PDM Layton Exclusif (1/3) · Brotherhood Of Scent

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PDM Layton Exclusif (1/3)

I wanted to try this within a week of trying Layton, so here we are. I know this one is a top 3 for Julio, so let’s see what it’s all about. This one is by the underappreciated perfumer Hamid Merati-Kashani. He probably made your favourite fragrance and you wouldn’t even know it. Some of his new and iconic creations are Althair, Sedley, Percival, Layton and Pegasus (OG and Exclusif), Ingenious Ginger, Pacific Rock Moss, Drunk Lovers, and Zest + Vetiver.

Now back to the review.

The opening is different than Layton. More blends of citruses with some bergamot, juicy mandarin, and distinct grapefruit. Apple in this one is not warm like the OG. As a kid I used to drink this apple soda called Appy Fizz. It smells exactly like that. There is also an animalic herbal nuance in the opening, definitely from the cypriol and civet. I first remember smelling civet in Kouros (RIP my nose), but this one is more manageable and edgy.

15 minutes in, the fizzy freshness fades and now it’s pepper, leather, civet, and patchouli dominant with a faint essence of the opening still lingering. A big shift in gears. I only get a touch of florals. Same like yesterday, I’m getting this weird woody nuance, this time probably from Laotian oud. It’s definitely different but gives a similar vibe. Oud is still not my thing, I guess? There’s faint sweetness, probably from vanilla and amber.

Once it has fully dried down, it’s all sandalwood, amber, and vanilla with a touch of that guaiac wood. Very addictive and distinctive but still retains the PDM backbone.

To me, this feels like if Hugo Boss made a Layton for their private collection. It’s deeper, richer, more masculine, and more complex than the OG but could be polarising for some. I also get faint similarities with BB Absolu. Strictly Autumn/Winter in my opinion.

Performance is great as well. 8 hrs and going strong. It became a bit intimate by hr 6, but the first 2 hrs were room filling. Easy 10-12 hr performer and maybe a few more as a faint skin scent.

The trade-off for this complexity is versatility. It’s much more wearable than yesterday’s Oud for Greatness, but there’s still a time and place for this. That said, I’m picking this over Layton OG. It’s definitely making its way into my collection either as a decant or a 75 ml at a cracking deal.

Overall, I’ll give this a 9.3/10. Deductions for lack of versatility, sillage, and price point. If you love complex and masculine fragrances that are still appealing to many, definitely check it out. I would probably like it even more the more I wear it. It’s one of those frags. I could see this creeping into my top 3 PDMs after testing the remainder of my PDM samples.

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