KILIAN
OLD FASHIONED
2024
PERFUMER
Sidonie Lancesseur
wheat absolute
davana
cedarwood
immortelle absolute
styrax
tolu balsam
‘Only better with age— Old Fashioned is a new fragrance of heritage and sophistication, with whiskey accords inspired by the complex taste structure of an 18-year-aged single malt. Old Fashioned joins The Liquors olfactive family (…) Old Fashioned transports direct to the Scottish Highlands, fireside inside a family estate, layered with generations.Created in collaboration with perfumer Sidonie Lancesseur, Kilian Hennessy wanted Old Fashioned to evoke only the purest, most excellent whiskey: a single malt, meaning liquor cultivated within one distillery, and aged to perfection with a minimum double-decade richness following the finest Scottish tradition. (…) Old Fashioned unfolds in time just so, opening like a first, incredible sip with Wheat Absolute and the slightly floral liquored aspect of Davana Essence. Old Fashioned then leads into a complex of ultraconcentrated Cedarwood Essence and Everlasting Absolute, with longlasting notes of Styrax and Tolu Balm, to suggest aging barrels and the misty wooded moors of Scottish lore.’ – Kilian
To get it out of the way; I have never smelled Single Malt, so I can’t compare Old Fashioned to it. I do find the way Old Fashioned was marketed, remarkably confusing. It has the same perfumer and same notes as Single Malt, minus the plum (more on this in the next paragraph). It also describes a single malt whiskey more in its description, than it does an Old Fashioned cocktail. That being said, according to quite a few sources, the two fragrances are different, while many others do compare them. I hope to one day try Single Malt to compare them myself. For now, what is Old Fashioned all about?
Well, not to bring Single Malt up again right away, but despite the main note being omitted in Old Fashioned being plum; I could easily see plum in this. The opening is way more fruity to me than the notes let on. More fruity also perhaps than Angels’ Share (which I found much more smoky and less ‘apple pie’ on my latest re-testing of it). I think in general, Old Fashioned is a tad brighter and more easy going than I was expecting.
So you get fruits, and a ton of sweetness. A good dose of the liquor scent, but mostly that almost watery, smooth texture from it. And it does wear quite nice and smooth; one of the highlights for this fragrance in my opinion.
Frankly, I was very skeptical going into Old Fashioned, as Kilian’s last couple of releases had been up there with the worst downgrades in any brand’s output in my opinion. Here, I am pleased to say that I like it more than I expected and it wears significantly nicer than Smoking Hot, Born To Be Unforgettable or Sunkissed Goddess.
It has a bit of that bready, almost bitter gourmand vibe. It reminds me in particular of raisin bread, with that dried fruitiness. Raisins, plum, perhaps some berries. Not the acidity or brightness as much, but the sweeter, dried fruit, with spices. Perhaps more like a stew or fruit cake. And that combination of the dried fruits, watery boozy texture and huge sugary sweetness reminds me a lot of Nasomatto Baraonda. I was very surprised to see no references to Baraonda in the reviews that I’ve read so far for Old Fashioned. Not to say that they’re identical or anything, but I think that Baraonda is a perfect indication for how you will feel about Old Fashioned; more so than for example Angels’ Share.
When that sweetness grows, after the opening, it starts to overtake the fruitiness and it becomes almost a pure sugar syrup on my skin with a whiff of sweet liquor of course. I could easily imagine spraying Old Fashioned over some pancakes as a topping.
Old Fashioned is likely the best Kilian release since Angels’ Share in 2020 if you ask me. At the same time, it does feel a bit… overindulgent. I enjoyed wearing it now, but I’d have to be in the mood for this level of sugar. It’s definitely a fragrance that I will wear again soon(ish) and if needed, will amend my thoughts. For now, thumbs up.