Four of the five fragrances here come from Tom Ford's Private Blend line, and they're priced like it: Oud Wood, Tobacco Vanille, Soleil Blanc and Fougère d'Argent are each $300 for 1.7 oz on Tom Ford's own US store. Black Orchid is the outlier, and the cheapest, at $165 for the same size.
We make impressions of a lot of Tom Ford. These are the five to start with: what the original smells like, who it's for, and what ours is. The cherries have their own guide.
What an impression is
An impression rebuilds the part of a fragrance you actually notice: how it opens, what it turns into, what's left on your collar at the end of the day. It isn't the formula. Nobody outside the house has that.
Ours are blended at extrait strength, so expect a slower opening and a long wear.
Oud Wood
The original: Private Blend. Rosewood, cardamom and pink pepper open it. Oud, sandalwood and vetiver make up the middle, over tonka, amber and patchouli.
Honest take: This is oud with the rough edges sanded off. There's nothing animal or medicinal in it, just dry wood, cardamom, a little smoke, and tonka keeping it smooth. That's exactly why some oud fans call it boring, and why everybody else wears it to work.
If you want one woody fragrance you never have to think about, this is it.
Our version — Balsam Grove: Rosewood, cardamom and pepper, then sandalwood and vetiver, then oud, tonka, amber and vanilla.
Tobacco Vanille
The original: Private Blend. Tobacco leaf, ginger and spice up front, then vanilla, cocoa and tonka, with dried fruit underneath.
Honest take: It does exactly what the name says, and the dried fruit is the part nobody mentions. It smells like pipe tobacco kept in a tin of dates.
It's sweet, it's loud, and it's built for cold weather. One spray is plenty. Two is a statement.
Our version — Toccoa: Tobacco leaf and spice, then vanilla, cocoa, tonka and tobacco blossom, then dried fruit and woods.
Black Orchid
The original: The only one of the five that isn't a Private Blend. Black truffle, ylang-ylang, bergamot and bitter orange open it. Black orchid and black plum sit in the middle with rum, over patchouli and vanilla.
Honest take: It's the strange one, and we mean that as a compliment. The truffle gives it an earthy, almost savory start that people either love or wrinkle their nose at, and then the plum and rum turn it dark and sweet.
Tom Ford files it under women's fragrance. Parfumo lists it for women and men, and we'd side with Parfumo.
Our version — Jocassee Gorges: Black truffle and ylang-ylang, then black orchid and black plum, then rum and patchouli.
Soleil Blanc
The original: Private Blend, and Tom Ford calls it a solar floral amber. Bergamot, cardamom and pistachio, then ylang-ylang, then benzoin and coco de mer.
Honest take: Expensive sunscreen, in the best way. The pistachio and cardamom keep the coconut from smelling like a beach-shop candle.
Wear it when it's hot. In a cold office in January it seems a little lost.
Our version — Rainbow Falls: Pistachio, bergamot, cardamom and pink pepper, then tuberose, ylang-ylang and jasmine, then coconut, amber, tonka and benzoin.
Fougère d'Argent
The original: Private Blend. Mandarin and ginger open it, lavender and cistus carry the middle, and akigalawood and coumarin make up the base.
Honest take: A barbershop fougère that went to finishing school. Lavender is the center of it, the ginger keeps it awake, and the akigalawood gives the base a dry, peppery wood that keeps it from going soapy.
If Beau de Jour feels too mossy and old-school for you, this is the newer cut of the same cloth.
Our version — Grayson Highlands: Mandarin, ginger and lavender, then cistus and akigalawood, then coumarin.
Which one should you actually get
You need something for the office: Balsam Grove (Oud Wood).
It's cold and you want to be noticed: Toccoa (Tobacco Vanille).
You want dark and a little strange: Jocassee Gorges (Black Orchid).
It's July: Rainbow Falls (Soleil Blanc).
You want clean and classic: Grayson Highlands (Fougère d'Argent).
You don't know: All five come as a 2 mL sample for $10. Wear one for a few days before you buy the bottle. Full bottles are $29 for 15 mL and $49 for 30 mL.
The rest of our Tom Ford shelf
Everything we make inspired by Tom Ford is in one place. The short version:
French Broad (Beau de Jour), reviewed in our barbershop guide.
Blood Mountain (Lost Cherry) and Sugar Mountain (Electric Cherry), compared in our cherry guide.
Damascus (Taormina Orange), in 15 mL and 30 mL.
Thunderhead Mountain (Plum Japonais), in 30 mL.
Burley and Cocoa (Tobacco Chocolat), in 30 mL. If you like Toccoa, try this one next.
Travel sprays only: Looking Glass Rock (Oud Minérale), Big Stone Gap (Ombré Leather), Rogersville (Tuscan Leather), Greeneville (Tobacco Oud), Elkmont (Grey Vetiver), Little Stony Trail (Bois Pacifique), Tuckasegee (Neroli Portofino), Watauga (Azure Lime) and Fontana (Costa Azzurra).
Maison Appalachia is an independent fragrance house. Our fragrances are inspired by the originals we name and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced by those houses.