New York Sandalwood
Bond No. 9 (2014)

Dry, spicy mixture of orris, carrot, and sandalwood. A bit of an herbal tone. Green papyrus note. Tiny little fig note. I get more warm, dry buzz, with a base of amber, musk, and oakmoss. Bold overall - dries down sweet. Sandalwood stays throughout. Long-lasting for me.

NY Sandalwood is a well done, contemporary interpretation of the sandalwood note. IMO, modern sandalwood is best paired with spice scents, and Bond makes a nice effort at this using cardamom, carrot and orris. The opening is slightly sharp with the spices providing a somewhat aerochemical beginning and it's different, but settles down quickly. A sweet fig and papyrus balance the spice and it soon gives way to the creamy, identifiable sandalwood note. To my nose, this is a very modern sandalwood, slightly reminiscent of Tam Dao EDP, but lacking the coconut-South Pacific feel. Projection is above average, especially for the first 3-4 hours and longevity is far better than any Sandalwood I'm familiar with.

Price is the only downfall, especially when you can find the excellent and more traditional MPG Santal Noble, or the similar Diptyque Tam Dao for less than half the cost. But it's Bond quality and significantly better performance, so I give it a Thumbs Up.

For me, this is the worst sandalwood I have ever experienced. The top notes are shocking and the accord manages to produce a sour, astringent, alcoholic car crash of a smell, which never really goes away. I gave this plenty of time as the SA completely drenched the blotter and faint hints of sandalwood and fig made an appearance very late on. This is a dry unforgiving take on a naturally creamy wood and, in my opinion, Bond have ballsed it up bigtime here.

From the beginning on I get a nice sandalwood, with orris and cardamom soon giving it a nigh smoky-like twist. In the drydown a darker musk note appears, and towards the end an ambery impression rounds it off with a warm note. It is blended very well, and in my skin the sandalwood is always present, modulated slowly by the other notes. Unlike with other recent sandalwood scents I can't smell any cedar in this one.
I get moderate sillage, good projection and a longevity of six hours. Autumnal, this new Bond is a nice addition for sandalwood lovers. 3.75/5

Woody Fragrance with nuances of leather and coffee.

Poor Longevity on my skin after more than 15 wears.

Will try in warmer weather and report back...