GIVENCHY
Gentleman Reserve Privee

2022

PERFUMER
Nathalie Lorson
Olivier Cresp

Bergamot essence
Scottish whiskey Absolute

Chestnut
Orris Concrete
Benzoin resinoid

Cedarwood essence
vetiver essence
patchouli

‘A heady whiskey-inspired fragrance where floral sophistication meets woody depths. This rare eau de parfum blends the olfactory worlds and unique savoir-faire of two master perfumers and a whiskey master distiller. The sensuality of ambery wood is faceted by luminous ethereal iris for an utterly addictive, heady duet.

Infused with smooth natural whiskey absolute, this fragrance has been crafted in Grasse using aromatic barley from refined Scottish distillery. The amber-toned perfume, evoking the intense hue of whiskey itself, is encased within the polished, pure forms of a bottle echoing an elegant hip flask.
Givenchy Gentleman EDP Reserve Privee embodies the ultimate in timeless elegance and refinement.’ – Givenchy

THOUGHT

Gentleman Reserve Privee is one of the popular male-orientated iris designer releases. Which means that it’s hard to by-pass comparisons to the Dior Homme line.

In particular Dior Homme Intense is referenced a lot in regards to Reserve Privee, but I actually get some suede leather-ish aspects here that are quite close to Dior Homme Parfum, perhaps more than Intense. The structure is mostly iris-woody, but the leather is not to be underestimated for me in my first impression They are not identical DNA’s however, but they give a good indication.

Gentleman Reserve Privee adds a sort of nutty sweetness (chestnut is one of the notes). For me, there is something very bitter, almost floral about the leathery aspect. The brand’s description speaks of ‘heady whiskey’ and I mostly seem to get the heady part only.

I personally didn’t really get much of a boozy scent from it on first wear. The marketing is heavily focused on this aspect, but for me it doesn’t come alive in the actual scent much.

That being said, it all blends together quite well. Woody and leather, sweet and iris, they become one during the wear. Resulting in a sweet (but not gourmand or cloying), dry, leathery wood.

Good release. Not as good as Dior Homme or Parfum to me, but enough to stand on its own if you really like this scent profile.