KILIAN
ANGELS’ SHARE ON THE ROCKS
2025
PERFUMER
Benoist Lapouza
bitter orange
on the rocks accord
grapefruit
lemon
bergamot
aldehydes
cognac
cinnamon bark
amber
myrrh
tonka bean
oakwood
‘The perfect balance of icy freshness and luscious depth. A new way to surrender to temptation. The perfume: Inspired by the way Kilian Hennessy enjoys cognac—on the rocks—this creation reimagines the Angels’ Share indulgence. The exclusive “On the Rocks” accord, a defining signature of KILIAN PARIS, elevates the experience with a zesty cocktail of Bergamot, Grapefruit, and Aldehydes, bringing a crystalline chill to this luxurious elixir. This sparkling freshness unfolds into the slow warmth of Cognac Essence, enriched by Myrrh Resin and Tonka Bean Absolute, balancing frosty brightness with a smooth, amber allure.’ – Kilian
Turning Angels’ Share into a fresher fragrance is a tall order; how do you make a sweet, ambery, smoky, boozy scent profile into a brighter ‘on the rocks’ scent. I think Kilian accomplished that, so in that sense, it’s quite impressive, but at what cost? It does not make for the greatest fragrance and it’s clearly the least of the Angels’ Share trilogy in my book.
Especially coming after Angels’ Share Paradis, which I think was an upgrade over the 2020 Angels’ Share and one of the better releases of 2024; On The Rocks just doesn’t do it. It doesnt feel as luxurious, it doesn’t feel ‘enough Angels Share’ perhaps. It’s not bad at all, but it didn’t evoke any excitement in me.
The first 1-2 hours of this wear, you could spray on me blindly and I would never in a million years guess that it was Angels’ Share. It opens with a strong citrus note, initially I smelled lime, but it becomes very candied quickly after. Hard-candy, sweet citrus and while not bad, I’m not a fan of this type of sweet citrus. Its a bit uncanny and it doesn’t have the (for me desired) brightness and zestiness of citrus (especially if you’re thinking about an icy, on the rocks, cooling side); its way too sweet for that.
But it takes a good 2 hours for that sweetness to really link up with the OG Angels’ Share DNA, or perhaps a bit more, the Paradis DNA, in that more gourmand, buttery sense. It’s a tad muddy, earthy, and the citrus takes less yellow/orange take, for a more astringent green leftover tartness. It feels like wearing the late drydown of the other Angels Share’s + wearing some not-matching citrus drydown at the same time. It doesn’t not work, but it also doesn’t work well.
Overall, the least succesful rendition of Angels’ Share by a margin to me, but it is new, it adds something to the line and it somewhat matches the concept, so I can’t hate on it.
