Reviews of Sandalwood Cologne by Geo F Trumper

Errrr -- where's the sandalwood? It's a very leaden, clammy leathery floral on me and just sort of lays there like a lump, not sparking or moving anywhere. If you want sandalwood there are several others that fit the bill much better. I don't like this at all and I find the rest of the Trumper range that I've tested very disappointing (with the honourable exception of Eau de Quinine).Kaern

TRUMPER – SANDALWOOD (2002)

For the second year in a row Trumper brought out a new scent to honor an event. In 2001 their GFT marked Trumper's 125th anniversary. In 2001, their Sandalwood acknowledged Queen Elizabeth II's golden jubilee year.

I had tried it in December of 2007 and at that time my uneducated nose could only detect the sandalwood, not the other 13 notes. I dubbed it decent but uninspired and gave it a neutral review. Now 13 years later I come back to it. The 37 reviews to date are a mixed lot with 24 positive and 13 either neutral or negative.

It begins very spicy indeed, perhaps cinnamon and nutmeg I detect. There is a sweet amber and vanilla accord, which slowly emerges, making it at this point very gourmand. I want to bite into a chewy, spicy pastry bar with crunchy almonds. I really don't detect the sandalwood at this point. The very light floral bouquet of jasmine, rose, carnation and geranium lends a powdery effect, as if a rosy clove water were added to the pastry mix.

Eventually, the sandalwood comes forward, but it has to do battle with the gourmand/floral elements, holding its own, but coming late to the party as it does, it is a bit of a let down.

My spouse did not care for it at all. His opinion of it was that it was more of a soft, powdery floral than a sandalwood scent.

To sum up, I find it a very pleasant gourmand scent with vanilla and spice at the core. I can change my review to a thumbs up gladly, although I will still wonder at the name choice of Sandalwood for this creation. It is more Turkish Delight to my nose.

I purchased this product blind and had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, I can really make out the Patchouli in it, which isn't a fragrance that I'm real fond of, so I'm not sure how much I'll wear it. If only the sandalwood were a little more prominent...

Geo F. Trumper Sandalwood is probably the creamiest, most complex and refined fragrance i've ever experienced. It's just nothing short of mind-blowing from first spritz to the long-lasting drydown. Worth every penny of its asking price.

I really don't know what to make of this. This is a nice men's-fragrance-like-fragrance, but I just couldn't bring myself to like it. The opening to me is a chaotic mix of sweet citrus floral which I find slightly nauseating. If applied very lighly from Trumper's official sample vial w/ applicator this forms a tolerable scent that I can wear, but using one full applicator stroke on each wrist I find it too sweet and cloying. The dry-down is the better part of this. While it is still nothing I find to be true sandalwood, it does approximate a sweet "sandalwood accord", which I find to be a fragment of actual sandalwood. Once the choas passes this does become quite nice, and the lasting power is pretty good, which may or may not be a good thing.

Sandalwood Cologne (SC) is said to be Trumpers most sensual and complex offering. While it is a very well made fragrance with high quality ingredients, it comes up a bit short in terms of versatility and quantity of sandalwood in its composition.SC opens with cracking notes of bergamot, lavender, herbs and spices. The opening is so good that if SC stayed linear after these wonderful top notes, it would easily qualify as a top tier fragrance. However, SC is composed of two halves. The less appealing half reveals itself midway through the floral heart. The floral midnotes reveal a pleasing yet slightly sweet accent to the proceedings. Note that so far, theres no sign of sandalwood. SC is flying high purely on the supporting notes cast. Good, but not what we were promised. The basenotes are rich and sweet - lots of vanilla, amber and patchoulli, with hints of sandalwood. The sandalwood is drowned by tons of vanilla here - it might as well be called "Vanilla Cologne". SC is a rich, extremely creamy sandalwood fragrance - with little sandalwood. I find that a little goes a long way, and that it wears better during winters. It can get quite cloying at times. If you like sweet fragrances, SC would be right up your alley. However, sandalwood aficionados will likely be disappointed by SC; like Creeds Original Santal, it contains little sandalwood. However, I find this one to be less wearable than Original Santal. Sandalwood Cologne is good - but it really doesnt play in the same league as other sandalwood heavyweights.

The citrus, then herbs, and then spice are the first guests to arrive at this party. They are a masculine group dominated by the smooth, warm spices and a lavender that pushes and stresses the accord simply to keep its energy flowing. These notes are very suave, and exhibit, most Britishly, their impeccable manners and breeding while maintaining a relaxed in / formality. The later arrival of the softer, rounder, more curvaceous florals adds multitudes of depth and interest–they are so accommodating and subtle. They bud, blossom, and bloom with lustrous grace, and they bring a sensual intensity as well as full depth to the guest list. All the while there are only fleeting glimpses of Sandalwood, the honored guest, a not-so-sure sighting of him in one corner or another. It is, of course, a good party without him, but the reason I came to this soirée is simply…to meet the honored guest. Eventually I do become aware of his presence. And he is so much more (and less) than can be imagined: velvety, rippleless, and abundantly creamy; but where is the dash, the élan, the sharp elegance and ethereal exoticism that he is so famous for? I guess he didn't bring it to THIS party...Trumper's Sandalwood is a great scent and it exhibits a different take on sandalwood. At first I wasn't too impressed with the actual notes and accords. I tend to prefer the drier, sharper, more airy versions of sandalwood, and I was, frankly, disappointed–I thought that this was too smooth and creamy for me. But after wearing Sandalwood a half dozen times, I came to really love its performance in real life situations. This is such a competent and elegant performer. Seamlessly smooth–perfect sillage–incredible progression of interesting accords–great longevity–an interesting take on sandalwood. For sandalwood I still prefer the sharper, drier version as in Etro's Sandalo, for instance, but Trumpers Sandalwood is one great fragrance–I'm a convert.

