Join the Club : Don
Xerjoff (2013)

The bitter and sharp aroma of whiskey on that artificial woody base that we've seen before in fragrances such as Black Afgano and Straight to Heaven. There is also a sweetness in it, but it does not become the dominant accord; It reminds me of the fuzzy sweetness of PK's Cafe Diem. Even the smell of its whiskey is also similar to Cafe Diem. So we have a fragrance that is woody like Black Afgano and sweet-boozy like Cafe Diem. With a pitch-like darkness. Perhaps, in its opening, notes such as gunpowder and the smell of money can be mentally picked up.
I personally give this a neutral rating. For two reasons: First, the scent is not original and there have been many similar ones before it. And secondly, I basically can't communicate to such rugged woody scents.

Xerjoff Don, from the Join the Club collection, is a 2013 release inspired by the mob/mafia that has very interesting notes of gunpowder, spun sugar, tobacco, and whiskey. It’s sharp and sweet, but with some boozy, tobacco-laden depth as well, and particularly with the gunpowder note, feels very unique. I’ve not smelled such a note in fragrance before, and its contrast with the spun sugar accord makes for a great intersection of “opposites” in concert with the mandatory mob contributors of whiskey and tobacco in the background.

I’d argue that Don leans masculine, but that it’s not too dark means that it feels a bit more accessible than it otherwise might be, not being quite as intense overall as, say, the first main release from Dua Fragrance, The Mobster, but with leather and some other weight to it. I really like Don for this reason, in carving out a distinction from other similarly-inspired scents. Think also of Wiseguys Vegas Cologne, quite differently a bit of a Pure Havane-esque sweet cherried and honeyed tobacco inspiration. Don lands somewhere in between—sweet, but sharp, with some edges, a little bit of depth, but not too much darkness.

Don is sold seemingly mostly through secondary markets like discount sites, at least in the US, like the reliable FragranceX, FragranceNet, and Max Aroma, but it does not appear to be for sale through official/standard retail means (correct me if I’m wrong). Pricing for the 100ml size runs around $200, with a 50ml size also being available, so it’s in a pretty good spot, pricing-wise, under the $2/ml mark at the 100ml size.

Overall, I love this fragrance, as it’s creative but wearable and is a fun realization of an interesting (even if perhaps often-used) concept, and it performs well.

8 out of 10

Upon spraying, this is only alcohol. Then it opens with spices of the white pepper type and white paper as well. It stays quite light. Like others from this line, I would say it would traditionally fit men better than women.

to my nose, primarily a tobacco fragrance...aromatic and light...the gunpowder i get whiffs of is like it was the 4th of July and someone down the street just blew off a pack of firecrackers and the soft summer breeze just kinda wafted some your way...boozy sweetness...bears a very strong resemblance to Amouage's Journey Man...so similar , to my nose , that i would have to flip a coin to decide between the two or see which one I could find for a better price...all on all , not one of Xerjoff's standouts, bit if you like tobacco , you might like this unusual take on it...and , i suppose , i can kind of see the attempt at the smell of money...valiant effort...

Classy fragrance with some really innovative notes! Xerjoff's Join the Clun: Don has a high-class quality to it, reflected in such unusual notes as woody-sweet whiskey, molasses, gunpowder (taking the mob-boss imagery real far here!), money (truly the smell of old paper money - how did they figure that one out!), spun sugar (not listed above), and excellent tobacco note!

This is one of the more adventurous, outside-the-box creations from Xerjoff that smells like I'd expect: Seethy, sublime, opulent, rich, and bold. This is all done with the expert weaving of the notes, creating a composite scenario that is sweet, woody, smoky, metallic, boozy, and dark!

Probably not a universal scent that would appeal most contemporary "pop" fragrance customers. It's an impressionistic piece like only a daring, niche maker like Xerjoff could pull off. VERY interesting, and worth a sample if nothing else.