Green Valley
Creed (1999)

Green Valley by Creed (1999) is a fragrance from the period of Creed just before they broke huge with Creed Aventus (2010), but had stirred up some slow sustained buzz from Green Irish Tweed (1985) that carried them along through the 1990's. In fact, the popularity of Millésime Impérial (1995) - which at that time was simply called "Impérial" and listed "Millésime" to denote a special crop of naturals used in its making - inspired Creed to make similar "Millésime" batches of all its popular mens/unisex releases in the 4.0oz and 2.5oz bottles. Silver Mountain Water (1995), Royal Water (1997), and Green Valley would all get this labeling, while retroactively so would Green Irish Tweed, Bois du Portugal (1987), Erolfa (1992), and Neroli Sauvage (1994). Green Irish Tweed would end up in an all-black bottle, just like Himalaya (2002) and Original Vetiver (2004) would get solid color bottles (translucent or opaque) to match the solid gold of Millésime Impérial, solid white of Silver Mountain Water, and frosted clear bottles of Royal Water. Oddly, Tabaróme Millésime (2000) skipped this trend and introduced the cloth label other Creeds would later wear, while Green Valley (released just a year before it) would also imitate this "Millésime" appearance, and so would begin the "Millésime" period of Creed that ended pretty much with Original Santal (2005), the last fragrance released in a bottle to take this appearance at launch. Of all these so-called millésime fragrances, Green Valley is oddly the only one that died off and was vaulted, which automatically places it on a pedestal within the cabal of the Creedophiles. I think this was a mistake myself, as there really is nothing else like this out there either within the Creed canon or outside it, although it does touch upon a great many things Creed was releasing around the same time too.

The stuff does smell pretty damn good upon opening though, and I can understand some of the sadness from the Creed fan camp back in the day upon hearing of the stuff's vaulting. The concept of Green Valley is an homage to Olivier Creed's favorite golfing spot, rumored to not be far from the "Creed Workshop" (a nonexistent place to be sure because Olivier does not nor ever has composed fragrances himself), so expect a green, grassy, dewy chype-type experience with ghost perfumer Pierre Bourdon's signature stamps all over it (although he didn't perfume it). The opening is a brief smooth spearmint that sails over juniper, calone-1951, and some dihydromyrcenol tricks a la Green irish Tweed and Millésime Impérial combined, with a softer version of the former's violet leaf and iris ionone heart. A touch of lemon verbena is here too, minus the sandalwood vibes of Green or Green Irish Tweed since Green Valley brings some of the DNA Bourdon was developing with blackcurrant and pineapple notes over vanilla, but with a soapiness reminiscent of his Cabaret de Grès Homme (2004). Likewise, these fruity notes over a soft vanilla that would eventually fall into Aventus via Bourdon understudy Jean-Christophe Herault, are here flanked by elements found in Tabaróme Millésime, being ginger and ambroxan-powered Creed house "ambergris". All this combined makes Green Valley feel like a sharper contemporary of things like Gucci Envy for Men (1998) or Carven Homme (1999), both also coincidentally discontinued. I peg this one as derivative of Bourdon's work even if he didn't make it because this literally smells like a rejected mod minus the fig note from the brief for Davidoff Good Life (1998), plus has that genius balance between futuristic sheer wearability, and traditional French design we have mistakenly attributed unfairly to Olivier Creed for years. Performance is average however, so this is best in spring or summer as a casual scent.

