Alright guys... the dust has settled, the votes are in and The Gourmand Wars have officially reached the Final Four!! We started with a full field of sweet heavy hitters, dessert kings and edible-smelling troublemakers, and now only four remain. On the vanilla side, Giorgio Armani Stronger With You Intensely pushed through the designer bracket with that rich, sweet, crowd-pleasing swagger, while Parfums de Marly Althair stood tall in niche with its smooth, luxurious vanilla game. Over in chocolate, Guerlain L’Instant EDP kept things classy and refined in the designer lane, while By Kilian Black Phantom came through the niche bracket like a dark, boozy menace with zero interest in playing nice. That means the road to the crown now looks like this: Vanilla Final (3) Giorgio Armani Stronger with You Intensely vs (1) Parfums de Marly Althair Chocolate Final (2) Guerlain L'Instant EDP vs (2) By Kilian Black Phantom At this point, there are no weak links left. Every fragrance still standing has earned its place, and now it comes down to what kind of gourmand experience hits hardest for you. Do you want smooth modern sweetness, upscale vanilla luxury, refined cocoa elegance or dark decadent danger in a bottle? What say you, guys? Which Final Four fragrance has the best chance to win it all? Which matchup feels tighter: vanilla or chocolate? And which fragrance that got eliminated are you still defending like it got done dirty? Love to hear from ya'!

Good morning gentlemen. Just a couple of errands today. This is very strong. It’s a beast. I love this fragrance. It’s just not suitable for work for me. So this for now is a weekend treat.

Obsession for Men OG, new, Clone, vs Alternatives. Obsession OG: The original is quite a masterpiece, and comes from an era where the note structures of fragrances were very, very complicated. If you look up the makeup of 1990’s fragrances in general, they are a conglomeration of dozens of notes. Perfumers crafted and blended to create unique smells that did not replicate experiences you found in the real world. So, for Obsession, this is no different. Detailing notes that dominate is all one can really do, because trying to tease out every note detail is impossible. Having said that, the dominant notes to my nose are the spicy, vanilla, woody, and amber notes. I’m talking cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cedar, sandalwood, amber, and a hint of musk to make it masculine. At first spray, it is strong, and I think the top notes have degraded over time. What I mean is though this is a deeper gourmand fragrance, and I suspect when it was “younger” the citrus notes would have been more prominent. Why I believe that: for the initial twenty minutes, there is an almost unpleasant top note. I think of it like citrus that has dried out and become musty. It’s kind of like potpourri citrus, and kind of like old books. My guess, therefore is that over time the top notes have aged/decayed, leaving the fragrance deeper, richer, and a bit musty. Other than that, this fragrance seems mostly linear, except it ends a little more vanilla with creamy sandalwood at the end. As for projection and longevity. It’s not bad. I’d say 5-8 sprays will project nicely for a work setting, perhaps a few more if you plan to be outside or in a large space. This is definitely a cooler weather fragrance (winter/fall), and even now, it's a bit too much as I try it on an 85-degree day. I get 6 hours easy out of it before it is a skin scent. The more I spray, and on a cooler day, I could stretch it to 8 hours. Bottom line, I love this fragrance. It was what got me into the fragrance journey, and though others can lean in more on isolated notes and projection, this one is a very suitable jack-of-all-trades, being easy to manage for intimate, outdoor, and evening use as you modify the number and placement of sprays. Super versatile and divinely elegant.

A Zoologist review; almost as rare as a Dodo. Dodo Jackfruit is not what I expected at all. I expected Zoologist, which is to say Animalic niche. Zoologist does not ordinarily pull its punches. Wearable releases are more like Harvest Mouse and less like Squid. The original Dodo was not much of an exception. It was a pungent tropical fruit fragrance with musk, and it was polarizing. The Jackfruit doesn't intensify this, it scales it back. This fragrance is a completely wearable aromatic fougére. In fact, it's very pleasant and refined. The opening has a nice and spicy mix of jackfruit and turmeric, but the core is a dense tonka and sandalwood. It's relaxing and clean. It's much like Brut, but it leans towards the calm vanillic style of Sartorial. I would recommend this to someone that loves Sartorial but wants a little more spice and punch. This is not an EDT but the sillage is a relief. Take it as high praise for getting compared to the Penhaligon's.

I’ll be attending a family funeral at the end of the month, my first funeral since I’ve developed an interest in fragrance. Any suggestions on a fragrance for such an occasion? Google suggests BDC or Sauvage, which are doable.