Hermitage Heritage
Krigler

Ok, this one is puzzling. It starts off almost chocolatey (actually, it's nutmeg) on my skin and then morphs into something citrus with, as the last reviewer, rogalal, a grape undertone (I also think that is the nutmeg). It's almost like a gourmand take on a Russian cologne, it's really very nice. It isn't sweet or cloying, it is just really pleasant, masculine, and different. There is nothing high pitched, metallic, or remotely synthetic going on here. It avoids smelling like lemon furniture polish but does have some supporting woods underneath.

This is really next level stuff, this is subtle and complex.

With that said, I would have liked it to have a bit more oomph. I guess for me, as I look at the scent pyramid on this, a few thigns jump out, and it starts to make a bit of sense now, the lemon, nutmeg, vanilla, and pepper, were all ingredients in my great-grandmother's recipe for apple strudel. These scents, for me anyway, seem to work well together. I also get a black tea accord here as well.

In short, it is round, no sharp edges, obviously high quality, and a very different take on a Russian cologne. It's really good!

A perfume dedicated to hermits?

Hermitage Heritage basically combines that really common grape smell you get in a LOT of mainstream aquatic or "woody amber" men's scents with traditional masculine powerhouse elements, heavy on green herbs and dark woods. The chypre base is thinner than I would have liked, especially for the price, but it's fine for what it is.

I've said this in other reviews of similar scents, notably Ulrich Lang's Anvers and Bond's Saks Fifth Ave for Him, but those grape topnotes are a total cliche, and the masculine herbal middle notes are as well, albeit in a retro way. But somehow they take something that should have been awful and actually make it work, and it's worth noting that Hermitage is the best of the pack. It's nothing to write home about, but pleasant and decent and perfect for work.