As I’ve mentioned in the past I am an avid wetshaver. That means I use an old-fashioned double-edged blade along with a shaving cream and brush in the morning when I shave. No multi-blade monstrosities for me. I have done this for over ten years and I have never looked back. It is a serene meditative moment at the beginning of my day. It is also a place where fragrance enters my day as the different shave creams all have some of my favorite scents. One problem is this is not a very portable morning ritual to travel with. Especially the brush and a pot of shaving cream. A little over a year ago I was introduced to a fantastic tube of shaving cream from a Winston-Salem, North Carolina brand Fulton & Roark. Now I can take my wetshaving on the road with aplomb.
Kevin Keller (l.) and Allen Shafer
Of course, when I went to order another tube of the shaving cream I started poking around the website and found they carried a line of solid perfumes. I added a sample set to my order. When I received the samples, I found the perfumes to all be excellently composed classic riffs on masculine motifs of cologne. My favorite was one called Captiva which was a typical citrus, labdanum, and aquatic accord construct. What made it different was applying it as a solid. Smearing on a film of wax where I usually spray created a more personal style of fragrance. Which is a nice effect when you want to keep your perfume wearing on the down low. I was thinking that it would be nice if there was a warm version which would be great underneath a sweater or scarf. The latest release Limited Reserve No. 4 is that.
Mount Sterling, North Carolina
All the Fulton & Roark perfumes are based on a place where one, or both, of the founders; Kevin Keller and Allen Shafer has been. Limited Reserve No.4 is based on the hike to an abandoned fire tower atop Mount Sterling in Western North Carolina. Not sure about this place but it must be near some large tobacco fields because this is a perfume about tobacco.
Tobacco has many ways of being presented in perfume for Limited Edition No. 4 the decision is to go with the very sweet version of tobacco. This carries an inherent warmth which is picked up by the leather which comes next. Vanilla keeps the leather from washing away the sweet and amber finishes this with more warmth.
Limited Edition No. 4 has 8-10 hour longevity and very little sillage.
Limited Edition No. 4 is far and away the best of the Fulton & Roark solid perfumes it is not groundbreaking in any way but if you want a solid sweet leathery tobacco perfume that only you can smell on a given day; this is the one.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample from Fulton & Roark
–Mark Behnke
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