Yatagan

Picture a 78 yr old Spanish man wearing a beret on his way to have a glass of wine and handful of peanuts at the bar.

Sometimes you just need to smell like the wild frontier. I love how soft the animal musk is and how it sort of does its own thing surrounding all the dark greenery

Dry dry dry dry dry dry. Tannin- level dry. Disgustingly masculine and unapologetically reminiscent of the 70s. Smells like a self-loathing grandfather who will put out his cigarette using his german sedans maroon velvet covered seats then insult you for wanting an ice cream cone. Performance is horrendous but oddly enough I’m glad it is given this fragrance’s affordability and its polarizing nature in today’s short form content world. I cannot imagine anyone getting a whiff of this out in public without them turning around to look for the marlboro man.

Not for you if you dont like old man musky fougere stuff. Was very pissy for me. Its not listed but I could smell a civet note, potentially animalis hypo as the musk. Im not familiar with castoreum but my understanding is that its a birchy phenolic leather type of smell and not really pissy. These old school scents all seem to have that animalis civet note that I just do not like. If you like it I support you. The fragrance im sure is great if you like that style.

What a stunning old school masculine scent. This is basically if Polo Green had a baby with Encre Noir, also reminds me of Quorum and traces of Cabochard. This is what a REAL cowboy smells like riding through the woods with lingering aroma of his leather cowboy boots and a horse saddle. In love.

Pine, mint, bit acidity from oak and incense, castoreum never made it to front or nowhere to be seen at all. Strong resemblance with Etat Libre d'Orange - Rien Intense Incense for me, but Yatagan is bit more flat and simplier, also longevity is nowhere as long as ELDO (but it corresponds with price difference). As this one was launched in 78 hats off to it...it is literally grandpa of Rien and must have been very popular and ahead of its time, nowadays it still can pull some tricks but competition is fierce and its not distinctive and unique all that much. But if you like dark green scents, for this price try FB...

Scent wise. You've got that dark green forest scent profile everyone mentions, like a small amount of Polo Green. Not enough where this could be considered a flanker. Yet at the same time it's undeniable that this is a 70s era fragrance, one of those amber types most peoples fathers or grandfathers wore, it goes into this Jovan musk or an actually wearable version of Azzaro Pour Homme (1978) territory. People may laugh but I thought the only reason they didn't make the fragrance green was so people don't get it mixed up with the original Pour Un Homme. if you buy a brand new bottle, spray about 10 sprays to get rid of this weird Estee Lauder Cinnabar (2015 era) type smell out of the bottle. After that the reviews on here will make sense. Some reassurances. If the celery note seems scary, it's not that noticeable to me. I cook with it from time to time and it's not as strong as the internet mentions. Thankfully the incense isn't too extreme where it cuts through the entire fragrance. This isn't Bentley For Men Intense or certain middle eastern fragrances amount of smoke like you tossed a log in the fire. The leather in it is far from say Ombre Leather by Tom Ford so if you're after a leather jacket amount of leather this isn't it. If someone is in their 30s I'd recommend these fragrances instead, unless you can try it or find a decant online before purchasing a full bottle. Dior Homme 2020 or Terre D'Hermes (EDT). On a really tight budget if you don't mind over spraying. Juicy Couture - Dirty English. After a few weeks Dirty English becomes fantastic or perhaps the regular version of Bentley For Men as well. Not the intense version as it's too smoky. However, if you like Polo Green and want a unique fragrance besides the usual recommendations you'll hear like Paco Rabanne Pour Homme (1973) that I believe shares a lot of similarities throughout the wear, not the note pyramids. If you want to see Polo go in a more wet, earthy direction with a sour in a good way sort of tangerine and some faint bits of irish spring soap. There's leather and a faint bit of wet, not smoked tobacco, then I would try Rasasi - La Yuqawam Ambergris showers. It's priced similar. Out of the bottle with no maturation it runs circles around this in terms of performance and longevity. Or the best dark night in the forest type scent, try Nuit D'Issey (EDT) by Issey Miyake. I can see the appeal of this but I'd rather another bottle of Le Soir or Le Matin if it had to be one Caron to replace. There's a lot of fragrances I could get instead that do a similar job and with no form of nostalgia I prefer Polo green. Even my late 2010s era bottle. At least this is better than Azzaro Pour Homme (1978) or Drakkar Intense and a million times better than Versace L'Homme (1984) due to that disgusting opening.

