As a child, I spent lots of weekends and summer holidays with my grandparents, Oma and Opa. The youngest of 3 grandchildren, I always had a special bond with my Oma and Opa. I loved spending time with them, learning from their wisdom and hearing all of their stories. Opa and I used to stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning, we'd watch nature shows and he'd tell me all about his life growing up as a child and teenage during WWII and about his struggles as an immigrant to Canada in the early 1950s, a country where he couldn't speak the language.
I looked up to my Oma and Opa, they were the kind of people I wanted to become when I was their age. Opa was a well put together older man; a man who dressed sharp, was always well groomed and smelled immaculate. Opa's two favourite fragrances were Brut and Old Spice. Whenever I was over, I would always sneak a few splashes so that I could smell amazing and gentlemanly just like him. To a young and impressionable me, Opa was the pinnacle of masculinity and smelled exactly how a refined, mature man should smell.
My Opa passed away recently and whenever I smell Brut (or Old Spice), I immediately think about him, it feels like I have a part of him still here with me. A few sprays of Brut and I'm transported back to my childhood and all of the wonderful memories that he and I shared together come flooding back. On days when I really miss him, I grab my bottle of Brut and put on a couple of sprays so it feels like he's right there with me.
As for the scent itself, chances are you know the smell of it even if you've never had a bottle. Brut is a classic barbershop, aftershave-style, aromatic fougere. Lavender is the driving force of the scent backed up by a dose of powder, tonka, anise and a touch of citruses (only in the opening). If you've never worn Brut but have had Clubman Pinaud, you have a pretty good idea of what Brut smells like, although, in my opinion Clubman smells cheaper and brasher. Brut does smell inexpensive; and maybe that's
I keep a full beard and rarely shave any part of my cheeks or neck, but when I do I toss on some Brut aftershave and spray on Brut Special Reserve and bask in its sweet, powdery, barbershop goodness.
One thing I'd like to note is that if you plan to buy a bottle of it today, I highly recommend you skip the bottle of aftershave or EDC available in a plastic bottle at your local drugstore and instead order a bottle of the "Special Reserve". It's about the same cost from discounters and smells far better. The plastic EDC bottle in particular smells awful, a chemical and synthetic mess that barely manages to capture any of the true spirit of Brut. I picked up a bottle of it last year to give to Opa but it was so bad I hucked it in the trash and ordered him a bottle of Special Reserve instead. If you've tried Old Spice since it went into the plastic bottle it's the exact same kind of mess as that. The Special Reserve may not smell as incredible as the vintage stuff from the 60s, but it does a really good job of capturing the feel of classic Brut and is an absolute bargain at its price.
They better keep making this stuff because I don't want to go through this world without a bottle of Brut at my side.
10/10
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