Bentley for Men Absolute Bentley 2014

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8.3 / 10373 Ratings

Bentley for Men Absolute is a popular limited perfume by Bentley for men and was released in 2014. The scent is woody-smoky. It was last marketed by Lalique Group / Art & Fragrance. Pronunciation

Limited Edition

Scent goes well with Molecule 01

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Perfumers

Michel Almairac, Robertet

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Ginger Pink pepper Frankincense
Heart Notes	Papyrus Sandalwood Atlas cedar
Base Notes	Amber Oud Moss

Ratings

Scent

8.3373 Ratings

Longevity

7.5345 Ratings

Sillage

6.8345 Ratings

Bottle

8.3343 Ratings

Value for money

9.170 Ratings

Submitted by Freeestyler, last update on 21.07.2021.

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Reviews

06/10/2021

9.5
Scent 7
Longevity 7
Sillage 10
Bottle

JoHannes

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JoHannes

Top Review 31

I am lost to the world (Friedrich Rückert)

[Associations] silence - contemplation - far away - vastness - warmth - gentle spices - depth - retreat - silent dialogue

A fragrance so completely out of time. Out of time compared to the loud and cheeky fragrances that are currently launched and so often come across so obtrusive. And out of time in the sense of Gustav Mahler's "I am lost to the world." A fragrance like a retreat from the daily noise and the bric-a-brac, which are getting to us more and more.

[Fragrance | Pyramid] Ginger - this light, subtle spiciness of dried ginger.
Pink pepper - accompanies the fragrance throughout until the end.
Frankincense - at the beginning in the foreground, then recedes more and more.
Papyrus - I can not describe as a fragrance.
Sandalwood - forms together with the
Atlas cedar - the wooden substructure.
Amber - also from the beginning as a fixative.
Oud - as a slightly scratchy touch in the background.
Moss - not perceptible.

The Abolute starts fine-smoky and light-woody. A fruity chord comes from the pink pepper and the ginger cists to it. The whole wrapped in linen cloths soaked in amber and hung for days in the sun.

This fine, (incense) smoky and peppery-woody scent with this juiciness gradually quiets down and fades out as a dry pepper scent. Always accompanied by the sun.

For me, the Absolute is a masterpiece of a quiet, yet powerful and expressive fragrance that manages to combine and unite light and dark. The dark is allowed to be, the sun watches over it. And it is a contemplative fragrance, a fragrance of retreat and silence.

[Images] A retreat at Thich Nath Hanh with walking meditations and tea ceremonies.
A week in silence and sitting with the Carmelite nuns in Mazille/South Burgundy.

[Text] I have died to the tumult of the world,
And rest in a quiet place!
I live alone in my heaven,
In my loving, in my song!
(Freidrich Rückert)

[Music]
Brian Eno - Neroli
Gustav Mahler - I am lost to the world
Arvo Pärt - For Alina

21 Replies

04/25/2021

8.5
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 8
Bottle

SvenScent

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SvenScent

A touch of papyrus

The opening of the Absolute is actually identical to that of Men Intense, very spicy, smoky and you even think something of the booze to guess, which distinguishes the Intense, although clearly, significantly lower. This impression lasts, however, only for maybe ten minutes, before the Absolute drifts in a completely different direction and mutates into a pure woody scent.

The woody note is initially still very heavy and slightly incense. Cedar clearly dominates in this phase, underpinned by sandalwood. Over time, the fragrance becomes lighter, almost transparent and the actual fragrance comes to light. Henceforth, one wears an airy woody scent. This is probably what is called papyrus in the notes here. I've only held papyrus in my hands once before and it was from the Middle Ages, but you can imagine the smell. Then towards the end there is some amber mixed in before the scent gently fades out. Oud I do not perceive.

Overall, quite a convincing affair, especially if you like wood. What the fragrance lacks a little, is power. The durability is still quite okay - but already that could be a little better -, the sillage, however, is rather poor. Not for nothing are woods yes mostly part of the base, when the perfume is mostly long since only skin close to be perceived and hardly radiates.

3 Replies

04/23/2021

8
Scent 6
Longevity 7
Sillage 8
Bottle

NiceSmell

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NiceSmell

Less helpful Review 1

Slightly more powerful than the Intense for Men

From my point of view, the Absolute comes close to the Intense. With small changes. Good silage for a short time. Durability has me unfortunately not convinced. After 3-4 h on the skin I no longer perceived him.
Small change in the course of the day are noticeable. From strong, leathery, spicy to something fresher and leich more pleasant.

