I always feel overwhelmed at this time of the year as I look at my list of reviews left to-do and the number of days left on the calendar. I also realize there are perfumes which have been getting pushed down the queue since I received them. It’s now or never to get my thoughts down and so I’m going to gather my thoughts on a perfume I received back in the spring, Malin + Goetz Dark Rum Eau de Parfum.
Andrew Goetz (l.) and Matthew Malin
Malin + Goetz is a full-service beauty brand founded by Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz. I have used their facial scrub from the moment I first discovered the line. That affection does not extend to the fragrance part of the line. The earliest releases were short lasting bursts of energy. Nice, but gone before I got to spend more than an hour or two with them. After 2005’s Rum Tonic it looked like they might have given up on the fragrance game. Except starting in 2015 they made a comeback with some new releases. This time the fragrances were a little more complex, but they still had the same issue with longevity. I liked many of them, but this was one of those cases where the longevity was a flaw I couldn’t over look. My favorite of this second round was last year’s Dark Rum. I kept thinking if it would just last longer this would be great. Which leads to the release this year of Dark Rum Eau de Parfum.
Claude Dir
Both versions of Dark Rum were composed by perfumer Claude Dir. The Eau de Parfum (EdP) is at 20% concentration as opposed to the 12% of the original Eau de Toilette (EdT). The perfume is meant to be a contemporary twist on Bay Rum. M. Dir uses that as a base but adds in some extras which make this memorable.
Right from the first moments the rum is apparent as it swirls in a boozy haze. A bit of star anise brings some spice to the booze. Then the real star of this perfume comes to the fore as a rich leathery plum comprises the heart accord. M. Dir replaces the rum with plum liqueur on a leather coaster. This is heady and is the major difference between the two concentrations. I wanted to spend time lost within this jammy plum and in the EdT concentration it is gone quickly. In the EdP it allows me to luxuriate in it. The base is a very modern accord of milk, patchouli, and amber. It comes together in an outre kind of hot milk cocktail.
Dark Rum Eau de Parfum has 8-10 hour longevity and average sillage.
My profligacy in getting around to this review turned out to be useful because this is much more of a cooler weather fragrance. For the first time Malin + Goetz manages to stick around for awhile without overstaying its welcome.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample provided by Malin + Goetz.
–Mark Behnke
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