Brut
Brut Parfums Prestige (1964)

For the few who don't know, Brut is one of the quintessential 1960s American-style barbershop fougeres. It was my late grandfather's signature scent for over 50 years. This is what old men wore during my childhood and youth, so to me it's the ultimate stereotype of a gentlemanly scent. Nowadays it is often snobbed, but is really that bad?

The citrus in the opening dies out quickly and you're left with the mother of all anisic lavender talcum powdery bombs. There's a fair amount of vanilla and creamy sandalwood, but they're overpowered by the talc. I don't get much of a shaving cream vibe from this one.

Those who used Brut in the 70s and 80s say a couple of sprays could fill a room. Well, maybe that's why it became the object of ridicule. My opinion is that the "weak" current formulation projects well enough as is. With regards to longevity, it becomes a skin scent within 2-3 of hours, and after a total of 5 hours it's gone. I can't really expect more for the mere €9 I spent at the drugstore.

Masculinity Level: Roger Moore wore Brut extensively in real life, which I think is fitting. I was never a big fan of his Bond, so here's a photo of him in The Wild Geese, a guilty pleasure of a movie if ever there was one.

I scored a mini bottle in an antique shop, so I suspect it is somewhat vintage. Very green, powdery and fairly sweet. Still, it is distinctive, with a pleasant soapy and aromatic quality. I get the herbal notes and definitely geranium rose. Bit of vanilla or coumarin. Creamy sandalwood in the dry-down. This was a mass market fougere in the day.

Fragrance In Three Words: Masculine Green Woods

Brut was one of the first fragrances I owned. I was given one with the silver paper label, along with what I think was Yardley Gold deodorant. I thought it was very strong. The version I bought last year and finished is a lot weaker.

Starts with a nice lavender and slight citrus. The prominent note is oakmoss, I suspect newer versions use treemoss and dry vetiver. It's mainly green notes. There are a lot of floral notes, but they get lost in the miasma.

Brut is a golden balled classic, I've recently been trying Old Spice again and I like that more. Sadly it has become watered down, but it still retains its core DNA.

Rating: old version 8 out of 10
Newer version 7 out of 10

From a Cheeseborough-Ponds bottle, I think 90's-early 2000's?

3 sprays is probably too much, I could get through the whole day on 1 or 2 sprays.

Beautiful fragrance, although after 8-10 hours it feels like it's "time for a change".

Lovely in the Fall & Winter, probably early Spring too. But, "friends don't let friends wear Brut in the summer"!

I used to advise that every guy should have a bottle of Brut cologne in their collection. The Brut manufactured today for the North American market is crap and cheap. It no longer has the dry down of Brut from the Unilever or Cheseborough-Ponds days. The latest dries down to a heavy black licorice mess.

If you get the chance to try out Brut Original, the Parfum Prestige product still manufactured by Unilever in the UK for Europe, you should. It is way more subtle than the North American Brut ever was, but that was by design. It is a refreshing change and dries down to the sandalwood-oak moss beauty that I liked so much with Brut.

This stuff is and has always been disgusting. If someone gives you this, they don't like you.