2 Replies

04/15/2021

8.5
Scent 8
Longevity

KarlssonDach

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KarlssonDach

Helpful Review 2

Oh how beautiful you are

For daily use from my point of view well suited - maybe just not in small offices. The scent is very similar to the Encre Noire à L'Extrême when sprayed on (but also only here). In direct comparison, however, the Bentley remains more present afterwards, while the Encre Noire à L'Extrême becomes more gentle and discreetly perceptible. For this, possibly the different incense content is responsible.

- Fragrance | Opening: 8.5 Wonderful opening with lots of incense. The transition is hardly noticeable for me.
- Fragrance | Middle: 8.5 Incense and dry wood remain as the main notes in my nose. Dark and dry.
- Scent | Drydown: 8.0 Remains quite linear until the end and only gets weaker with time.
Overall rating: 8,33

Silage: medium
Projection duration: 4 h
Perceptible on the skin: 10 h

The following batch was evaluated: 105591F20 (produced in July 2020)

01/02/2021

9
Scent 7
Longevity 8
Sillage 6
Bottle 10
Pricing

BeginswithaJ
22 Reviews

BeginswithaJ

When in doubt: buy Bentley

Being one of the lucky ones still owning a bottle of Gucci Pour Homme, resistance to an extensive skin test is futile. As a matter of fact, I have four bottles sitting in front of me right now: A fully black bottle of For Men Absolute born in 2018; a decant of the same fragrance from 2015; one GPH from 2003/2004 (in which the resins have started to solidify very slightly, but scent- and performance wise 100% ok); and one GPH from 2008. Please note I've tested these on skin and paper, and both give generally the same result.

Upon spraying all the different versions it seems that the top notes are more or less the same, the decant being a little sweeter of the four. The other three have the wonderful and well known—slightly tart—boozy punch in the face.

Drying down, both GPH's smell exactly the same with the prominent, complex wood notes we've all come to love. Ah yes, can't miss those wonderful pencil shavings. The 2018 Bentley is surprisingly similar (can't say I'm surprised) when smelling it by itself. When compared to the 'dryer' Gucci's, it gives off a somewhat sweeter and warmer resinous accord in the base. The amber is well represented here. Some soft supple leather is also a bit more pronounced. The only thing really 'off' with the Bentley is the synthetic oud that doesn't match the original very well.

Smelling the Gucci's again straight after exposes the well defined flowery heart which Bentley seems to miss. Although not apparent at first sniff. It does give the Gucci a more 'natural' feel overall but is easy to miss when you don't smell them side by side. All of a sudden we're able to spot a tiny jasmin flower between the lumber.

The decant from 2015 is the odd one out though. Smelling way sweeter than the rest, missing the mark on the oudy notes completely. As a matter of fact, there's even a tobacco note in there that I can't place in the other three. Not entirely unpleasant, but it reminds me a bit more of the sweeter leather of Bentley for men Intense. This needs more investigation: maybe a reformulation, or perhaps the Bentley changes over time... who knows?

The longevity is quite similar, only the Bentley seems to have a slight upper hand in this. Not surprising considering their age I suppose.

More than enough has been written on the olfactory experience of both fragrances so I won't go into that too deeply. All in all this fragrance is a very, very good interpretation of Gucci Pour Homme, even the 2015 version. And for a fraction of the current market price. Almairac really did his best here!

Bentley for men Absolute truly brings back the memories of it's sadly discontinued predecessor, and I very much enjoy wearing it. Even when owning the original, for me it's a definite 'must buy'. And so should it be for you.

12/21/2020

8
Scent 6
Longevity 5
Sillage 8
Bottle 10
Pricing

Nwhite
31 Reviews

Nwhite

Helpful Review 2

Bentley for Men Absolute

Clearly, Michel Almairac had a job to do and many with the exception of only the most ardent Tom Ford era loyalists will enjoy this Gucci Pour Homme I re-creation. If you have never worn the original then you won't know what you are missing anyway - WIN!

For around $30 you can experience this interpretation while patiently waiting for your Ebay search engine to find a vintage bottle of GPH. Then you will need to make the call - pay my rent or get this juice!? (100 ml New In Box can go for $500 +).

I have worn GPH I for years and for me Bentley for Men Absolute is not a clone, but rather an impression. There are many similarities, but ultimately the composition of the original Gucci is superior as apparently synthetic oud is de rigueur in men's perfumery forever more.

