Reviews of Jaguar (original) by Jaguar

Jaguar for Men by Jaguar (1988) is the debut scent from the Jaguar fragrance brand, now a part of the Lalique Group (formerly Art & Perfume). Originally, this automotive-branded fragrance house was launched by Swiss firm Loreste, and operated by them until Art & Perfume bought the license away. It was increasingly common by the end of the 1980's to see licensed branding for perfumes, starting with celebrities at first, then filtering out into other segments of the market interesting in launching scent as an entry-level product to enjoy the brand, or as an accessory. Automotive fragrance branding was still relatively new when Jaguar lent the name to Loreste, but they weren't the first, as Italian exotic car makers like Ferrari and Lamborghini had both already launched fragrances by then. Jaguar seemed to have the winning template though, and their fragrances would endure while other licenses lapsed over the years or were restarted. The distinguishing quality about Jaguar for Men is it represents an early career creation of Thierry Wasser, who was still an apprentice at Charabot when making it, and was only 19 years old at the time.

Wasser did a lot of things at a very young age as apprentice at Charabot that would later go on to become cult hits with vintage enthusiasts, including Furyo by Jacques Bogart (1988) with Ron WInnegrad the same year, and Salvador Dali pour Homme (1987) at a mere 18 years old. Already a master of rich, traditional French perfumery by then, it's no surprise he crafted such a baroque aromatic for Jaguar, who probably were clueless as to how good they truly had it. Jaguar for Men isn't particularly groundbreaking, and represents a typical aromatic fougère structure popular at the time, sitting between things like lemony Duc de Vervins by Houbigant (1985) and the more pine-forward Gucci Nobile (1988), with an immaculate cleanliness underpinning it's more-agrestic bits. The defining olfactory characteristic of Jaguar that makes it so appealing to me is the surprise gardenia note in the heart, and the unlisted incense under it all. This tiny pinch of unorthodox florality meets the dry incense to form an uncanny freshness that belies all the oakmoss, patchouli, tonka, lavender, citrus top notes, and other fern accord "stuff" that is otherwise bog-standard for the scent.

The original "wood cap" launch splash bottles made in Switzerland contain Wasser's formula, while there would be a notable edit sometime in the late 90's and 2000's when Dominique Preyssas (then of Mane) tinkered to remove some of the mustier bits from the incense and sandalwood, toning down some of the musk and amber Wasser liked playing with in his early "powerhouse" creations; these bottles are still really good, and can be noted by their "Made in Germany" markings on the back, plus a darker cap with a Jaguar logo on the top, but they also invite comparisons to Ralph Lauren Polo (1977) and Chevignon by Chevignon (1992) that the original bottles of Jaguar just didn't get because of that musk and incense. The differences are small between these two, but may matter if you fell in love with a particular version before realizing there were two. After Art & Perfume picked up the license, the formula was edited again to be soapier and more fougère; this version of the scent is still good too, and better than a lot of things Jaguar has since released, even if the same problem arises of pin-the-tail-on-the-version you first encountered. People new to Jaguar for Men can just pick one and not care. Thumbs up

In the late 1980’s, Jaguar released two versions of a new car. The XJS, a sleek V12 convertible that appeared in 1989, and a year before that, just as their first scent was coming out, there was the plain old XJ. It was also a V12 but looked like something to chauffeur a politician from one end of Parliament to the other.

And, in the same way that perfume is the affordable luxury for those who can't afford a designer dress, a bottle of scent may be the nearest many men get to owning a Jaguar.
But, instead of their eponymous pong, discerning wannabe XJS drivers in their Ford Capri's would have worn Zino (which is similar to this but much better) or maybe Cool Water if they were really on the pulse; while older, richer men like senior managers and trade union bosses would probably have wafted Aramis or Pour un Homme de Caron while driving a BMW, and not the dowdy XJ.

Jaguar the scent has the woody veneer and leather you'd expect of a luxury car brand, but the green aromatics, fousty orange, powder, spices and a hint of unwashed feet combine into something quite bizarre.
A big Bagpuss of a scent, I don't know how they ever got it past the petrol heads…

I get some orange and amber rendered sweet with a "greened out" cedar from infusing with some pine. The body of the blend is quite powdery and harsh from lavender and gardenia forming together. I get some hints of tobacco, nutmeg, and a really vague leather note.

I'll give Jaguar Original a thumbs down rating. Lagerfeld Classic styled orange crossed with a bright and pungent floral covered in powder I just can't work with. Although the Fougere side rushes in and tries to build that around into a masculine and gentlemanly scent I get an older women's fragrance vibe from it.

