Malin + Goetz is a brand that I (wrongly) only associate with skincare and body care, but they have reasonably sized fragrance line that is unconventional enough not to be overlooked. The Dark Rum perfume oil ended up in my possession, and just like I expected, it is the right amount of unexpected.
This is one that is hard to imagine. It is deep and sweet, but at the same time it keeps its distance from food notes just enough for me not to categorize it as a gourmand scent. It is also spicy and masculine, but not enough that it would be foreign on a woman – it is a truly unisex perfume, if I’ve ever smelled one. It is intense, intoxicating, borderline sickening. Not for the faint of heart.
To help you imagine what this might smell like, take a look at the notes, because I feel like they are very elucidative to the final scent result:
- top notes: bergamot, plum + anise;
- middle: leather, rum + vanilla;
- base: patchouli, amber + milk.
The notes I notice the less are the bergamot and plum – the only top note I can really detect is the anis, and I think that’s the one that truly pulls the spice and the sweetness together. There a very light green note just as it’s freshly applied, and that might be the bergamot, but the leather comes punching through as soon as it dries down and that freshness becomes such a faint memory that I’m not even sure it was there to begin with.
The leather is so strong it’s almost smokey, and it’s the best thing about the perfume for me. Along side it and throughout the full wear time, there is a strong spice note, but there is a uncommon creaminess to it. It’s certainly that amber and milk combination at work, and I commend Malin + Goetz for such an inconspicuous but lovely pair.
What I don’t really notice, though, is the rum. It’s not that obvious, and I’m wondering if it would be more evident on the eau de parfum version of this scent since it contains alcohol and might give it that more “boozy” note.
Sillage is large and lasting power is Apocalypse-deffiant, so wear with caution. You’ll still have it on your skin the next day. Malin + Goetz offers most fragrances in both formats (eau de parfum and perfume oil), and although I only tried this one, I can tell you from experience that eau de parfums have a lower longevity due to alcohol evaporating quickly.
This is fragrant that I’ll keep on my rotation and use with parsimony, but I’m happy to have something so atypical and distinctive in my collection.
