VILHELM
BLACK CITRUS

2015

PERFUMER
Jerome Epinette

Bergamot
Cardamom

Mate

Birch
Patchouli

After smelling quite a few Vilhelm’s throughout the years, I can’t say that this house excites me often. Black Citrus was one of the first that I enjoyed, but it isn’t the most exciting either. It shares similarities with the popular Morning Chess, which in turn shares similarities with Creed Aventus.

Just like those, Black Citrus has this watery and birch qualities. The cardamom is refreshing, but the star of the show for me is the bergamot. It’s basically reminiscent of lemon fragrances; sparkling, bright and sharp. It leans towards the masculine side, with a barbershop-like backbone.

At times it feels a bit leathery or like a ‘sport flanker’ from the 90’s. Unfortunately, the citrus fades really quickly and the overall drydown isn’t nearly as nice to me. It goes further into a classic ‘cologne’ direction. Still, a pleasant release.