Brutus
Orto Parisi (2014)

Brutus isn’t just another patchouli scent—it takes the note in a unique direction by adding animalic nuances, muskiness, and an almost dirty, savory edge. “Musty” might be another fitting word. The sweetness here mostly comes from the musk and amber rather than any added sugary or gourmand elements, unlike Patchouli Leaves by Montale. You won’t find any chocolatey patchouli facets, and there’s less of that earthy, wet-soil vibe you might expect.

It’s a tricky scent to describe because it really does feel distinctive. There’s something carnal about it—perhaps from the animalic musk—but it never crosses into being offensive. It’s not animalic in the way Figment Man by Amouage is, which can feel like fresh, wet potting soil. Brutus is more restrained, yet still unapologetic. It’s the kind of scent you wear with confidence.

While it’s technically unisex, it leans slightly masculine. Compared to Pardon, which is more woody and lacks the musky component, Brutus relies heavily on musk—it’s a defining part of the composition. Many call it a patchouli scent, but I think the musk shares, if not steals, the spotlight. Patchouli feels more like one supporting player among others rather than the star. As Ketoret put it perfectly: “Musky but not animalic.” Performance is solid—nothing to complain about. Definitely worth sampling, but I’d avoid blind-buying this one. While I do think it's an interesting and well-blended scent, it leans a bit too heavy on the musk for my personal taste. I think I'll just stick with Patchouli Leaves if I want my fix of patchy earthiness.

I sometimes entertain the idea that Brutus is a “take” on Guerlain’s Heritage and Vetiver — an imagined Ides of March against JPG, so to speak. It blends the elegance of Heritage and the timeless masculinity of Vetiver with Gualtieri’s penchant for the corporal or “carnal”. This is all done in a very intriguing way that I don’t always find to be the case with his work for Orto Parisi.

Performance is more civilised than most other Orto Parisis too, a plus for me personally. Big thumbs up, a modern classic methinks, quite underrated too.

Absolutely beautiful in my opinion, one of my favorite patchouli fragrances.

This is a cousin of Black Afgano and Pardon but stands on its own.

Performance is good.

Back up bottle worthy for me.

9/10

Smells like Nasomatto Pardon with the smoky char aspect removed to create an ultra sensuous fragrance. Alrhough without the char this does now highly resemble Guerlain's fantatic LIDGE

Absolutely beautiful scent. Comparisons to Black Afgano are unwarranted. More delicate and nuansed fragrance with perfect balance of gritty, dark, with sweet and spicy.

Luxe. Spicy. Wood but not dry sawdust. On the bulls-eye for this category. Musky but not animal. Refined without being too round and lacking in angles and definite scent. I want to put a lot of this on; do not think it is in danger of being overpowering. I would wear this to the office day after day. If I got invited somewhere really up/noble/even stuffy, I would reach for this.