Last Tavern at the Town Gate

[Belladonnastrap]

Vivid red musk streaked with sleet, hearthsmoke, a glimmer of lemon rind and yellow amber, and oak-aged whiskey.

[torischroeder9]

Reviewing the day it arrived because I found myself with an extra hour and also I have poor impulse control. Also, it's as sleety and cold today as Arizona ever gets, so if not now, when?

 

This was the bottle that called to me the most from its description -- image and note description -- on the release. When I watched Tom and Galen's video of Lux Brumalis, Galen's exclamation of, "It's nice!" sold me right then and there. 

 

In the bottle: Red musk, lemon rind, amber, and whiskey. It's a touch smoky, but not more than I could say is oak-aged whiskey versus hearthsmoke. It has a beautiful cocktail quality to it that's reminiscent of Pumpkin Booze -- which I'm sure is partly the lemon rind and whiskey but isn't only. But where Pumpkin Booze is fun and sweet and flirty, Last Tavern at the Town Gate is more somber than that. There's warmth here, in the musk and lemon and amber, but not festivity. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's much smokier, to the point where I take back everything I just said. But that settles down very fast on me -- no more than a minute or two -- and we're back to lemony red musk plus amber. If you've ever had a wood fire where a stick snaps and falls in, sending up a momentary plume of smoke, but then it's all glowy embers again? -- it's like that. It settles down to be lemony and ambery and not all that strong on the red musk (I say as someone who likes red musk but does not appreciably amp the stuff). 

 

Once it settles down, it stays pretty steady. It's bright and warm and just a touch smoky. Though I don't get a whole lot of red musk from the scent right now (which might well change with age), it's very evocative of the image and of the feeling of a wood fire, a shot of whiskey, and a room -- not fancy or festive, but comfortable enough -- warm against the chill outside. 

[groovyrooby]

Surprise! This is a very piney cologne on me! Kind of air freshenery. Husband smelled some oak notes, but it was all barrel and no aged whiskey as I had hoped. I'm not sure if it's the hearthsmoke that does it, but something fir just buried everything else.

 

Very festive! Definitely get a cozy vibe - people gathered around a tiny wooden bar,  sitting on old wooden booths, in a small space full of fir garlands. And probably a big win for folks who like the winter potpourri vibe.

 

But I wanted more musk or amber or whiskey and didn't really find it here. Yet. Not giving up on it completed. I'll revisit with some time to see what more it can offer. Those barrels need some time to fuse with the whiskey, methinks. 

[AirimirOfGondor]

Wet, my first observation is bubblegum! Like, very strong, almost-bitter bubblegum! 😅 There's an antiseptic quality to it as well.

 

As it dries down, it turns more to a slightly-smoky, super-piney quality.

I am getting a hint of citrus that grows the more it dries, but definitely not as much as the pine. Which is strange, as pine isn't a listed note.

It kind of reminds me of an older Yule, The Second Morning after Christmas (which was woodsmoke, pipe smoke, and snow), so here's hoping it will age better! I'm afraid I get no red musk, no amber, and no whiskey from this one at the moment.

[RoseThornAndOak]

Aye. Must have travelled late, for I too had a similar journey in this land, oh @AirimirOfGondor and @groovyrooby. The tavern was bare of whiskey and wench musk, so I sorrowed the sleet unforgiving yet again, and made way for shelter in the dark arms of the cold, hard forest.

 

For fans of Cloister Graveyard in The Snow.

 

 

Edited February 19, 2021 by RoseThornAndOak

[couscous]

Ah, this was a disappointment.  No red musk. No whiskey.  No amber. 

 

Instead, it is pine. Pine to the eleventh power, with a bit of the lemon coming through on the skin after it settles a bit.

 

I love lemon, but in this case she is quite unwelcome. Combined with the overwhelming pine smell, the blend becomes straight up floor cleaner on me.

 

Red musk is usually a slam dunk on my skin, and Mad Sweeney is one of my favorite winter go-tos, so the whiskey note sealed the deal when I read the description. I really thought Last Tavern would be a no-brainer loved blend, but that pine-sol throwback...Naaaah.  Can't do it. Won't wear it.  I guess the "sleet" is the culprit? 

 

Super bummed! I hope someone out there gets the glorious bpal red musk smell from this.  I am off to wash thoroughly and slather on some Sweeney instead.  :/ 

[roseus]

In the imp: red musk, amber, and whiskey. Billowy, warm, and just a tiny bit fruity. On my skin everything melds together more, though I get a tiny bit of hearthsmoke and maybe the tiniest hint of pine. It's a cozy, comforting scent. @groovyrooby mentioned it smells festive and I totally agree, though I can't really say why? It smells like being in a cozy holiday party (one with people you actually like) but I can't pin it to any of the notes. It smells like golden memories, and makes me really nostalgic for gatherings. 

[feyofthefellwood]

Starts off lemony, dries down to a cozy blend of hearthsmoke, oak, and a hint of whiskey. The red musk is light and just sort of ties everything together, but isn't that noticeable to my nose. My apologies for being such a gamer, but this is what an inn/tavern in Skyrim or Icewind Dale must smell like. Will definitely keep my decant for when I need that kind of atmosphere. 

Edited March 10, 2021 by feyofthefellwood

[zankoku_zen]

Smoky red musk and whisky. This one is a smoky, boozey musk. Medium throw and wear length. Its actually very gender neutral to more masc in vibe.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: I've re-read the notes multiple times, and I can't make sense of it, but... it smells like Coca Cola to me. With a slight dash of red musk. 

 

Dry: Yep. Coca Cola still. I'll be having some words with my.. skin.

[Lucchesa]

Last Tavern is a typical red musk on my skin in that it doesn't leave a whole lot of room for anything but red musk -- smoky red musk in this case, almost bitter at first.  It's a dry, not a fruity red musk, with lots of hearthsmoke.  I never get much amber, but the whisky does emerge after a couple of hours (this lasts all day).  If smoky, atmospheric red musk sounds like your jam, or you want to smell like a tavern in another century or your favorite fantasy novel, this is perfect!

[LavenderCoffee]

This feels like an unusual red musk blend, with the sleet and lemon notes taking it to a wet, chilly day. The sleet "melts" as the scent dries, and the hearthsmoke and amber cozy things up. I don't get anywhere near enough whiskey to call this boozy, but the oak barrel note isn't bashful. A lovely scent composition of a tavern.