The Wrestler Onogawa Kisaburo Blowing Smoke at a One-Eyed Monster

[dreamingjune]

Peru balsam, Mysore sandalwood, bodark bark, tupelo gum, black pepper, tobacco absolute, and white honey.

The Wrestler is such a weird one. I really should love it with all of the notes listed, except for the white honey. This one is almost like someone took No. 93 Engine (one of my top ten) and mixed it with Dr. Pepper. It is almost fruity sweet on me until the dry down. After that more of the smoke, wood, and especially balsam come out while remaining sweet. It has decent staying power, without being too strong. Luckily the sandalwood starts showing itself more the longer it is on, much in the same way it shows up in Velvet. There is even something in the drydown of this that reminds me of Succor, another very unique blend. They both have some sort of wearable dirty martini quality that I can't quite explain.

Overall this blend is super unique and a good one to try if you love Balsam. I can really imagine it being pretty amazing on someone who does not amp the sweetness as much as myself. I think it is a keeper, but one I will probably only wear when I am in a very particular mood.

[gchris]

First sniff is a bit weird. Smelled of honey and vinegar and then wood, fresh wood like from a just cut tree. Mostly fresh wood with a whishper of sweet honey. Nice.

I love this blend and could not figure out why but now I know. It has the scents of my childhood, honey-fresh from the beehives my grandparents had and cedar, unmistakeable cedar. There is a whisper of tobacco in background. This is more masculine than feminine if I had to say, but I love it, probably not as a perfume but as a scent I want around me.

[countessmouse]

Pickles! All I can smell on application is pickles - really.

 

On drydown, the balsam and sandalwood take over with a hint of pepper. Very nice in an odd sort of way.

[sarada]

I got this about a year ago in a swap and it is one of my favorites in the past three or four years that I have tried -- it manages to be unlike any other wood scents I can recall. Glossy with resins and infused with a deep tangy smokiness, I wouldn't think there was honey in it except for the faint sweetness and shimmer that suspends the other notes in a golden haze.

 

The impression I get of this scent is of a man in a smoking jacket in a wood-paneled room, years of pipe smoke staining the rich wood, with prints of Japanese art in the walls and interesting curios on ornate tabletops. It is both natural and refined, and although it is definitely masculine, it has that glowing halo of sweetness about it that lifts it from being a purely brown, wooden scent. I'm very glad I was able to obtain some since I have so many wood scents I might not have otherwise tried to go out of my way to get another.

[pekeana]

This one is all kinds of, "WTF is that?" in the bottle, and if asked, I would never have said any of the things that's in it. (For instance, I caught a whiff of cherry blossom and I want to spork my brain for that one.)

 

On the skin, it's all kinds of woody and resinous with a hint of black pepper and super smoky honey. <3

[crimescenecleanup]

I am surprised there is not more love for this one!

 

A four year + aged bottle is mostly peppered tobacco and honey.

 

The pepper note is a bit like cracking open a bottle a of smoked peppercorns.

 

The tobacco note is very dry and smooth, and the honey is not overwhelming.

 

It stays very true on the drydown, and over the next few hours, all of the unusual wood notes start to emerge. The bodark (osage orange) stands out the most.

 

I love this one on Autumn days.

Edited October 21, 2014 by crimescenecleanup

[Roogna]

makes me think of The Sea Rat at first ... wood, kinda salty(?)/sharp, herbs

but when I try them side by side, this one is obviously sharper, more mediciney, and has black pepper too, maybe a touch of honey