Woods of Windsor for Men / Gentleman
Woods of Windsor (1981)

Lemons and cloves and moss oh my!
Lemons and cloves and moss oh my!
Lemons and cloves and moss oh my!
Lemons and cloves and moss oh my!

This is a high quality, well-blended woody spicy treat with an extremely affordable price point. I'd say this is the best-kept secret in the frag community but I think now the cat's out of the bag thanks to yours truly.

Woods of Windsor for Men is the epitome of idyllic British understated elegance, unadorned, unpretentious, and thoroughly terrific to wear.

Chypre fragrance. Strong spicy juice that lasts about 8 hours on skin with projection for 2 to 3 hours. A mature scent for the over 40 crowd in my opinion. A solid buy and full bottle worthy if you are on the hunt for a classic styled fragrance. Enjoy!

I recently bought a bottle, which is the reformulated version.
Smells very natural and spicy, as already stated.
A mature man scent, as it's old-fashioned and very classic.
I get a similar vibe to Eau Sauvage with this one, and they share the same chypre drydown.
Excellent!

I recently swapped with a great individual to get this Vintage bottle of Woods of Windsor for Gentleman (dated 1992 on the back of the bottle) - I am very fortunate and glad I did!

I really enjoy what this offers - uniqueness, quality ingredients with a very natural feel that are well integrated. Odysseusm really writes an accurate and thoughtful review. I have to say that while a lot of people would be quick to compare this to other citruses - it is intelligent, aristocratic and sophisticated...truly "for Gentleman".

I love the lemongrass note in here - along with the verbena, which together with the lemon, bergamot and orange really open with a nice freshness. However, the heart stage is what really impresses - the spices make this a really aromatically brilliant scent (in Vintage formulation). The clove note is nice and very well presented, along with the fresh ground and slightly dusty cinnamon and nutmeg (great separation of notes throughout the wearing). A key note here in the heart that lets the fragrance show its full beauty is the neroli - as it rounds out the composition and segues to the dry down. The base of wood here is nice, but this really is supportive of the great top & heart notes. There is possibly some sandalwood, as well as a touch of cedar. But, after a half hour or so in...I get a slightly bitter (but clean) vetiver note. It is not loud, but offers a nice balance to the earthy spices and lemongrass that carries through this composition into the heart with the verbena as well.

I am thankful to have a relatively rare Vintage bottle of this scent. While not a loud scent, it does have nice "aura" effect that I like. A true Gentleman is not loud or brash anyway, so why should his fragrance be? Refined and a scent that would wear well either upscale casual or formal. Perfect fragrance for a nice Sunday brunch or to attend church (or both). The spices make this less austere, along with the wood - so it leans in a different direction than a lot of Aromatic Citrus scents. Longevity is average (around 4 hours) - recommended to apply to fabric as well as skin. As previously stated, there are no fixatives in this to increase power and longevity, which is part of its charm.

A Vintage bottle that smells like it could have been made 20-30 years earlier even. This is old-school, but smells like a nice classic - recommended for the mature, sophisticated man who will appreciate it more. Savile Row suit, derby hat and nice laced-up, polished oxfords not included, but a lot of British style and taste is in this scent.

Very good - bravo.

Beautifully melancholic and decadent, I find myself using it more and more often…Surely, it would have had its place in the collection of Alexis de Redé.

Woods of Windsor is interesting in that it doesn't open with a sharp citrus blast like so many other fragrances. The citrus instead comes out fairly muted and quickly moves to the middle and base notes which develop into a nice dry woody/leathery scent. Not green, pine or citrusy enough for me, and too close to sandalwood for my wife. I'll pass on this one, but I think it would appeal to a lot of guys.

This is a classic, very old-school, British-styled fragrance, plain and simple. Although leather is not listed as a note, wearing this constantly brings to mind images of leather saddles, the interior of an old Bentley, leather-bound chairs, country clubs, old libraries, etc.. It's very spicy and woody, in a very gentlemanly, formal and a bit stodgy way. It's made of good quality ingredients from what I can tell and is inexpensive so is definitely worth buying if you're looking for a very proper, formal fragrance.

If you enjoy the re-release of Dunhill For Men 1934, you'll like this too, because they smell just about identical.

MY RATING: 8/10

Good solid "gentlemanly" fragrance. Subtle, woody.

Woods of Windsor for Gentlemen (vintage) is a striking sort of scent. It is distinctive – and I would say commendable – for NOT having any softening or often heavy elements so often found in men's fragrances. There are no florals, nor is there any vanilla, patchouli or amber. What results is a classy and very dry spicy-wood scent. It is earthy and robust, but it is not sweet or heavy. The initial citrus phase is brief. The next phase is a citrus-spice mélange. The spices are peppery (nutmeg) and sharp (clove) and give a charming, old-school ‘barbershop' vibe. These aromatics blend well into the third phase, a spicy wood. I can't identify the particular wood; it fills a supportive rather than starring role. Despite being inexpensive, it has good quality and is thus very good value. The EdT is accompanied by a variety of related toiletry products (shower gel, aftershave, talc) . I think it is worth seeking out if you like a dry, spicy wood scent.
Update - I have the vintage juice. The citrus notes, especially the lemongrass, work nicely with the very well-constructed spice notes. This is a very dry and classy scent, amazing value. I recently acquired the talc which I can see is in the reformulated version. It is OK, but has a less refined aura, more rubbery (from the patchouli) and earthy (from the moss). One way to identify the two versions is the label. The old label has a picture of a castle turret. The new version has the castle but also a stylized motif, the "tribal tattoo" or stylized green man as noted in another view.

A tad stuffy and British for some, but very nice woody fragrance all around, IMHO. Can be had reasonably, too. Good silllage and longevity on this one, btw.

Woods of Winsor is a distinctive, classy fragrance that is nicely off the beaten track. Marketed by the company as derivative of a centuries-old recipe originally used for perfuming Spanish leather, Woods of Windsor is indeed evocative of fine leather goods, though still very much its own thing. To my nose, top notes of lemongrass and verbena are quite forward -- citrus, but more muted than bright. I am not discerning enough to pick out individual middle notes; for me, they coalesce into a stable, earthy, somewhat powdery body that calls to mind white pepper and musk -- all in all a nice platform for the citrus top notes. As the Basenotes description states, the base notes are generally woody, but remain quite recessive under the other components.On first application, it may seem a pit "perfumey," but it has a classy drydown as the earthy middle notes rise. It also is quite robust, with excellent longevity. (In this regard, the atomizer is a bit overmatched to the fragrance, so apply with care.)I would call Woods of Windsor a three-season fragrance, best suited to fall and winter, passable in spring, but too thick for summer.