Aramis Reserve-at Last!

Love the Special Reserve. The older I get the more I love Aramis. And this is the "cream of the crop". Its availability was pretty poorly advertised in the US. And Saks did not give this any pride of place for the short time it was in the store, but I found it and bought it in NYC, and I am truly happy I did. While classic Aramis is excellent, the Special Reserve is richer, mellower and just a tad better. I love it. It's like a well bottled 20 year old Scotch as compared to the 10 year old. One of my favorites, and so terribly rare.

For those who don't know,the Special has a leather wrap around the sides of the square bottle. That and the darker color and the special box are the distinguishing features, other that the smell of the juice itself, of course.

After learning of its release in July/Aug of 2008, I've been looking for the Reserve blend of Aramis for several months. I even emailed Estee Lauder, the maker of Aramis, in the U.S. and was curtly informed that it is not being distributed in the U.S. and they had no information available on the product.

After months of laborious searching in English websites, I finally came upon it on my daily use website, eBay. At 68.40 and "free shipping" it is a decent value, albeit a little less than twice as much as the "classic" Aramis.

I noticed the bottle is an amber color, and retaining the classic lines and design of the Classic design, while adding a touch of elegance and sophisication in the packaging.

Initially, I sprayed it on and noticed that it seemed stronger and quite similar to the Classic potion. I then eagerly gave the new "Reserve", a comparison test with a spritz on my left wrist and the "Classic" on my right in order to discern the difference. What I noticed immediately, is that the "Reserve" was indeed stronger, less diluted, and seemed almost twice as dense in fragrance, much the way cologne is stronger than eau de toillete, although not as dense as perfume is to cologne. Additionally there was a depth and fullness to the "Reserve" which made me immediately prefer it to the Classic. To my nose, there seemed to be a citrus note smoothly tucked into the Classic, which, adding to the extra strength really convinced me that this is well worth the extra investment, and confirmation on why Aramis has been my favorite for over forty years.

Too bad, it's not readily available in the U.S. Then again, it's wonderful to have an exclusive scent for those willing to look for it. After all, isn't that what seeking an enhancement to one's scent is all about, anyway?!!!

Good Hunting!!!