I have a recent sample vial from Fragrancenet. I have been intrigued by Yatagan for some time, and I have to agree with others about initial performance; it's pretty thin, but apparently needs time to mature. With that said, im loving the vibe, which is giving me way toned down (and wearable) Cabochard edt recent reformulation with the greens & leather, minus the florals. I'm looking forward to a full bottle in the future to live with it for a while.

A true winter masterpiece. This fragrance truly comes alive in the crisp, cold air, unfolding its layers beautifully when the temperature drops. While some might dismiss it as a relic of the past, I find its vintage character deeply special and entirely timeless, fitting my style and age perfectly.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT Judge Yatagan from a newly unsealed bottle! And NEVER listen to a "First Impressions video" of Yatagn simply because it changes WAAAY TOO MUCH once its had a few months to maturate! I mean I own nearly 200 fragrances and most improve over-time at different degrees. Some hardly change at all, some change drastically, some change within a few days, some take.months upon months to improve. Yatagan was one that took nearly 4 months to get as strong as it is now and although its still NOT a "Beastmode fragrance" It NOW has really great presnce and good longevity lasting a good 7 to 8 hours on skin with moderate projection. Now initially I'd have to agree with @dhishum000's review just below this one and say that performance for Yatagan was initially quite "Abysmal." It was EXTREMELY light and barley there and longevity was maybe 3 hours of that "barely there" skin scent, but Yatagan has tfuely improved by leaps and bounds which is why I dont get why @dhishum000 is claiming that even after owning it for 2 years he still thinks it had "Poor performance"?? ODD! Yatagan starts off natural smelling, almost bright- "Christmas tree" Conifer/Pine, then comes the Smokey Birch and leather and the Leather note becomes much more prominent at the far dry'down and it smell quite classic, yet very unique and simply GORGEOUS! I dont feel that Yatagan smells all that much like Ralph Laurens Polo like, AT ALL, but I suppose if ya wanna group a "Green, Piney-leather fragrances" as smelling similar, then I suppose there's a slllight similarity! Yatagan smells very "Niche" and at around $50 for a full presentation 3.4 oz bottle, its a TOTAL STEAL! But folks, remember that ya must let Yatagan Maturate for a few months (If) ya want more intensity and BELIEVE ME! the wait is just so very worth it. This is a 9 outta 10 fragrance minus one point for the atrocious (Initial) performance and needing to Maturate as long as it did to achieve the performance and depth it has now, but MAN! the wait was SOOO WELL WORTH IT!!

Bought it 2 years back. Loved the mature manly smell reminding me of 80s and 90s perfume but with a modern touch. But the performance was abysmal. Kept wearing it every 5 to 6 months but performance didnt improve. Tom ford's beau de jour is samw dna with better performance.

I have to admit, writing this review wasn’t entirely straightforward. Yatagan is not an easy fragrance — neither to describe nor to wear. It firmly belongs to the love it or hate it category, and it certainly doesn’t aim to win everyone over. Despite being on the market for over 40 years, I wouldn’t call it outdated — although it clearly appealed more to my father than to my girlfriend. Stylistically, it brings to mind Aramis. It’s a fully-fledged leather chypre, though noticeably drier than most in the genre, enriched with pronounced green facets and a distinctly uncompromising character. The composition is also fairly linear, evolving only subtly over time. I spent quite a while debating whether to rate Yatagan as Not recommended or Worth getting to know. In the end, the latter won out. The middle-ground option didn’t even feel appropriate — this is simply too bold and distinctive a fragrance to sit on the fence. My rating: Worth getting to know. (5/7)

The more I wear this, the more I love it. Soft musk and pine. Took a few days to get my head ‘round it. A new favorite.

