The Alchemist's Garden : 1921
Gucci (2021)

Is this really how Gucci wanted to celebrate their 100th anniversary, by issuing another tired and overpriced take on eau de cologne? Well, I guess so. I'm getting pretty tired of reviewing these too, so I'll make this quick. 1921 by Gucci (2021) is for the "spare no expense" type willing to overpay for a neroli fragrance that tries to extend the eau de cologne to that of an eau de toilette or beyond. The problem is, 1921 doesn't even try to do what Bond No. 9 Eau de New York (2004) or Penhaligon's Castile (1998) does, by adding something in to extend the experience. They call this a chypre too, although all it really had to its name is a speck of oakmoss. Sad.

So the opening is neroli, citron, lemon verbena, and some sage. Good stuff so far. The neroli joins geranium in the heart, and a bit of hedione for good measure, then the base of oakmoss, patchouli, and Iso E Super takes it away. That's it folks. This goes on skin and is all over in maybe four hours tops. Tom Ford Neroli Portofino (2011) somehow manages to smell richer and longer-lasting than this, which is a complete joke. Morillas really just recycles his own work again on the quick, using the neroli accords from Bvlgari Man Wood Neroli (2019), tossing in some other stuff and then somehow making it weaker despite the upcharge.

I mean sure, if you're absolutely in love with The Alchemist's Garden, and you sit in your little penthouse suite to play with the overpriced essential oils that were the original concept for the line (that didn't even make it a year before these full perfume catalog padders came along), I guess this is another one to toss on the pile. For anyone looking to buy a seriously-lasting luxury take on the eau de cologne, where something from a niche brand won't do, then you can at least check out something from Chanel or Dior at this price point, since their stuff will get you past four hours and not feel like 4711 poured into a fancier bottle. Disgraceful. Thumbs down

I love the lemon verbena and oakmoss combination in this fragrance. It gives off a green, mossy vibe right from the opening, making you feel like you're in a garden. However, it's disappointing that the scent is quite linear and doesn't last very long. Overall, I would give this fragrance a neutral rating due to its poor performance.

Update, mid-August, 2021:I cannot explain why or how, but over the last two weeks, the longevity of this scent has improved markedly. I am now getting 3-4 hours of moderate projection and 6-8 hours of total longevity in sweltering heat and humidity rather like standing in a steak shower. Since my prior reservations about 1921 were performance related, I have revised my rating to a thumbs up. This really is a lovely dry citrus fragrance.

Original Review: Summer in the tropics, where I find myself at the moment, is a time of high heat and intense humidity. These conditions usually cause me to experience big upswing in projection and longevity from my fragrances, which is a good thing because daytime in this climate calls for light hesperdic fragrances which usually disappear fast in more temperate conditions. I say all of the foregoing to preface my disappointment with 1921. I do not expect extended duration from citrus scents like 1921, but the almost instant disappearance of this scent from my skin is shocking. Even in the conditions in August in Port Vila, I can barely detect this fragrance 45 minutes after spraying it. It is immediately a skin scent with virtually zero projection and, by the end of hour 1, neither I nor anyone else can detect the scent even with noses pressed to the point of application.
When you consider the price charged for the fragrances in the Alchemist's Garden line (something like $325 for 100 ml--I bought this bottle in Dubai, from one of the Gucci botiques, but the currency conversion is pretty accurate as of the date I am writing this review), this abysmal performance is simply unacceptable.
This fact is a true shame because while it hangs around, the scent is great. Nice, dry citron undergirded by verbena, which ironically is, I think, intended as a fixative, resolved into a lightly citrus neroli before the base brings a good impersonation of another non-functional fixative--oak moss. The packaging is as superb as the smell--as with all of the scents from this product range. Spraying my clothes (something I don't typically do) helps longevity a bit, but not very much.
The smell is so good, that I am giving this fragrance a neutral, but anyone with even the most minimal concerns about projection and duration in their fragrances should avoid 1921. In fact, anyone who isn't a big Gucci fan and collector probably will not have much interest in this fragrance.