Yatagan begins with a hot, peppery, herbal liqueur aroma; one detects fast-forward appearances of fennel, basil, petitgrain, lavender and geranium leaves. This burst of aromatic plant aromas leads to a flare-up of artemisia (wormwood). Wormwood is a "star" in the Yatagan composition; it is a member of the daisy family and, though Caron claims no floral elements are in Yatagan, the slightly sour scent of daisies is present due to the wormwood. So you made your way through the jungle that suddenly opened up, until a grassy landscape followed. "Do you guys notice anything? This is where Jasmine should be..." Why now does Yatagan make me think of a man of this beat of all people? The fragrance impression actually bears the characteristics of a "gentleman's fragrance" that seems classic to us: a bright, conifery-etheric forest fragrance, almost a little medical. However, already just below the surface it is over with the cleanliness. The impression of nature is not embellished and far away from cultivated gardens with idyllic groves where the eye can rest. This forest is not safe. The whole picture reveals to us undergrowth, in which skeleton bleaches. The otherwise so uniform earth scent splits into its elements and not all are lovely: urine, secretions, an elusive impression of heat (Meanwhile reformulated?) Gar neutered? Then what kind of bestial bomb must he have been in the seventies?! Hard to imagine...). After a few hours then more conciliatory leather notes: The animal is eaten, its skin tanned. Plus a hunch of incense. The durability is good, the Sillage never exceeds an arm's length when used sparingly. Uniqueness? For my part, I haven't smelled anything like that yet. Compared to the modern formula, the opening and heart stages of this vintage feel considerably more green (stronger galbanum and moss notes, I think), bitter and vaguely poisonous (more wormwood and/or artemesia), earthy and damp, like forest greenery and soil. It feels more "cool" and slightly sinister. The bitter mossy green tone reminds me of a smoother Aramis Devin, which is not a parallel I ever drew with the modern formula. I think there's less celery, or it's more of a raw celery vs. toasty celery salt. I don't have signature fragrances any more – times have changed and in the 70's when there were only a few male scents around, it was possible, but now, I have about 30 bottles in my collection – excessive, I know, but I enjoy collecting and wearing perfume – it's almost a fetish.

All the notes in Le 3ème Homme meld in a smooth and consistent flow, from which you might be able to find a good amount of floral notes—think geranium, but somewhat sweeter, along with a dash of bergamot and maybe a pinch of tarragon over some decidedly light vetiver.Let’s look at perfume criticism. And let’s not start with the accepted classics, the greats, the grandes dames. Let’s start with the commonly-available, inexpensive yet extraordinary perfumes, since this starting place is troubling to the notions of exclusivity and refinement baked into commercial perfumery by virtue of its long-standing affiliation with fashion. I hesitate to use the word “great” in perfumery. I recognize perfumery as an art form, one of my favorites. But greatness as a notion comes from more accepted genres of art and established forms of criticism, when what we need are new vocabularies and systems to consider perfume. Think of greatness as an aspiration or a standard of the Old School. I would hope that the New School in perfumery and criticism would promote quality, creativity and analysis, but not hold out judgment and arbitrary thresholds as principal goals. Greatness seems to me to connote a feigned objectivity, or at least a socially agreed upon judgment, when it is in fact fundamentally subjective. Greatness is cited when we’re looking for the dividing line: high/low, good/bad, worthy/crass. Lets find words that assess and characterize, words that can speak both to objectivity and shared subjectivity and foster a less removed esthetic of criticism.

Caron may have been encompassingly vague in their marketing language, dimly offensive in their oriental allusion, but fortunately direct and brave in their fragrance. Yatagan has that striking balance of starkness and richness found in the best and most distinctive of perfumes. With too much heat, it becomes suffocating. As for occasions, it is all. The mass appeal and likability are average. that would have to be galbanum, it smells herbaceous, it reminds of conifers, a rather dark tart resin smell. Bitter becomes the Chose by the spicy tarragon. That also provides at the same time for some loosening up." Will Yatagan make you smell clean? No. Will Yatagan make you feel like you’re on a living, breathing planet no matter where you are? Yes. Yatagan is a wearable piece of art that is as likely to draw in those who love the wilds as it is to push away people repulsed by, well, beaver musk. If the wild calls to you, then Yatagan will get you there. Just be warned that it will take everyone around you there too. Still, while perfume and fashion are bound in the marketplace, perfume doesn’t necessarily have to be viewed and debated in the same light as fashion and design. Looking to other art forms, music is probably the most commonly used analogy. How often is a perfume described as orchestral, loud, harmonious, shrill or dissonant? We could just as easily consider perfume as performance, borrowing the language of dance and theater. Additionally, the recent recognition of the perfumer as auteur allows us to look at a perfumer’s body of work over time just as we might that of a visual artist. Add to these perspectives the scientific advances in chemical analysis and synthesis and perfumery looks ripe for a new if not radical form of critical thought.Ahhh, Yatagan, one of my true loves. One day, a number of years ago, I walked into the legendary Colonial Drug in Newton, MA (formerly in Harvard Square, Cambridge for decades). Here I would get my education on the classics, whether they be household names or those that were unsung. The owners have impeccable taste and have recommended so many of the scents that I now hold very dear to my heart. During that visit, I saw their display of Caron men's fragrances, and there stood Yatagan, with that sepia-tinted juice. It was calling out my name: "Joseph, I was meant for you..." I’ve been thinking about the wonderful yet inexpensive perfumes out there. There are many well considered, beautifully made perfumes that you can buy for a song. Cheap or pricy, though, the best perfumes must stand up to the same criteria. Is it coherent and balanced? Does it hold up over time? Does it captivate you, that is, would you wear it as your only perfume? Crucial: does it smell good? Is it ‘you’? Does it remain engaging throughout the entire day? Will it last that long? Would you want it to? Does it work for you in all the compartments of your life: At work? Cooking? Socializing? Cruising? In a class? On the subway? The gap nearly closes deep in the base, but never disappears entirely. The differences are very apparent for a long time - like at least 4-5 hours. Yatagan is another beast.While Le 3éme Homme is a rather docile fellow, Yatagan – the name which comes from a curved brand of Turkish sword – is a woody oriental concoction for men, musky and decidedly devoid of floral notes.