This is really a very odd cacophony of notes, starting with a sharp minty blast of celery and pickle juice which actually made me recoil on the first spray. It mellows and becomes softer with other woody and herbal notes but never reaches a warm or comforting place, in fact quite the opposite. It makes me feel uncomfortable and on edge. Definitely not a blind buy despite the very tempting descriptions by others

The opening is a powerhouse of smoky oak that brings to mind a well-used smoker, nearly masking the more subtle layers. Once it settles, you find an interesting herbal 'celery juice' quality and a touch of something animalic. It’s incredibly unique and leans masculine, but it’s a challenging wear. If you’re curious, definitely find a decant first—this is not one to buy untested.

Nose Note #890 Well, just about what you expect from the 1978. Stuff from pre-Ronald Reagan era all smells kind of similar. Women perfumes smell alike (and some even smell manly) and men stuff smell alike. Take the Azzaro Pour Homme and Aramis Aramis and dial them all down so that you near Lalique Pour Homme, but remember that you are still in 1978 and add a strong pissy note. The green aspect is the best out of all three mentioned, the pine note is really there, but I think it may smell vulgar to some, because the smell of pine usually gives associations with cheap washing agents. And it definately smells old school and "old man". Still it's much more palatable than Azzaro and Aramis, much, much more. On the level with Lalique, but Lalique smells a bit edgier, less friendly, more cold. This simply smells like a bath thing from the old days + an interesting piss note, which is not super pronounced. This is nothing like Drakkar Noir (the Gillette shaving foam scent), Yatagan does smell a bit oakmossy, but not an overkill like Drakkar. UPD. in a way it's like a father to the 1995 Hugo Boss Hugo and 2021 Hugo Man 7.5/10, nice, one of the better old school fougeres

@morenoetrata how the hell ist this discontinued? They sell it on the official website. Dont talk nonsense

Wow! This stuff is great! It has a slight leather and gasoline smell. Also dried leaves and pine needles on the forest floor. Zero sweetness, thankfully! Really good stuff!

This is what I Imagine houses in the 1800’s to smell like (near a forest). Smoky and very densely woody, spicy with a touch of funk and very green, but not super herbaceous to my nose. It’s more of a breeze in the autumn time greenness if anyone understands that. There is definitely an aftershave fougere aspect to this, so it leans heavily masculine. I like it, but I think it’s a bit difficult for me to wear this at my age. I think Tom Ford Beau De Jour is a bit more my style of fougere because it’s a bit more modern-smelling, but this is very good.

Botanical medicine like Jagermeister, in vegetal fresh-coolness dwell the pine needles. Incense-y in the dry down-sweetening of the frag, church pew-y throughout. The mind quickly ponders: 'Perhaps this could be a masculine aromatic that could be contemporary?' . . and then --- no. Alas, this is relentlessly spiritual, spirited -- focused not on virile man escapades if it means 'hooking up' . . . but yet, is the ultimate man's forage, man's wild bounty. It will never be 'sex-core' for 'da club.' This is a voyage into the witched, cunning night; a flight through the cover of the wood and the mist . . . It's this, and the man who outlasts it, awares of its tricks . . . finds passage. Gloomy, dark, beautiful.

Reminds me of fils de dieu de riz et argumes from eldo and quite herbal Got it at a great discount but I still prefer Bel Ami and TdH Moderate intensity and very soft sillage. As it does it becomes more dry and leathery.

They forgot to list celery and pickle juice in the notes. Unusual in a weird way.

Smelled this for the first time tonight. It implies the mood that Encre Noir is supposed to but, for me, doesn't. At first it's like Aramis by way of a brushfire, or Grey Flannel spilled onto leather surrounded by decaying bouquets in a dim, flaming torch-lit mausoleum. Then it settles into something damned handsome but, alas, quiet and not particularly unique. Still, I like it.

