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7d • MF Academy 🎓
The Booze Wars - Honorable Mentions
Hey guys, Joe A. here with another one for ya'! As tight as The Booze Wars lineup is, narrowing it down to just 32 fragrances wasn’t easy and a few absolute heavy hitters were in the mix right up until the final cuts. These honorable mentions weren’t excluded because they lack quality, performance or boozy character, but because the brackets demanded balance, clarity and well-defined roles. If anything, these scents prove just how deep the boozy category really is and why building a focused war means ole Joe A.'s gotta make some tough calls...
Enigma is one of Roja Dove’s most recognizable signatures, blending rich cognac, wet tobacco, sweet vanilla, spices and citrus into a plush, polished boozy profile that straddles classic perfumery and modern indulgence.
Where it would’ve fit: The Drinker or The Barrel, but it overlaps heavily with the “boozy authority” lane already represented.
Why it missed: not due to quality, but because that specific role was already filled by stronger archetype fits.
Raised Spirits was designed from the ground up as a rum-forward boozy gourmand, layering dark rum, caramel, brown sugar, tobacco, oak and vanilla into a rich, dessert-like fragrance with clear alcohol intent.
Where it would’ve fit: The Drinker, with a secondary pull toward The Barrel due to its oak and tobacco backbone.
Why it missed: the Drinker bracket already leaned heavy into sweet boozy indulgence, and this one lost out on redundancy rather than merit.
Royal Bourbon leans into a rum-and-tobacco gourmand style, opening with spice and sweetness before settling into caramel, vanilla, amber and woods that emphasize warmth and comfort.
Where it would’ve fit: The Drinker, or the softer edge of The Barrel if the focus shifted toward dessert-style aging.
Why it missed: it sat too close to existing sweet-boozy profiles already locked into the final 32!
Triumph of Bacchus is unapologetically decadent, built around rum, fruits, saffron, tobacco, amber and vanilla, channeling excess, celebration and indulgence from the first spray.
Where it would’ve fit: squarely in The Drinker, with enough weight to flirt with The Barrel depending on wear.
Why it missed: not because it’s lacking but because the boozy-tobacco-sweet lane was already fiercely competitive.
Il Padrino combines rum, amaretto, black currant, citrus, amber and woods into a plush, nightlife-oriented boozy scent with a distinctly luxurious tone.
Where it would’ve fit: The Drinker, or potentially The Barfly if framed as a power scent worn into the night.
Why it missed: it lived in the right universe, but didn’t outperform the final selections in either realism or archetype clarity.
None of these just missed because they aren’t good, they missed because the final 32 had to represent distinct roles within The Booze Wars. Once each archetype was locked, every remaining spot came down to clarity, balance and avoiding overlap. These honorable mentions are all excellent fragrances, but when the brackets tightened, the final lineup simply told the strongest, most complete story!
What say you, guys? Which one of these honorable mentions would’ve made your final 32 and what would you have cut instead? Do you value boozy realism more or the overall vibe a fragrance creates? Is overlap a dealbreaker for you or do you just want the strongest scents regardless of role? Which of these do you reach for most in real life, not just on paper? Love to hear from ya'!
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The Booze Wars - Honorable Mentions
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