My guess is Green Valley just crossed too many streams with other Creed products for its own good, plus having a focus on green right as excedingly green masculines were slipping out of vogue, probably put a short shelf-life on the stuff. The violet and vanilla vibes similar to Dior Fahrenheit (1988) also made Green Valley feel too mature for the audience it sought to reach, even if presented in a much softer and more amiable context, making a poor argument into the 2000's as a modern fragrance at a time when Creed sought to distance itself (in vain) from the old-money vibes it had accumulated with releases like Baie de Genièvre (1982). Just as it slowly swept all the eau de toilette fragrances made before the popularity of the "Millésime" releases under the rug, so too did Creed eventually stick Green Valley in the forget-me-folder and soldier on with parts of its DNA in Aventus, the fragrance that today we see in hindsight as a scent almost custom-tailored to make Creed as a brand successful enough to give the scam artist and son team their exit strategy from the corrupt smoke and mirrors world of modern "haute parfum" they helped create. As for Green Valley itself, there is little else like it out there, although if you want just the sharp green elements of the opening and don't mind a little floral remix in the heart replacing the fruit, vanilla, and ginger, Bond No. 9 Gramercy Park (2003) will get you there. Also, people like to say Dunhill Icon Racing (2017) is close to this, and they couldn't be more full of crap than Olivier Creed himself when he tells you 4000 year-old techniques were used to make this perfume. In a nutshell, this is a very weirdly green and sharp fragrance that smells like an evolutionary dead end, while also paradoxically hinting at what was to come by way of its smoother, fruitier qualities into the dry down. A real hard one to nail for sure, Green Valley is ultimately not worth the near $2000 price bottles command second-hand today. Thumbs Up

The opening of Green Valley reminds me much more of Millesime Imperial than it does of Green Irish Tweed. A lot of saltiness which I remember being a huge part of MI. I must add that it's been a while since I wore MI, but from memory, Green Valley smells like a green version of MI with blackcurrant instead of the melon note in MI. As this dries down I can smell a correlation to Silver Mountain Water as well without the tea note that stands out in SMW. I am enjoying the dry down phases of Green Valley more than the opening. This is a nice fresh green scent that I'd own if I could get a bottle at a decent price, but that seems unlikely given it's discontinued status.

An interesting "golf" inspired formulation from the mind of Olivier Creed.

Green Valley is not a totally distinctive fragrance, but it smells really nice nonetheless. GV has a typical citrus-ginger combo that is amped up considerably by black currant (one of four critical notes shared with Silver Mountain Water, which - unsuprisingly - resembles Green Valley). Creed's ambergris accord is taken up a notch with the presence of musk in the base.

I'd classify Green Valley as a fresh, citrus-fruity-spicy scent with a healthy dose of amber/ambergris/musk. It's a step up from Silver Mountain Water, if you want more "heft" from that very similar Creed fragrance.

Refreshing and masculine, long-lasting and just a wonderful scent to wear for most casual occasions at any time of day or night all year long.

Creed has some nice fragrances , but there's a lot I haven't had a chance to sample yet...To give you an idea of my favorite Creeds , I have full bottles of Acier Aluminium , Orange Spice , and Bois de Portugal...so you can see where my main tastes lie...now that I've smelled this ultra green citrusy beauty I'm very sad that it's discontinued and going for big bucks because I would have loved to get at least a 30ml split...totally agree with other observations that this is kind of like a blend of GIT and SMW and/or MI...has that overall aura and air about it that , when you smell it , you can right away identify it as a Creed...bottom line - Aromatic Citrus Green

A very hyped and elusive discontinued Creed fragrance, Green Valley is, as it is generally described, a fresh green fragrance with elements of mint and juniper. I don't really get much as far as the listed ginger note, as I'd usually find it cloying enough to ruin the fragrance if used in any great quantity. The drydown has the signature Creed ambergris/musk combination and is pleasant as usual.

As expected for a Creed warm-weather-friendly fragrance, Green Valley is not especially powerful with respect to projection or longevity, but it certainly has enough of both, on par with their other entries in this broad category.

Certainly an interesting try and nice freshie, but not worth the exorbitant cost one would expect in order to acquire a full bottle, Green Valley is a solid entry in the Creed empire and I can see how some might love it enough to need it.

A basic search shows only one offer on eBay for $250 for 30ml, so pricing is pretty steep nowadays.

7 out of 10

Future Jason:

In the early go, this is kind of like one of your nephews got into the juice locker, and played chemistry set with Imperial and GIT. Again, in the early go, those nephews seem to have created something nice. The first hour includes a bit of the "money" smell from Imperial, a lot of the fresh and green stuff from GIT, and a some X-factor that you're tempted to leave unnamed. But since you're bad at that, let's say that it's in the neighborhood of barbershop or skittles. Maybe both.

