Drakkar Noir
Guy Laroche (1982)

I bought a 2012 batch from eBay, 50ml for £10. Sprayed it and instantly recognised the smell - a dark, resinous pine but with a sweet spicy cinnamon note to make it a bit sexier. Not contemporary at all but a great scent for the gym and a good recommendation for people that enjoy Polo Green, Eternity, Paco Rabanne PH etc. Classic bottle design too, much better than the cheap dupe Lomani Pour Homme.

Lemon Pledge with some kind of cologne... It's like you take a cheap drugstore cologne and mix it 1 part to 10 parts Lemon Pledge and VOILA you have Drakkar Noir. So nasty, so disgusting. Unfortunately the longevity and sillage are strong and last a long time. The Lemon Pledge EVENTUALLY, several hours later, gives way to a base that is tolerable but smells like a cheap woody drug store no-name (not even like the classics from Coty or anything like that). Just disgusting. I can't believe this had or has popularity at all much less to the degree it had and has. I'm donating mine to a men's shelter but I have moral issues with that because I have to wonder if I'm really actually helping them by doing so.

If you're going to buy this fragrance, don't waste your time with the Luxury Products release because it's been butchered many, too many times since Cosmair ruled the roots. You must dig into your pockets for a bottle from around the years 1982-1989. I say this because the original bottle contains an unobstructed Patchouli note that really stands out and as the years went buy this particular note has really been toyed with and I say this gently. I presently own 6 bottles of this scent ranging from the yrs stated above and without regret I've been satisfied. Yes some bottles have aged and u can identify it at 1st sniff but after a couple of minutes the magic returns and it's the early 80s all over again. Longevity is a bit disappointing even on the vintage launches but there could be many reasons for that and I don't care about any of them. What's really important is the smell and it's quite divine. IMHO Fragrances from the time period 1965-1999 are considered the Glory years of Masculine fragrances. They were simply made better by using ingredients of a higher quality and perfumers took their time and seemed to care about their craft with very little bureaucracy getting in the way. That's my opinion and I'll never waver on that opinion. Drakkar Noir is still in my collection and I wear it occasionally and anytime I do I'm back in my teens and what a time it was. As long as there are vintages to be had I'll always be a happy man.

No one refers to Charles Bronson as beautiful. But under Drakkar’s menacing exterior is a Cary Grant and Gregory Peck soul. Drakkar Noir in essence is one of the greatest classic fougeres with a hard brash reputation in a jet black package. But at its core it abounds in rich, satisfying, groomed masculine accords that give one the feeling of having just left the barbershop. There are reasons classics are classics. Even reformulated, this is a gem to discover, experience, and revel in. Truly excellent. You owe it to yourself to try it.

Drakkar Noir might get joked about a lot, and those jokes might give one the impression that it's controversial and strong, but controversial and strong it is not.

Drakkar Noir pretty much smells exactly like Caesars Man--very green and out-of-the-shower-fresh. I think it was a good foreshadowing into what was to come in the 90s for men's fragrances.... a huge emphasis on freshness. There is a complete absence of skank. It's somewhat linear as well to my nose.

Performance is okay, but borders on piss-poor for an 80s supposed powerhouse. On my skin, it's like an EDC, bit much better on clothing if 4+ sprays are blasted.

Overall, I love the smell, but let's just say, thank god it's cheap.

Timeless old-school classic and almost identical to Denim Black. There has to be a reason why this thing is still in production and whatever that reason is, I'm glad Drakkar Noir still exists because of it, even just to be tried.

One might say that this goes into a barbershop direction and I can't say I disagree, but to me it also goes into a shower gel direction, not a modern one of course. This also can be compared to some aftershave splash (Denim Black, I'm looking at you).

Lavander, vetiver, pine and inescapable moss note because, you know, you can't have "the eighites" without the moss note. I understand why this thing is legendary and I'm glad I finally tried it.

Originality: 9/10
Scent: 6/10 - I know, a bit harsh grade but bear with me, it is 21. century and I think it's still very good, but I also have to be a bit objective too. 6 out of 10 is about right.
Longevity: 8/10
Projection: 6/10
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overall objective impression: 6/10
overall subjective impression: 7/10