A fresh, synthetic hodge-podge of oranges and herbaceous notes riding a huge metallic wave from beginning to end. It's more metallic than Drakkar Noir or even Cool Water or Platinum Egoiste... we're at Lomani Pour Homme levels of dihydromyrcenol here. There's too much of it for me to even smell the flowers and tobacco and leather and moss and woods that supposedly are in this. Sergio Soldano Black is close to this, but more citric and less metallic, and I prefer it.

Projection is okay at best, and longevity on this vintage made in France formulation is 5 hours max.

Masculinity Level: Hound from The Transformers, green and metallic.

What is it about the original Jaguar fragrance that makes it so unique and universally appealing? Smooth, warm, slightly sweet, spicy pine. I have the bottle in the featured picture, with wooden cap. Mine was made in Switzerland, and it's the one I recommend (others include Germany and France). That said, the current version with a silver cap (which breaks easily) and darker green bottle is pretty good. I have a bottle of that as well at a great buy for just $15 including shipping!

Years back I remember smelling a tester of Jaguar at T.J.Maxx. One spray and I was not impressed so at that time I passed. Forward to present day and giving the scent a do over. Dark Green bottle with silver cap. Cannot believe I ever passed this up. It is beautifully composed and clean. A wonderful Bergamot opening settling into a light woody pine. This will be a go to scent for those indecisive days. A comfortable masculine fragrance that is inoffensive. So glad I rediscovered this gem. Medium projection and the only flaw I find with Jaguar is that it's a bit short on longevity.

I agree with freewheelingvagabond's review.

An okay scent. I've not smelled the original, but the current juice is just average.

I get mostly a sort of slightly “dusty”, somewhat “creamy” orange in the opening. Almost “soapy”. Very mildly spicy. The base is an understated greenish leather, but rather unremarkable. I don't smell tobacco.

Overall, it lacks distinction. Perhaps would be a decent daily driver office scent for the unadventurous father in your life, but even for “classic” tastes, this is pretty mundane. Performance is below average. Not something I would add to my collection, even at current discount prices (~$15 for the 100ml).

On a positive note, the sprayer is very nice.

Jaguar for men (silver cap) is a clean green masculine scent that surely has utility and can easily be a daily driver. There is a strong yet subtle tug of a basil, thyme, lavender, citric top note, a vegetal fir-floral gardenia middle and a powdery finish of tobacco and leather with hints of patchouli, cedar and musk. This is worthy choice for those who have a penchant for fougère related barbershop scents. Not as herby as Pino Silvestre, not as soapy/sweaty as Paco Rabanne pour Homme, not as leathery as Quorum, not as minty as Acqua di Selva, not as bitter as Polo, more a kinship with the departed Tsar, Jaguar for men bridges the nooks and crannies between all of the aforementioned. Fern aficionados will appreciate as well as wet shaving enthusiasts. Certainly, in the mold of a traditional, Italian barbershop (think Proraso Green, Saponificio Varesino's Felce Aromatica/Stella Alpina etc...) and truly comforting.

Far too masculine for me to wear. It's kind of a burnt, green scent. It becomes a little sweet, when it dries down.

This can come across as very pungent. On the wrong person, lounge lizard. But overall, a great oldie from the 1980s. It could be the bottle influencing me, but I feel like it's the sweeter, slightly sketchier take on Polo, despite not actually being a pine-themed scent.

For the price, it's quite the steal in order to get an authentic, long lasting 80-style scent.

Note: Review is of the current version.

This is an orange-tobacco-leather fragrance with an emphasis on spices. Right off the start there is a combination of spicy (mostly clove) orange with hints of a bitter green tobacco note. The fragrance turns somewhat leathery in the dry down, and some wood notes come to the fore. The overall vibe is mostly 'vintage' and 80's, though the orange puts a modern spin on the otherwise classic structure of the scent.

Overall this is a decent fragrance, with a great deal of good balance. One feels that the quality is a little weak - could've been a whole lot better with better ingredients. Also, the lack of oakmoss (in the current version) probably takes away quite a bit from the composition. Eventually this is a respectable option for someone looking for a masculine orange fragrance, with the emphasis on 'masculine'.

3/5

Orange and greenOn skin the top note is mainly a mix of lots of orange with mandarin and bergamot. After over an hour a green note emerges, with pine and a touch of cloves and ambery tobacco in the drydown. The last part is a nice powdery base with a whiff of a very soft patchouli. Good projection and silage initially, but afterwards close to my skin. The top notes are my favourite components in this scent - very nice and invigorating. On me it works best on warmer days.

Despite being the distant offspring of a luxury brand, Jaguar for Men actually feels more utilitarian, perhaps something like a jeep. It's a fresh fougere, with a long lasting accent of orange and spices, performing on an uncomplicated and generic bedrock of woody and faux green base notes. It may very well be a triumph of perspiration over inspiration, but it is an effective transmitter of pleasant odours.

This review for the vintage version, with the brown cap.