Nevertheless, I look forward to wearing Bentley this Fall as the cooler weather will allow it to shine.

3.5 stars

2 Replies

10/08/2020

6.5
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 7
Bottle

Chizza

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Chizza

Top Review 24

Whiskey-Cola from the Ruhrpott

Udo's alcohol problem was well known and actually Wolles Eleven aka the drunkards of Herne didn't mind very much, because they were never averse to an alcoholic drink. Wolle even went so far as to build a hiding place for a flask into the sole of his shoes, but that's another story. But at some point fate struck and Udo had to cut short on medical advice, his lover Intense from Bentley had to move out.
Udo had a hard time with that and the gang had to think about what to do: "Men, we need a new signature for Udo. What could one take like that? Yes? Bodo?"
"How about an aquata so that Udo only thinks about water?"
Hotte, as a direct neighbor, moved away and pulled a disgusted face. "Bodo, Udo is a bit too happy at the glass, he's not a mermaid looking for the next pond." Murmurs of agreement were heard.
"There's some fine ones with incense and stuff." "We don't want to baptize Udo."
"We're too late for that anyway", flattened Hotte and everyone laughed except for Wolle, who didn't understand the joke.
"No, no, think. No leather, we got plenty. Nothing more intrusive than the smell of that band, you know... Yes Sir, I can Boogie; you know what I mean?"
"What about old scents like Habit Rouge?"
"Totty....we already had that topic....(attentive readers know my Habit Rouge EdC-Post ;))"
l "II be quiet. Not that I have to throw my club clothes in the fire again today."
Suddenly one of the new ones got up from the lower panel and wanted to speak. Wolles Eleven had set up a kind of medieval table in Hotte's garden. The high table consisted of beer benches, the throne for Wool was a worn out sofa and the lower table was in the end made of stone tiles.
"Well, I know it sounds crazy, because I'm crazy, as you know. But do you know the Bentley Absolute? It reminds me of whiskey and coke." "Th-Th-This....is...genius! Diluted schnapps, exactly what Udo needs now to cut down! Tell us more!"
"So the Absolute is characterized by the fact that the ginger becomes slightly smoky due to the incense and the pink pepper - which is not real pepper - has a mild aroma and thus makes the fragrance easier to digest."
"Ah, that sounds rather limp to me so far. Only the aquatics were even more disconcerting."
"well, the scent has amber and cool moss added to it, and these seem to rub off on the other ingredients in such a way that this whiskey-cola impression occurs. In any case, the sweetish cool note is clearly noticeable, as is a dry paper wrap."
"Does that mean that when Udo drinks it, nothing actually happens? Is there no rum in it or something?"
"You can't say it like that either..."
"You heard him! We have the solution! The Absolute is healthy and Udo's solution! Nevertheless, he smells of liquor!"
The crowd roared and the Absolute was ordered in rows. Because of the presentation, they knew they had the solution because the bottle looked like a new-fangled Coke bottle from the brand with the not-so-funny range of motorcycles. At first they wanted to go to Salguod but nobody was able to get there on a sober motorbike anyway. Thanks to Sparky, the club's heraldic animal, nobody had the idea to order several litres online. Afterwards he grinned to Sparky in his head and thanked him well. The troupe didn't wonder why he sat in front of them nodding his head and grinning stupidly. "Sparky?" "If he's passed out like that, I guess he's giving him advice again."

17 Replies

09/25/2020

7
Scent 7
Longevity

Musikus70

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Musikus70

Here the oud is annoying

As an absolute fan of the Gucci Pour Homme - DNA I have owned and loved the Comme des Garcons Man2.
Due to the many comments on the net that the Bentley is even closer to the original I finally tested it. 28 Euro for 100ml, a joke!

Sprayed in the morning.
First impression: "Yep, absolutely right".
Gucci Pour Homme in a different "disguise".
But wait! There's something in there that I can't sooo remember and that bothers me. That's - Oud!
Was that in the "original" too?
Never mind. If it was in there then, it didn't bother me anyway.
And I don't mind oud. But I do mind the Bentley
After a few hours there is hardly anything left of the others to smell. But the oud remains persistent and is really annoying now!

Honestly, I was glad when I was back home after work and could take a shower.
Now I don't know what to do with that still full bottle?
Throw it away right away or keep it in the cupboard until the next day?

Conclusion: for me "Comme des Garcons Man2" is and remains the best alternative to Gucci Pour Homme. Period!

