There’s never been a better time to be a guy who wants to smell good. The men’s fragrance market is booming, the scents are bolder than ever, and you can shop for pretty much anything you could possibly imagine—from long-lasting extracts for a big night out to easy-to-wear options that’ll fit right in at the office—with ease. The only problem with all that abundance is the project of narrowing things down to a manageable number of scents that might work for you.
Which is where we come in. This year, the team here at Esquire decided to go big for our annual Cologne Awards. Our staff of fragrance experts called in hundreds of new releases over the course of the year, narrowing them down through extensive testing and internal debate before each creating their own shortlist of winners.
That’s when things got really interesting. Round by round, the Esquire Cologne Awards committee met to discuss potential winners, spritzing and testing again and again before finally cutting the list you see here. These are the 40 best scents of the year.
You might not connect with every one of them—but if you can’t find something you love here, well, good luck out there. This has become one of our daily wears and for good reason. It’s going to please pretty much anyone.
Spicy and aromatic, this cologne is vanilla- and amber-forward with discernible notes of iris germanica and lavender giving it a more floral edge. The result is sensual and soft, but never not masculine thanks to the aromatic freshness. Plus, it comes packaged in a giant flask.
There’s nothing more manly than having a giant flask (literally) of cologne behind your bathroom mirror. Leather lovers, this one is for you. Tom Ford’s newest Ombré Leather Reserve blends notes of earthy, black leather with silver juniper and sandalwood, creating a balanced, rooted, yet refreshing take on Ford’s classic Ombré Leather eau de parfum.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
