Silverfire
3
Actually, I Liked It
To be honest, Exceptional for Men had everything going against it: it came as a free sample from FragranceX, titter-tatter on the forums, cheezy name and appearance, and a "I wouldn't use this in place of battery acid" review by Drseid (whom I respect quite a lot). I was surprised to find out that I liked it.
To understand how I could come to that conclusion, you'd have to understand something about my skin (you will have to acquire this knowledge from a distance, sorry) and clean/fresh scents. They don't last. I've tried quite a few and they always flee the scene. Exceptional for Men hung around for a good 14 hours.
I also enjoyed the scent. It was blended well enough that I couldn't make out particular notes, but the overall feel is one of fresh, wine-like, gentlemanly elegance. It's tasteful and unlike the few other scents of its ilk that I enjoy (Nautica Voyage, Hugo Boss, Love and Luck, and Juniper Sling).
The only real problem was a lack of silage; after two hours, it's a skin scent. However, I can still smell it at seven hours, and a floral note remains for fourteen. I'm not crazy about the floral note, but seven hours of an interesting, and new-to-me scent I find quite acceptable.
I suppose others have more refined nostrils than I, but I've not smelled anything like this before. Scents like CK Euphoria and Dirty English have more attitude and less class; Boucheron has its nose way up in the air and makes me want to act that way; Exceptional made me feel elegant and refined, yet not overly so. I would class it as a formal-leaning scent, though, better suited to nice attire.