I think I made my first frag purchase in November / December 2024, and until then I was relying on a 30+ year old bottle of Polo Green given to me by my father-in-law back in the 1990s. In 2025 for some reason (GLPs, I think) my interest in fragrances was all consuming. I've bought niche, designers, clones with reckless abandon. Some purchases were brilliant, some not so much... I don't need to tell you what I'm talking about. In the middle of the summer I decided that the only answer to this newfound obsession was going to have to be a trip to the motherland of Middle Eastern fragrances, Dubai. Anyway, we're leaving this Wednesday (?, maybe Tuesday...) and my wife has finally come to the realization that I'm going (ever so slightly) overboard to get questions answered. Besides, I want to see what the heck it's like in that part of the world. You guys have GOT to check out this video. If this isn't what I'm looking for, I GIVE UP! https://www.instagram.com/reel/DR7_qCCDN33/?igsh=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA%3D%3D

NYE and we're going to a large dinner party...🙄 Anyway, just based on the name alone, it seems obvious that since we're saying good-bye to 2025, that Jubilation XXV is the logical selection. Though I really love this frag, I RARELY reach for it, but one quick spray on my wrist and I remember it very well. This is a great frag with a very eastern/oriental spiciness to it, along with floral and citrus notes. This is a complex frag, yet by my estimation it can be considered somewhat of a crowd-pleaser. That being said, it's NOT blind-buy safe. It starts off a bit fruity with blackberry and orange, but you can't really miss that frankincense, so it’s also dark and rich. The mid has honey but I wouldn't call it goumandy at all. The base is oud and I understand that it's the real deal, but it's NOT a focus by any stretch, and ambroxan. This is nice and I should be reaching for it more than once or twice a year. 8.25/10.00