Custom by Alfred Dunhill

Heat, sweetness, and resin with a smoky and leather touch; it vibrates like testosterone but feels a bit old-school. It performs well but doesn’t project much, which doesn’t matter if it’s for a date with a solidified partner where you expect to be at close range or skin-to-skin (7/10).

First off, the British house Alfred Dunhill has a solid reputation and doesn’t produce trash or clones. Second, the Custom Dunhill is an amber, smoky, oriental scent—somewhat heavy, dark, and intentional for a niche audience, eminently masculine, nocturnal, and winter-appropriate. It’s incensed but tamed, offering no heavy challenges for the wearer; it doesn’t smell like cathedral incense or herbal smoke for eight hours. It’s versatile, affordable, featuring spiced apple with a constant incense base and a light woody touch lasting about 4-5 hours. Yes, I know the performance is short, but what can we do, guys? As the designer market stands today, it’s still a decent steal. Asking for more at this price point is almost an abuse. I won’t compare it to hyped fragrances selling for 80-90 euros to avoid offending anyone. All in all, I don’t expect more from this Dunhill Custom with its 4-5 hour runtime. It feels more like a scent for hangouts and formal business meetings for men over 40 rather than for pubs or clubs where you want it to last 7-8 hours. It’s not the typical cheap clone of hyped seasonal fragrances or the ultra-expensive niche scents from Abu Dhabi that many YouTubers brag about. It’s a dark scent without heavy leather, earthy patchouli-vetiver, gross ouds, buttery iris, or weird niche floral gimmicks. I don’t recommend buying blind to avoid disappointment, nor paying more than 50-60 bucks for the 100ml bottle, especially since prices for some brands like Don Simón are creeping up.

The performance is very weak. The smell isn’t bad, but it’s neither new nor standout. It’s very linear and fades quickly to skin level, a kind of watery ‘the one’. I don’t notice that crisp apple note at the beginning.

The Alfred Dunhill Custom is a spiced woody fragrance with a fruity touch sitting atop a lovely incense base. It opens dark and fresh, anchored by cedar that bridges the incense and English apple, creating a sweet, mature aura. It reminds me a lot of Baldessarini’s Ambre, which I like, but I prefer this Custom, which I found for around $25. Here’s why: in the Ambre, as it dries down, the base notes become too dark and overpower the heart and dry-down, losing the nuances of the first three hours, perhaps due to a very young cedar that drowns out its companions. In contrast, the Custom maintains the apple’s sweetness with minimal variation; once fully developed, it simply loses its initial acidity to settle slightly lower than its opening. It’s a fragrance with few evolutions but very stable. You need to overapply to get the best performance in scent, longevity, and projection. Being cheaper than the Ambre, it works well for the office and semi-formal occasions. Its best use is on rainy days, autumn, and winter.

Bought it blind based on Fragrantica reviews because I love the notes (except apple), but I got a massive letdown. I had high expectations that were crushed. It smells good and I like it, but I can’t find the cedar, pepper, or frankincense; it’s just apple with a hint of the rest. On my skin, it’s linear, smelling like spiced roasted apple over a… woody? Is this really cedar? What a soft wood, almost imperceptible; I wouldn’t even call it wood. The drydown is nearly the same, just the apple loses sweetness and becomes drier and smokier, with an ashy grayish vibe that isn’t unpleasant but just not my taste. I expected a spiced, woody incense with fruity nuances, and there’s nothing of that. It’s a very youthful, fruity, and spicy perfume, that’s it. A simple perfume that smells good and nothing more. Luckily I grabbed the 50ml bottle on sale and it was cheap; otherwise, it would have hurt my wallet for a week. Performance is laughable, about 4 hours, with a trail stuck to the skin almost from the start, except for the first 10 minutes which could be moderate. I see it for warm and temperate climates, arbitrary use, day or night; its softness and low projection make it versatile. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend it, unless it’s for a teenager who just wants to smell good and doesn’t care about the rest; in that case, it’s good, but for those who know their stuff, it’s dispensable.

Seemed like an elegant fragrance for autumn and winter, with medium trail and good longevity. Very rich, the combination of apple and frankincense.

What a letdown; I expected more from this fragrance; blind buys don’t always hit the mark. The apple note is very prominent and the frankincense is almost imperceptible. It reminds me of some aftershave. Longevity is 2-3 hours and it fades away after a while, sticking to the skin. The best part is its price, but I recommend trying it before spending.

I like the fragrance, especially the combination of incense, red apple, and pepper. Those three notes are easy to detect: red apple, a hint of incense, and a light pepper touch (smoky and sweet apple). Ideal for autumn and winter, it stands out much more, and its longevity is good at 5 hours; I can still smell it on my skin after getting home. It has similarities to Hugo Boss Bottled, Baldessarini Ambre, and DKNY Be Delicious For Men. In short, for the approximate $50 it costs, it’s a magnificent little perfume to wear if you’re into Hugo Boss Bottled; this is in the same ballpark but more modern.