Who can wear the scent? A man in his mid-thirties. Provided he is not a yes-man and is himself a distinctive personality. It’s both a condemnation and a compliment to say that Caron’s Yatagan (created in 1978) does its namesake justice. As soon as it hits the skin, Yatagan announces itself with a barrage of pine and artemisia, recalling a forest where the scent of trees has drowned out any flowers that might be hiding in the shadows. Cedar, incense, and an array of herbal spices are all blended underneath, yet even these are not ‘soft’ in the usual sense – they’re loud, but the strongest notes are simply louder. We always recommend you try a perfume out before you buy it - this is truer than ever with Yatagan. Some will love it. Some will hate it. Some will need time to adjust. I sampled it, and to my disbelief, it ignited all the pleasure synapses in my brain in a way no other, perhaps besides Habit Rouge EDT, ever had before. Have I found my own personal holy grail? The opening is redolent of pine, camphoraceous herbs, dirt, with that undercurrent of castoreum. This is the rare instance of a fragrance to my nose being simultaneously sensual, primal, AND cerebral. It is one of just a handful of scents that just floods me with memories, actual and uncertain. It's an effable sensation that gives me a yearning of that which is out of reach, which isn't as sad as it may sound: it actually motivates the spirit to experience more. Sillage is perceptible at 1.5 m for the first hour. Afterwards the scent projects on the skin. Only perceptible under 20 cm. But this is very, very pleasant because of the amberYatagan lasts eight hours on the skin with moderate projection. It pushes out well for the first couple of hours. Deloc chypre, bland sau firav, Caron Yatagan se manifesta cu o intensitate care traverseaza simturile pana in cel mai profund plan. Seduce de la prima pulverizare, fara a mai fi nevoie de alte acte de demonstratie pentru a convinge ca este un parfum care isi merita aprecierea si valoarea. Este destul de bland incat sa nu devina inecacios, dar si extrem de masculin incat sa se reliefeze in fata altor parfumuri pentru barbati. Baza este bogata in pamant, la fel ca in aer liber, dupa o ploaie torentiala. Este calmanta, iar notele sunt bine mixate. Nota de pamant devine si mai profunda pe masura ce notele olfactive se desprind putin cate putin din topica parfumului. Mirosul sau fierbinte aminteste a lemn incis sub briza incandescenta a soarelui de vara. The visit asks about the bearskin that was draped so casually-beautifully on the Divan, just to find out that it fell to the former officer (so much we already know) during a Balkan offensive. Separated from most of his regiment in the snowy skirmishes, he had no choice: without the warmth of the bearskin (and, please, his still steaming intestines!), he and his adjutant would hardly have survived the night. It turns out during the afternoon that his life was woven from such episodes. He was one of those men to whom the inner call of the adventure came at least as loudly to the ear as the call of duty. Rhodesia, Indo-China, Asia Minor. Monstrous stories, even more monstrous hints. On the table, Rilke's Malte Laurids Brigge. In a way, a double man, double enormous, in which not, as in us, civilization and savagery lead the eternally same, eternally murky battles, but both, in that the elements were at the same time led to their extremes, experienced a dialectical envelope as it were. Another uncanny, awe-inspiring realization of human possibilities. Yatagan is not to be messed with. Crafted during the rise of the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish knife had no hand guard. The Yatagan knife style would later be adopted by bayonet-makers, and the weapon once again wreaked havoc on the battlefield over the course of the nineteenth century. The name “Yatagan” simultaneously recalls the brutality of close-combat and the elegance of weapon craftsmanship.