A fleeting citric opening with hints of spices that rapidly goes into a flowery heart with whiffs of tobacco leaf. All this happens in a flash because drydown comes fast with a tobacco leaf so genuine that it feels that you just unwrapped a good cuban cigar, and I mean a good one. This is very well backed by a leathery, woody, mossy patchouli that projects for a good 3-4 hrs to become a very close to the skin fragrance from then on.

A real masterpiece, the best offering from Jaguar, no questions about it.
A truly masculine tobacco scent

It opens with a salvo of powdery orange, simultaneously soft, strong, rich and enveloping. This opening somehow manages to be both blatant and distinguished, indeed, one might call it cloying, forceful and elegant all at the same time, rather as if some high-born aristocrat had wandered into a backstreet brothel. Soon, blending seamlessly with the powdery orange, there comes a murmur of indeterminate spices bathed in gentle sweet sandalwood. An intriguing and rather paradoxical fragrance with both masculine and feminine attributes, sweet and pleasant but on the cusp of becoming decadent and suffocating, a suggestion of cheapness rescued by more than a suggestion of elegance and distinction. Rather like a Jaguar limousine, perhaps, particularly if it were painted gold, pink, or, indeed, orange?

In some ways, this original Jaguar fragrance, in the green bottle, strikes me as being superior in balance and blending to the rather marvellous Jaguar Mark II for which I earlier wrote an effusive review. The only trouble with the splendid Jaguar Mark II, it now strikes me, is that, to appreciate the full glory of its opening notes, you have to spray quite a lot of it on. But, if you do that, the later woody developments, excellent as they are, become too oppressively strong. That is what I mean by calling it an imperfectly balanced and blended fragrance over its whole development.

This is a wonderful scent. Bold, and GREEN! I have read some posts from fellow Basenoters, who seem to prefer the old formulation to the new one, as the top notes in the new formulation are slightly harsher. Whilst I have not smelt the original, I bought this today - after wanting to smell it for a long time. My Uncle used to have a bottle in his bathroom and I remember the smell - cedar, tangerine and GREEN almost pine notes. Strong as an Ox in it's sticking power - it's a powerhouse with all the 80's hallmarks, but it does have a tendency to almost want to bridge the gap between, something like Quorum and Pino Silvestre - both of which I love. It's not as sweet as Pino, and it's longevity and silage are good. It's clean smelling, but not soapy, as the spicier heart chord does just enough to keep the notes all tied together, and it's skin drydown is, for me, fresh as wet grass! This is PERFECT for me after a shower, post workout (I do martial arts) - and I come out feeling alive! Thumbs up!

this is a spicy,aromatic,virile powerbomb with a high recognition value- one spritz that last forever with an unbelievable intensity !
As I always say, a perfume is something very personal- either you like it or not.
Jaguar is a typical scent of the end 80ties: powerhouse fragrance similar to oscar de la renta pour lui, duc de virvins by houbigant, egoiste platinum by chanel etc.
To me this fragrance is quite ordinary and simple ( already the name.....you think jaguar drivers would choose this fragrance as a signature fragrance? I don´t think so!)
One splash of Jaguar and it kills you with it´s power -already the opening is too strong, too heavy, too aromatic and too spicy-too much of everything and this is what I detest-it is not refined, subtle,etc.-it´s too linear! Having a look at virile and handsome scents you may think of azzarro, devin, aramis and yatagan and even the very special kouros but in comparison to Jaguar these fragrances are much more interesting and taste definitely better in a well rounded manner- and are more pleasing.Maybe Kouros stands out but it is definitely more exciting and challenging than Jaguar.
Nevertheless Jaguar ( what a horrible name for a scent?!)is in comparison to all these light aquamarine metrosexual trash of these days a spirited attempt- it´s a man´s scent-no doubt! - genuine, authentic and masculine! Which company would dare to launch such a scent 2011- no one!!! 2011 perfumes are all exchangeables.......

I was fortunate to acquire a 125 ml splash bottle, still sealed in the box! It has the wood cap (screw type) and says 85% alcohol. I decanted some into a dab vial and applied it that way. Doing this, I didn't detect much in the way of top notes. It seems like it takes a while for the amber to heat up and help bring the other notes out. The orange is there but muted, and it wafts in and out gently, perhaps for a couple hours. The two main themes here are ones I found in vintage Xeryus and vintage Quorum. From the Quorum type, I get green, leather, and tobacco. The Xeryus type features a strong amber, cedar, and spice type of accord. It's definitely not too sweet, nor musky, and while the lavender note is clear, it's not irritating, as is the case in many "men's" fragrances from the 1980s. One thing that's great about this one is that it offers all the complexity, dynamism, balance, and naturalness you expect from a great vintage fragrance without any qualities that might offend anyone; hence, you can wear it for any occasion. And I see no reason why it would cause problems in hot weather.

