I am an avid wetshaver. What that means is I eschew the modern vibrating multi-blade razors for the old double edge razor blade. It is just like the one my dad taught me to shave on. Just like so many enthusiasms there is a lively Internet forum devoted to everything to do with wetshaving, Badger and Blade. I spend most of my time lurking there, rarely posting. I am always interested in the fragrances that are lauded in this community. In many ways I think of this list of fragrances as the ones further towards the masculine side of the fragrance spectrum. Besides the usual suspects from Guerlain, YSL, and Acqua di Parma there is a small niche brand which also shows up often in the discussion, Czech and Speake.

Czech and Speake was founded in 1979 as a producer of bathroom fixtures in England. A year later they would begin producing fragrance. I remember doing a search for Czech and Speake and seeing the bathroom fixture description under the link in the results and went back to check my spelling. Once I finally clicked through I discovered one of my favorite rose fragrances in No. 88 and one of my favorite tobacco scents in Cuba. Truly the whole line is very good and there isn’t a dud in it. The only thing that was tough is they weren’t producing new fragrances; until now.

As we entered the fall I heard a rumor that Czech and Speake was going to be adding their first new fragrance since 2003 and it was going to be a vetiver based fragrance. As we moved further into the fall some of the UK based members of the internet forums got a chance to try Vetiver Vert and the verdict was it was good and in some of those early tester’s words it was spectacular. It was hard to patiently bide my time until I received my sample. My anticipation was rewarded and this new addition is going to easily fit in with its predecessors.

Vetiver Vert starts off with a very classic citrus combination of mandarin and bergamot. This adds a classic cologne-like beginning. The promised “Vert” arrives with an intense galbanum note in the heart. Up until now Vetiver Vert was working the “nice but not amazing” vibe. Then the laurel showed up. The laurel is the inspired note in this composition. If lavender had been the choice Vetiver Vert would have stayed less interesting. Laurel is a similar kind of floral note to lavender in that it doesn’t feel so sweet as to feel feminine. Instead it adds an almost herbal floralcy and with the galbanum fully present, it tilts that herbal quality more to the foreground. The vetiver is paired with sandalwood and they are the last notes to arrive. The great majority of the time on my skin Vetiver Vert was a fragrant quartet of the last four notes and they are a uniquely pleasant combination.

Vetiver Vert has above average longevity and average sillage.

Often the name on the label fails to deliver what is promised, in the case of Vetiver Vert the galbanum and the vetiver live up to the name. This amazing composition also lives up to the legacy of the other name on the bottle and I expect this to become a hit in both the wetshaving and fragrance communities.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Czech and Speake.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor