I keep smelling Amouage‘s Epic Man everywhere! Perhaps the substances responsible for its distinctive, ghosts-of-antiquity woodiness are becoming more readily available to perfumers. Or maybe other brands just want to have their own version of Christopher Chong‘s secret chest of treasures. Whatever the reason, shades of Epic‘s identity can be found in Cuir 28 (Le Labo’s new Antaeus-on-a-flying-carpet, exclusive to Dubai) and the subject of this review: Bottega Veneta‘s first scent aimed at men. It starts off a touch too sharp (for a moment, you wonder if it’s going to drag you down into the corner of 80s hell inhabited by Drakkar Noir) but then it warms up into a spicy, peppered incense, bolstered by skin-caressing musks. The tannery is kept a safe distance away – the volume knob remains one notch above ‘discreet’ at all times – and the feminine BV is alluded to with a violet facet, made more conventionally masculine with the inclusion of pine-inflected notes. It isn’t ground-breaking, but as far as mainstream releases for men go, it is highly commendable stuff. Don’t walk past it without indulging in a quick spritz.
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