Yatagan, my favourite scent of all time. A masterpiece of pine, smoke and resin, a true homage to the wild and those who belong in it. For me personally, it also carries heavy nostalgia of my time I spent in a timber mill on a pine plantation as a kid, with the resinous piney smoke and the animalic undertones. This fragrance is NOT for those big fans of "clean" safe frags like sauvage, yet it is fresh in its own green plant like way, or for those who dont associate with old school manly man energy. The best description of someone who'll enjoy this is someone who thinks they can beat a bear with their bare hands. However, in recent batches, while the scent is similar to old school, the performance cannot match the scent. For me, while admittedly my skin is horrible for performance, it lasts about 30 minutes projecting at arms length, then fades to almost skin scent for another 4 to 5 hours. All in all, brilliant scent, poor performance. 10/10 scent, 7/10 total.

***Update Almost 3 weeks later 11/26/25*** Yeah, so Yatagan's over all performance has certainly improved during the nearly 3 weeks since I first inroduced air into my bottle and then just let it "Maturate" in its box. I can tell the difference as soon as I spray this intoxicating mixture out and onto my skin! Its definately NOT what I'd consider a "Classic Powerhouse 80's/90's men scent" although it does carry that type of dna. Now after having time to "age" a bit, it lasts on skin nearly 7 hours or so, but the projection is soft and close to the skin, bit does have enough presence where I catch whafts of it throughout my day. Initially Yatagan was extremely faint and just didnt last on my skin, but its so much better now that Im seriously considering getting a back-up bottle as Yatagan is now discontinued which is a shame! I am so, so SO GLAD that I didnt harp on the negative reviews (too much) and FINALLY pulled the trigger on this fantastic, classic-masculine masterpiece! Due to many negative reviews, I was very concerned about Yatagan's performance, namely the longevity, but I am very glad to report that this fragrance does last long on skin ( bout 6 to 7 hours maybe more) but I must admit that after "Maturating" for about a week it does sit very, VERY close to the skin once it dries down. No when I initially sprayed my bottle the scent was extremely faint and fleeting, but trust me, this fragrance maturates nicely and performance improves even after just a few days. Thing is that although Yatagan sits so close to the skin, it does have a nice all be it soft projection. The photo-realistic Pine note feels like Im smelling and freshly cut Christmas Tree! As the fragrance dries down ya get slightt smokines which does NOT over power the beautiful Pine note and adds to the woodiness. Im getting ZERO Castoreum or anything "Anamalic" really, but I think it wouldve added more completely to this dna. This scent lingers lightly on clothes FOR DAYS, and even on skin it seems to linger even past 7 to 8 hours, its just very, very light and close to the skin at that point (Soft skin-scent) but I still manage to catch whiffs of it as I move around even after Im sure its long gone. If anyone enjoys your classic/green fragrance such as Polo, Jacques Bogart Signature or Carlo Corinto Classic just more "Office/Elecator safe" then Yatagan should be your jam! In my opinion Yatagan is a 7.5 outta 10 fragrance minus points for how quitely it projects. Still tho, a total LOVE for me!🫠 Ill give an update if there is any improvement with the performance. Thanks to whomever took the time! CHEERS!

First Impressions: I'm a big fan of Ike Does Stuff from old school utube. Ike put out a video maybe a decade ago about Yatagan, and I've never been able to forget it. I've wanted a bottle, and so recently I pulled the trigger. At first Yatagan is brash and offensive. As Yatagan settles down, Yatagan is a fragrance that will garner compliments. You have to have the right personality though. In today's world it suits very few personalities. It fit my grandfather's personality who was a mafia boss in the trucking industry, and everybody knew him as Big Al. This is the cologne for Big Al. Present day, there aren't any Big Al's or real mafia. Guiliani took them out. Today we have just a fake tough guys from Staten Island. They may be able to pull it off, if they're convincing enough or old enough to remember old school mafia.