08/31/2020

9.5
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 8
Bottle

MrHonest
84 Reviews

MrHonest

The strong and silent type

With autumn fast approaching, I was inspired to pick this one up as a daily-use alternative to my ever-waning partial of Gucci Pour Homme. True, I never expected it to be a carbon copy of Almairac’s original creation, but the fact that it’s received so many accolades since its release certainly coloured my optimism. In the end, I’m happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed.

Immediately from the first spray, I get a creamy cedar and sandalwood – a bit muted if I’m honest – but it only takes about 15 seconds for the ginger and frankincense to appear in full force. Compared with GPH, the cedar note is virtually identical – dry, arid, almost powdery and certainly not the sappy, piney kind you might find at a lumber yard, nor the rum-soaked pet-store variety dominating the majority of Bentley For Men Intense. Within a few minutes, the combination of incense and papyrus begin to form the same cumin-esque accord I also get from GPH on my skin. To the untrained nose, the effect is somewhat analogous to mild body odour, yet not exactly unappealing, nor very potent.

In fact, beyond the settling of the incense, ginger and creamy woods into an almost-sweet amber in the drydown, there isn’t much development to the fragrance at all. Within 30 minutes, it’s basically a skin scent and I don’t get any of the pink pepper, oud or moss. From top to bottom, the whole thing feels like it sits incredibly close to the skin (standard for a base-heavy composition) and most of the spiciness, including the quasi-cumin accord aren’t in the sillage at all. Yet, despite the 7-8 hours of longevity, the projection remains the most wonderfully peculiar and unpredictable aspect of the fragrance.

Sometimes, it seems like BFMA stops projecting at the 1 hour mark. At others, I’ll suddenly get a generous waft of that wonderfully creamy, incensed wood from 2 feet at the 3 hour mark. Several minutes later, another hint of an unexpectedly simple, yet sexy skin-like woody amber. As I go in for a close sniff, it's clear that the entire fragrance in its full, spicy splendor is still there; yet, in the projection and sillage, random assortments of notes seem to present themselves at will, varying with skin temperature and atmospheric humidity.

It’s a peculiarity for sure, yet it certainly doesn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the stuff. There’s just something incredibly attractive about its humility, its discreet aptitude – a modest portrait of the strong and silent type. If PdM's Galloway is the smell of a sawblade burning through wood, BFMA is the carpenter's workshop - a dense, full bodied aroma of freshly made furniture. No, it’s not nearly as complex as GPH, nor as potent, but therein lies its relaxing and simplistic charm. I can absolutely understand why some people would consider it an introvert’s muse – a fragrance for personal reflection, not ostentation.

Nevertheless, I can also imagine that for others, the overall experience of BFMA might be rather underwhelming. Composed of almost exclusively mid and base notes, the effect is more like a woody secretion produced naturally by the skin rather than an outright perfume that announces one's arrival. It’s understated; basic; perhaps even leaning synthetic in the drydown; and despite being a very decent representation of GPH up close, the projection can be weak, lacking resolution and bafflingly inconsistent.

But the fact is that I love it to bits. To me, it’s a fragrance to wear when I don’t feel like wearing a fragrance - you know, those days when less is more, when intimacy reigns, and silence is golden. Would I recommend it? Yes I wood. Pun intended. Especially now, with the average life-span of formulations approaching 2 years, sooner is always better than later once demand settles at discounters. And for the steadfast GPH fan, who knows when the next decent smell-alike will ever appear? Almairac? Parle moi.

Batch: 104526G19 (Tester)

07/30/2020

10
Scent 9
Longevity 8
Sillage 5
Bottle

Rquill67
198 Reviews

Rquill67

Dark and stormy...

Bentley for Men Absolute is definitely a dark fragrance, and best for fall and winter. I agree with Ken Tavr's review wherein this fragrance smells like pencil shavings and burnt electronics. But not in a bad way. Very unique!

I immediately felt like I was sitting in the back of a car with leather seats. While there is no leather in this fragrance, there must be notes creating leather; and a different leather from say Ombre Leather, Tuscan Leather, La Yuqawam Homme Rasasi, etc. This is a car leather. Not a purse leather, jacket leather, and is very dry. No sweetness in this fragrance. I really enjoy it.

I really don't get any smoke or amber. This fragrance is very different from Bentley for Men Intense (which I also own and love). I give Bentley for Men Absolute an 8/10.

Great for anyone's fragrance collection!

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