegant informal use, with a price that fits the low-cost bracket here. An Eau de Toilette with no great projection, but it doesn’t fade to skin-level quickly, lasting around 5 or 6 hours with generous applications. It’s not an old-school barber-shop scent for mature men, but ideal for someone who grew up in the nineties. Thanks again to Dunhill (I notice it’s distinct from Tommy Hilfiger to my nose).

A very pleasant surprise. Dunhill usually makes classic scents; it’s rare not to find a fougère or semi-fougère, although in the noughties they went a different, more festive route. Dry, mossy, dusty colognes with that cardboard-like hesperide touch and a lingering taste of a dirty comb or a dry shirt, reminiscent of Eau Sauvage. With D, they became more modern and youthful, perfect for straight out of the shower; it feels young as it was styled back then, but a mature, cheerful man can wear it too, stepping into the aromatic-spiced currents of the mid-nineties. It blends the woody, musky base of CK One or Penhaligon’s Quercus with the spiced window-cleaner flavour of Tommy. It’s not as unisex as Calvin Klein, nor as cloying and mineral-leeky as Tommy; D is the perfect mix of both. A crystal-clear, floral-spiced water very much of its time, when fresh perfumes stopped looking at Kenzo’s marine lavenders or Cool Water. This, like Hugo and Tommy, felt youthful, sharing that slightly dizzying aromatic-spiced cleanliness, like a fridge loaded with leeks and sulphurous apples, or a cascade of fresh, calcareous water. Old styles today, but fresh and novel back then. Nothing more than the scent of a bloke in sport jeans, a white t-shirt, Nike trainers and Ray-Bans. Imagining D is easy: a beautiful bottle in a classic matte tone. Tommy Hilfiger but more cluttered, floral and musky. There’s an addictive moment with a creamy, herbaceous clash of cedar, mandarin and cypress; the dry-down is very musky but maintains that cold, spiced tone, even seeming like a unisex water at times. The only downside is that it feels synthetic, but that’s redundant because all the EDTs of that nineties current were synthetic.

Waiting for it to arrive, will let you know soon…