Paradoxically related to Sung Homme, but perhaps a bit more bitter and dry. It’s an incense-like, dry, aromatic scent. The opening can be interesting (unlike Sung, which smells like toothpaste aimed at a blend of agedness), but I really wouldn’t compare this to Kouros. It’s more akin to other dried herbal fougères like Flannel, French Lover, or Cape Heartache. In fact, it feels like a brightening of the inspiration behind Heartache. It’s true there are a lot of conifers here—too many, in fact—which unfortunately makes it resemble the DNA of Pino Silvestre, and that’s a negative. The opening kind of creates some potential and suggests a certain tension, but ultimately there’s no clear, clever proposal on how to diversify the pine notes. These are the realms of Leather Jardin, Aramis—somewhere between incense and pine, between resin and dried herbs. The biggest criticism is that it’s quite ordinary—if someone likes pine, there’s a chance they’d be better off buying this than Pino Silvestre—but that’s just a probability.

YATAGAN by Caron The Best of the 'Seventies. Unapologetically masculine, well-endowed with masculine energy this is the scent of a real survivor. Oh that opening with pine in plain sight followed by all that canphoraceous herbs I cherished so much these days. It is damp and dirt with a flow of castoreum travelling from start to end. Primal, ferocious. A man in front of the danger of nature. One of our hunter ancestor, barefoot covered in animal skin. If you are a fan of Russian Leather, give it a try. The drydown is musky, in this particular version is very fur joind by waves of tree resins. Let us resurrect the 'Seventies, perhaps with a contemporary twist! Consider folowing me on IG @alexolympia6

Echoes of Bandit Yatagan is not just a fragrance—it’s a full-throttle aromatic leather chypre that roars with heritage and attitude. One could think of it as the rebellious offspring of Chanel’s Cuir de Russie, or Knize Ten, but its true DNA traces more directly to the smoky swagger of Germaine Cellier's Bandit, for Piguet—with hints of Cabochard, Aramis, and the fierce elegance of Azuree too. From the first spray, it’s unapologetically bold: a quinoline leather soaked in birch tar and steeped in a forest’s worth of green aromatics. The opening is a wild herbal cocktail—Artemisia, Pine, Galbanum, Rosemary, Dill, Celery, Cypress, Basil—all jostling for attention like a battalion of botanicals marching through the woods. As the leather’s initial punch begins to mellow, the heart reveals flickers of incense, soft jasmine, and a whisper of geranium—like sunlight piercing through a smoky canopy. But don’t get too comfortable; the base plunges back into Bandit territory with a mossy, earthy blend of Oakmoss, Patchouli, Vetiver, Cedar, Musks, and a touch of animalic Castoreum. Even in its reformulated state, Yatagan remains a powerhouse. One can only imagine how ferocious the original must have been. Now, I own an older bottle of Bandit—an olfactory legend I admire deeply but rarely wear. It’s a bit too intense for regular use, more of a museum piece I revisit with reverence. Yatagan, on the other hand, channels that same wild spirit but makes it quite wearable. It’s smoky, green, and leather-laced, yet somehow more approachable—especially on crisp, cool days. If you’re drawn to classical leather chypres, particularly the Russian leather variety, Yatagan is a must. And if you don’t already own it, you’re missing out on one of perfumery’s most ruggedly beautiful beasts. 9/10

Green vegetal almost culinary woody musty/musky castoreum patchouli masculine I was very intrigued by the name initially but also somewhat cautious by the reputation of being a massive retro masculine meant only for the most Marlon Brando-esque figures, which I undoubtedly am not. That being said, I don’t believe the connotation is true for todays standards. I find Yatagan almost abstract exotic and I believe most people would be perplexed if they smell this on someone nowadays instead of thinking of their uncle or grandfather. The current formulation of Yatagan starts intensely culinary, specifically celery, heaps of it steaming in a warm pan, underneath castoreum substitute which reminds me of bitters, mingling in the base with a vegetal smoky tarry leather accord. Patchouli plays a big role, artemisia is also identifiable, a slight menthol quality. I still find the name brilliant, referring to an ornate Turkish/ottoman knife excellent. In the same way you would admire an antique war artefact and are drawn in by its curiously, there is also air of authority, maybe even a slight connotation of danger. That being said I find castoreum woody musty scents do appear to be making a come back in the gay community, which I have nothing against, but might not be ideal for those going for a completely different first impression.