One thing I’ve noticed about myself as a fragrance collector is that I’m rarely trying to own an entire house, but at the same time, I also don’t really like owning just one fragrance from a house. If a brand interests me enough to add it to the collection, I usually want to explore it a little deeper. With most houses, I end up with two or three fragrances—the ones I believe represent the best of what that house does. I spend a lot of time testing, sampling, reading, comparing, and researching before deciding what actually deserves a spot in my collection. I’m always looking for the best of the line, not just another bottle. There are about a handful of niche/artisan houses where I own, or have wanted to own, essentially the entire lineup. Those are the exceptions. For a house to get me to that point, I have to believe there is something consistently interesting about the perfumer’s style and that the collection offers enough variety to justify going that deep. As my collection has grown, I’ve become much more selective. Early on, it was easy to chase releases, hype, or completeness. Now I would rather identify the two or three fragrances from a house that really stand out than own ten bottles just because they share the same name on the label. But I also like having enough from a house to actually understand it. One bottle can tell me I like a fragrance. Two or three can start telling me whether I like the house. That’s a big part of collecting for me now: testing, researching, comparing, and curating. I still want to experience as much perfumery as I can, but experiencing a fragrance and needing to own it are two completely different things. For me, the fun is finding those few bottles from each house that make me say, this is where this house really shines.

This one surprised me. Sauvage Extrait really doesn’t come across like another typical Sauvage flanker to me. It’s much drier, darker, woodier and more resinous, with the patchouli and oud giving it a completely different character from the familiar fresh Sauvage DNA. My first thought was actually Amouage. Not that it smells exactly like a particular Amouage fragrance, but it has that same type of dense, dry, woody, slightly smoky Middle Eastern niche feel. I can especially understand the comparisons people are making to the dry oud character of Amouage Royal Tobacco. This smells much more expensive and serious than I expected from the Sauvage name. Less blue designer fragrance and more like Dior decided to take Sauvage into Amouage territory. First impression: I like this quite a bit. It may actually be one of the most interesting Sauvage releases Dior has done because it doesn’t feel like they simply turned up the concentration. They changed the personality. Definitely a cooler-weather fragrance for me, and I’m looking forward to giving it some full wearings.

Penhaligon’s is one of those houses I respect probably more than I actually reach for. This is a British perfume house with a lot of history behind it, and you can definitely smell that heritage in the way many of their fragrances are put together. Even when they release something modern, there is usually a polished, proper, almost old-world British character running through the house. I would put Penhaligon’s firmly in the high-end retail niche category today. It is niche, but this isn’t some tiny underground artisan operation anymore. The presentation is luxurious, the storytelling is strong, the bottles are instantly recognizable, and you’ll find the house in major luxury retail. Where Penhaligon’s really separates itself is personality. The Portraits Collection especially turned the house into something much more theatrical. You have fragrances built around fictional British aristocratic characters, animal-head caps, elaborate names, and entire stories surrounding them. Normally I don’t care much about marketing if the fragrance doesn’t deliver, but with Penhaligon’s the presentation actually fits the fragrances pretty well. Some of the standouts for me: Halfeti – Probably one of the easiest fragrances from the house to recommend. Spicy, woody, slightly sweet and very polished. This is one of those fragrances where you immediately understand why it became popular. The Blazing Mr Sam – Warm, spicy, woody and confident. Probably one of the better masculine-leaning fragrances in the Portraits collection. The Tragedy of Lord George – Boozy, woody and somewhat old-fashioned in a good way. Very gentlemanly fragrance. Endymion – Softer and more understated. Aromatic, slightly creamy and elegant. This represents the older Penhaligon’s style more than something like Halfeti does. Sartorial – One of the fragrances that really captures that traditional British barbershop / tailored-suit feeling. Very classy, but I could also see younger fragrance enthusiasts finding it dated.