H.O.T. Always
Bond No. 9 (2003)

Kicks off like a really nice masculine powerhouse chypre, heavy on the bergamot, but with spiced woods coming through quickly. There's a sourness at first that hints at patchouli, but that fades quickly as a mix of rose, clove, and lumberyard wood become the focus.

I'm really liking the way that this strikes a balance between the spiciness of the clove/carnation and the deep woody elements, while there's an effusive floral quality that adds complexity AND a full chypre structure in there as well, which keeps thing retro.

I can see why I didn't like this much when it came out - 00's me hadn't yet developed a proper appreciation for chypres - but I wish I had returned to my old sample a few years ago before H.O.T. Always became impossible to find, as I'd quite enjoy a full bottle of this now. Thumbs way up!

I really like this. To me it is like Guerlain's Habit Rouge and Givenchy Gentleman got mixed together. I sprayed this on my wrist to test it and couldn't stop smelling my wrist.

This is from my favorite fragrance house, but it smells like a mistake. It smells like old-people trying to "get-down" after cinnamon air-freshener was sprayed into a wet wooden bucket.

To me, it's in the same family as Musc Ravageur (Frederic Malle) where some people would get a COMPLETELY different vibe from it (and love it), but it's not for me -- neither is M.R.

H.O.T. Always is a perfume of three parts, which aren't exactly three phases. These are some warm spices and aromatics that lend a 'hot' touch and approximate the spiciness of chili peppers, a subdued touch of florals, mainly rose, and a patchouli-driven leather accord. The initial spicy aspect is quite well-done, rugged, and suggestive of a barbershop style. The patchouli lurks in the background as the floral accord becomes prominent; soon the patchouli is front and centre, with the leathery aspects coming to the fore. At this stage it is quite reminiscent of Givenchy Gentleman. It maintains this structure till after a few hours there is a vetiver that joins the leathery dry down, while other floral or spicy aspects are greatly diminished. H.O.T. Always has a close, discreet sillage and an appreciable duration of about six hours on skin.

One of the issues with H.O.T. Always is that it veers dangerously close to Givenchy Gentleman, but lacks the civet of the vintage version of Gentleman. As a result, the overall composition suffers from a hollowness, and a lack of sensuality. While it is more full-bodied than the current version of Gentleman, it is, of course, lacking in dimension next to vintage Gentleman - mainly due to absence of civet, a somewhat inferior blending, and the spicy aspects being less smooth. Nonetheless, it is definitely worth sampling for what it is - one of the better Bond No 9 fragrances, a more potent alternative to current Gentleman, and a near-novel initial spicy accord.

3/5

Very hot indeed- red hot candies redolent of cinnamon!

Those candies you'd pop in your mouth and then really really wish you hadn't, as your friends would see how long you could keep them there without spitting them out as your mouth reacted as it later would to spicy chiles.

Fun, I suppose, for teen agers, but not a serious scent by any means. The transition to rose and clove, of the same peppery intensity, and then to vetiver and leather is rapid. Once you get to the end, you wonder why you had to go through all that it took to get there.

Ultimately, the vetiver leather accord is nice, but not outstanding. Too much razzle dazzle over all and not enough quality.

An odd, but original fragrance from Bond No9. The opening is a spicy sweet cinnamon, that is somewhat reminiscent of red hots candy. Not sure if that's got anything to do with the name, but it doesn't last long and gives way quickly to a rose-carnation over a loud patchouli and leather base. It's masculine, but ultimately a dull disappointment after the edgy opening.

I liked it only just a little, and definitely wouldn't buy it. Neutral is the best I could rate it.