Teck
Molinard (1989)

Genre: Leather

Teck is very pungent when applied, with pronounced woods, spices and aromatics, including rosemary and lavender. A big patchouli note defines the heart, which is a somewhat sweetened version of the classic, big-boned 1980s chypre. There are faint suggestions of Yatagan (pine and rosemary), and even Knize Ten (spicy leather), but Teck is nowhere near as bold or distinctive as either of those two giants. Teck smells somewhat familiar, and also a bit dated - maybe even stale - by today's standards. I'd much sooner turn to Havana, Or Black, or Knize Ten for my macho fix.

After reading so many positive reviews, I wanted to like this stuff. I do, but it's just awfully austere - almost like vetiver, for which i do not care much. Still it improves throughout the day. But it's nothing I would recommend.

This is a very unique and rare fragrance. I was lucky enough to receive a full 100ml in a bottle lot I recently purchased. It is difficult to classify, as it has a distinct sweet woodiness on top of a chypre like scent. I can see why someone compared it to Yatagan mixed with Kors. There is a strange juxtiposition of a very dry aroma and a sweet teak and almost cognac like booziness. Very interesting and compelling. If you are a fan of the old school woody chypres, and wouldn't mind trying it mixed with a little sweet something, then I would check this out. Dated? Maybe. But that doesn't stop it from being one of the most interesting scents I have sniffed in quite a while. Worth the search. My personal comparison would be to call this a sweetened Bel Ami. There is a definite leather in the base, and some similarities to the vintage Bel Ami.

Teck is delightfully old school. To me it smells like a cross between Yatagan and Michael Kors for Men. I really love wearing it, and that was reinforced recently when I went to collect my daughter from school. I was just out of the shower after tennis, and freshly scented with Teck, which I hadn't worn in a long time. One of the mothers (32, blonde, single, and a very yummy mummy) came over to my car to ask me something. When I lowered the window she literally SWOONED. I've never seen such a visceral reaction to a scent before. (In fact, I didn't realise women could swoon at all outside of the American Deep South.) She immediately demanded to know the name of it so that she could buy it for her new boyfriend. Now, I regularly use her as a sounding board (should that be "smelling board"?) for scents, so over the past couple of years she has sampled dozens of scents on my arms and the backs of my hands. None have ever had that effect on her. A couple of weeks later I was wearing Teck whilst at a gig and my date (forty-something, also blonde and yummy) spent a goodly portion of the night nuzzling my neck and telling me how good I smelled.Now I have gotten the (very) rare compliment before on my scents (for Feuilles de Tabac, Fahrenheit Absolute, Kouros Fraîcheur and Avignon), but no scent has ever caused such PHYSICAL reactions in women. Needless to say, Teck will now be front and centre in my fragrance cabinet - beside Yatagan, the King and his Kousin (Kouros and Kouros Fraîcheur), the new Fahrenheit Absolute and my many incense-based scents (Avignon, Messe de Minuit, Armani Privé Bois d'Encens, Cardinal etc).I must also mention the fact that since it's not available in any shops in Ireland, I purchased it directly from the Molinard web site. They sold me a 100ml bottle of Teck for half price, and threw a second 100ml bottle for free. Swoon-worthy, sexy, rare, remarkably inexpensive and delivered straight to my door - you can see why I'd give this five thumbs up if I could.

Herbal and woody in the base with mint and citrus in the top, going on to sage, sandalwood, and the resiny-sweet note of mastic in the heart, Teck is somewhat old-school (as other reviewers have pointed out), but dead elegant. Very strong sillage at first, that mellows after a while, but never really goes away. Strange in that for a woody fragrance it still manages to have a definite sweetness to it. The sage note plays a more prominent role as this progresses: one of its chief virtues is that it has a clear progression throughout. Good balance, fine construction, and overall elegance make this a fine example of a masculine that could become a classic, if only more people knew about it...

Teck is available at Harvey Nichols (London) -- 4th Floor -- £45 for 100ml. It is a little old-school, but still smells lovely. Very strong sillage though -- apply carefully. Reminds me very much of one of the Carthusia range (so they copied), but less harshKaern