As far as scnets with "sandalwood" in the name go, this one has a pretty subtle and hidden sandalwood note. This isn't a bad thing, however, if you don't get it expecting another Tam Dao. As others have said, the opening notes start out a rather jumbled mess. For a few minutes it has a sweet/sour note that smells a bit synthetic and very out of place. But, as a chess player set his pieces on a board, the notes quickly organize themselves and start to make some sense. The citrus subsides, and you are left with a floral oriental type smell. Soon after, the florals fade, and some light sandalwood and leather (a sweet, subtle, heavenly barely perceptible leather) takes it place. There it stays, a subtle and not too sweet (i'm very sensitive to sweetness, but this one is one of the rare few that work) brew of magical "citrus-leather-sandalwood harmony".

These days, there are no sandalwood scents which are really built around good quality natural sandalwood oil in any quantity, as the stuff is in very short supply. This means that sandalwood scents are either "impressions" of the precious stuff or full of the synthetic replacements which can smell fantastic but cannot really replicate the true oil.Trumpers have taken an interesting approach - they have chosen to "stretch" aspects of the sandalwood accord out in various diections - sour, spicy, sweet, creamy - exaggerating each facet around the small but good quality sandalwood note which sits right at the centre. Lemon, sweet orange, spices and rose, vanilla, milky aldehydes and much more acheive this. This works very well for me.Sandalwood Cologne is somewhat reminiscent of Egoiste, but lacking the "chanel" aldehyde attack up front. It is very complex and well composed, and fits the Trumpers tradition well. The level of complexity puts it alongside their Spanish Leather. It is long lasting and has beautiful evolution. The sillage is controlled and makes it very wearable.Excellent.

A wonderful long-lasting Sandalwood fragrance, that is the epitome of the idea of the evolving fragrance. This one morphs at least three or four times over the course of a day. This stays interesting in my book precisely because of its very capacity to naturally and ineluctably evolve. On me, the final touch is the best, a woody yet very clean and not too sweet carnation smell that I just love. Villoresi makes a carnation fragrance that is too feminine for me, but the carnation closing of this is brilliant and helps me feel fresh well into the day, regardless of whether things go well or not. This is pretty much a "must have" mens fragrance for the Anglophile and the sandalwood lover. Hurry, many US purveyors run out and can't seem to get it for long stretches of time.

Absolutely wonderful. Simple notes with an outstanding result. Starts off with a citrusy, spicy sweet quality that reminds me of a glass of fresh juice, then mellows into a garden of white roses and finishes with a slightly sweet, woody stroke of brilliance.

Very fruity; loads of citrus, lavender and spice gives this sandalwood a sweetness and old-world English gentleman's club period style. Fit for an afternoon under languid blades of an overhead fan somewhere in the colonies. Superior lasting power for a so-called cologne.

This scent has what I could only describe as a citrus-floral-leather-sandalwood harmony. At first they don't seem to harmonize, with the sharper notes fighting the warmer ones, but as the base comes into play, the fragrance mellows, and the whole composition just clicks. It then becomes a distinctive, sharp yet creamy fragrance. It continues to get warmer and sweeter as it dries. I'm not sure sandalwood purists will love this one, but as a good all-around scent this is yet another Trumpers that I am going to have to consider purchasing.

It starts out strong and masculine. Initially, it reminded me of the smell of leather, which is a very pleasant scent, but not really what I want my skin to smell like. But Sandalwood tones down quickly to something much more subtle and satisfying. Still strong and mausculine, but more quietly strong and masculine. And, yes, as others have pointed out, it's long lasting.

This one is both understated and long-lasting; almost a contradiction, which adds to its very English character for me. No harsh or bitter notes at all. It's a keeper for me, and I'll probably use it mostly for formalwear events.

I've tried MANY woody fragrances as the orientals, woody orientals, and mossy woods are my niche of choice; however, I haven't come across a Sandalwood that packs the punch this one does. It is undoubtedly the most smooth and sophisticated I've sampled. While Villoresi's Sandalo has that raw character and Caswell-Massey has the beginning of smoothness, Trumper's Sandalwood is outstanding for its creamy texture from start to finish, which, I might add is a LOOONNGGG time after initial application. A superb gathering of fine elements. TRY IT!!