Later, many of the interesting things fade, and you're left with more of the barbershop, and a bit of the green, and less of the money-skittles. Which means that it gets a bit boring. Which makes you wonder what strange fetishes you have yet to discover about yourself that may include currency and candy. Note to self: explore this and report back to Basenotes.

This would probably be appropriate for many situations, and is interesting enough in the early go for very occasional wear. Unlikely to be a staple.

One of the better green synthetic smelling fragrances I smelled in a while. This has a light pine or mint with a synthetic green note that works perfect. Has a slight retro vibe, and this will get noticed in a good way. Love at first spray. 8/10

I'd like to think of this fragrance as a fusion between different Creeds, specifically Silver Mountain Water, and Tabarome Millesime. The overall scent has some similarities to Green Irish Tweed and Selection Verte although the notes breakdown is different save for the ambergris. Some of the notes from these other scents I mentioned (SMW and TM) were used into making Green Valley. In the opening I detected citrus, bergamont, and black currant which gave off a fresh citrusy green opening. Even though these notes weren't listed, I also got some violetleaf and herbal notes. It's kind of like a green version of Silver Mountain Water. In the mid, the citrus and bergamont started to fade while the ginger, ambergris, and musk begin to creep into the front. At this point the scent began to smell less natural and more synthetic smelling. This is where I find direct comparison to Tabarome Millesime because of the strong ginger/ambergris/musk drydown. Towards the end, I want to say it was a little bit powdery and sweet perhaps a dab of vanilla and tonka bean notes were added in the composition of the scent. The scent lasted about six hours, with silage being moderate for the first several hours before staying closer to the skin. This would be good daytime scent preferably for the spring and summer months. Wonderful scent from Creed!

The ambergris/musk warms up the subtle Irish Spring smell and it lasts a good number of hours [added note: berries came a few hours later. Good longevity]. It's a little like Silver Mountain Water but stronger. I detect a little ginger as well in the background and citrus/berry. I actually think this could be worn all year. Green Valley is clean warm citrus bergamot berry musk.

Green Valley is a perky, herbaceous-fruity twist on the ever-congenial, if not terribly original “Millésime” formula that Creed exploited previously in scents like Green Irish Tweed, Millésime Imperial, and Silver Mountain Water. It also borrows cues from the highly-regarded but hard-to-find Sélection Verte, particularly the mint, basil, and grassy top notes. Green Valley is more bitter-green in flavor than Green Irish Tweed, which may be its closest relation in the Creed lineup. It eschews most of the “aquatic” notes employed by Millésime Imperial and Silver Mountain Water, which leaves it smelling incidentally more rounded and natural. It's also less instantly recognizable than Green Irish Tweed, which may appeal to anyone who thinks Creed's best-seller is tainted by overexposure.

On the downside, Green Valley's overall fruity green physiognomy is still very close to the scads of drab Green Irish Tweed imitators, so it doesn't necessarily offer individuality in proportion to its quality. If you've got a bunch of fruity green fougères in your wardrobe already, you probably don't need Green Valley, but it does represent its genre well, providing you can live with mediocre longevity.

Not for me. I want my greens with more emphasis on the plant material and less on the fruit and spice. This Green Valley has citrus, ginger, and blackcurrent, and a musk/ambergris base, according to Creed. Why would it smell like a meadow or a golf course? AFAIAK, that would smell like grass. Yes, it's cool, but it's not green to me.

The Bond No.9 prototype Green, fruity, synthetic with surprisingly good projection. Smells alot like Millesime Imperial, albeit with that weirdly chemical or plasticky fruity green note grafted on top. I don't know if I should spray it on or call in the HazMat team. But hang on a minute.... Bond No.9 just called. They want their prototype back. Pros: Right up your alley ...if you're into neon-colored tights.Cons: Neon-colored tights.