Manhattan

Manhattan is one of those fragrances where looking at the note list really doesn't prepare you for how beautifully everything comes together.

The opening has a surprising freshness from bergamot, lavender and basil, but it doesn't stay particularly fresh for long. Very quickly you start getting this gorgeous warm, creamy combination of tobacco, vanilla, heliotrope and coconut, surrounded by spices and woods.

The coconut is probably one of the most interesting parts of Manhattan for me. It's not tropical, sunscreen-like or overly sweet. Instead, it adds this smooth, creamy texture that blends incredibly well with the vanilla and slightly powdery heliotrope. Underneath all of that is a polished tobacco note, cinnamon, clove, benzoin, cedar and patchouli giving it warmth and depth.

There are definitely similarities to Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, particularly with the tobacco, vanilla and spice combination, but I wouldn't call Manhattan a Tobacco Vanille clone at all. Manhattan feels smoother, more complex and considerably more airy. Tobacco Vanille can become quite thick, dense and overwhelmingly sweet, whereas Manhattan has much more space between the notes.

And that is probably what I like most about it.

Despite having an enormous number of notes and being a rich tobacco/vanilla fragrance, Manhattan never feels heavy or clumsy. Everything is incredibly well blended. You can smell the sweetness, spice, woods, tobacco and creamy coconut, yet none of them completely dominates…