What's really interesting to me is how much variation there is among the reviews. There is certainly a "grassy" aspect to it, but it's not nearly as strong as in a fragrance like Bobby Jones Cologne. There is also an almost gourmand aspect to it, with the vanilla and some other notes generating "toasty" and almost chocolate-like qualities at times. I can also see why some might feel it's powdery, though it's not a particularly strong element. So, if you don't like "shape-shifting" fragrances, this may be one to avoid. On the other hand, if you like what this fragrance offers, this is definitely a "Holy Grail" candidate. However, keep in mind that there could be reformulations, so if you get a fragrance that seems bland and much simpler, one would assume that is the case. Longevity is very good but projection/"sillage" is moderate. Also, the Quorum aspect to it does not last as long as the Xeryus (amber and cedar accord), and the grassy aspect gives way to the toasty, somewhat gourmand aspect, as the scent progresses. Mine was made in Switzerland.

Jagaur classic is the best among the all jagaur fragrances. It is very masculine, bright sparkling wood spicy fragrance with moderate silage and longevity. Nice for mature men and casual wear.
I give it 8 out of 10.

One of te most underrated scents in the market. A fresh powerhouse of thr 80's. Super staying power.

Perfumer: Thierry Wasser

Top: Mediterranean spices, citrus and mandarines, lavender, basil thyme, bergamot, gardenia

Heart: Sandalwood, fir, cedar, patchouli, nutmeg, carnations

Base: Musk, ambergris, tobacco, fern, leather

Within minutes of applying Jaguar to my wrist a warm and exciting familiarity came over my senses. Something about it reminded me of Gucci's Nobile! The top lacks the distinctive bite and masterful aromatic green blending, and is more orange by far, but the heart is so similar. The drydown I think I enjoy even more, so a trade-off of sorts is achieved. Sillage and longevity on me are quite good, but certainly not as loud as with Nobile. So in short, a more modern and affordable 'Nobile Light!'
I'd been toying with the idea of dropping the $250 or so for a real bottle of Nobile instead of just samples, but now I feel as though I've filled a long-standing hole in my collection. Quality in a bottle.

Edit: The original version of Jaguar smells smoother and is more grapefruit-heavy in the opening instead of orange. The drydown is more of a semi-sweet leathery tobacco, whereas the current formula is very focused on tonka.The current Jaguar is a bit brighter in the opening but both retain the dry, aromatic woods and green feel. It's weird but the new Jaguar is completely faithful to the original, like it's the same dough stretched in different directions. I am keeping them both.

For those shopping versions - the old one (wood-colored cap) has a richer woody-tobacco drydown and smells slightly more natural but suffers more of the youthful backlash of 'old man smell.' The current (silver cap) is more powdery sweet in the finish and has been called sweaty or urinous, but this is usually stemming from an unfamiliarity with artemisia-family plants like mugwort, wormwood, common artemisia, and hops. This is a predominantly Green scent and no mistake; if green is what you want this is a good place to look.

In summation this is a great scent for the price in any incarnation and will always be in my collection. One of the best green leathers in its price range along with Esencia by Loewe.

Every once in a while you just click with a fragrance. Jaguar for Men and I hit it off! It's not that complex but has its interesting points. The middle note is a little powdery but dries out nicely. I used to like scents with a lot more going on, but as I get a little older, I enjoy understatedness. It's an excellent value to boot.

I can see the potential attraction this may have to lovers of classic 80s fragrances, but for me it's too much of a floral-soapy-orange sweet-powder powerhouse to enjoy. I do not get freshness at all, just a very thick lather of perfumeness right on from the top. I will stick with the leaner but certainly not meaner Mark II

I am a Jaguar fanatic. I own two XJs at the moment and sold a third last year. I assure you that this influenced my decision to purchase this bottle blindly, but not my appreciation of the fragrance. It is an absolutely distinctive, luxuriant fragrance, one that still stands out in my collection, which has become quite extensive. I would characterize the dry down as vanilla, moss, toasted wood, fresh cut grass, orange peel. It is only vaguely powdery, medium-high sweetness, and pleasant. It's a scent that just belongs together with a Sunday afternoon driving around an restored XKE with the top down, or a saturday at the racing green in Saratoga or Churchill Downs. It's a fragrance that WILL get compliments, perfect for a casual (but not totally informal) day out on the town. I suspect The silage on this fragrance is phenomenal and endurance is long, so use sparingly. Since basenotes.net claims that this is discontinued and I can't find it many places, I will buy a backup bottle from the website where I purchased my first, although it may take several years to use up the first. Strongly recommended for the Jaguar enthusiast or those fond of strolls in the arboretum, afternoons in the museum, those occasions where you want something impressive and pleasant without being too formal or too playful.