Jubilation 40 opens very much in the same way as the original Jubilation - a thick, resinous and slightly smoky dose of frankincense, opoponax and myrrh is contrasted and elevated by the most addicting fruity sillage of sweet blackberry and juicy blackcurrant. What I notice with this flanker is the honey-like sweetness seems to be toned down compared to the original; instead being replaced by a slightly green, herbal and vegetal aroma reliant on an array of different notes including davana, rosemary, bay leaf and patchouli. Alongside this slightly green, resinous heart of the scent there’s an addictive warm spiciness coming from cinnamon and clove, which paves the way for an alluring woody base of oud and cedar. This fragrance is incredible. Jubilation XXV was already a mature and sophisticated scent but this release takes that maturity a step further with the aromatic additions to the note breakdown. I think this scent smells fantastic, but personally I actually prefer the intense sweetness of the original - to me it’s more playful and inviting.
Okay, so it's the much anticipated release of Jubilation Man 40. I say much anticipated because when the first revamped concentrations came out, my reaction (I think I speak for many) was 'oh....they're doing this?' with more than a skeptical, wry smile on my face but actually I thought they were very good, and why not give people more of what they want right? So then people (me) started to wonder...which other ones are they going to do? and inevitably the fabled Jubilation XXV Man was a big favourite for getting an amped up, haute concentree version, in part due to peoples (not mine actually) hatred of the newer EDP formulations which were apparently rubbish compared to the original. Thankfully I own the original plastic cap version of Jubilation XXV Man EDP and as such I wasn't quite as excited as many for this new version, but I was curious and perhaps this means that I didn't build it up on a pedestal, only for massive disappointment. So I think this is very good. Very good indeed. Has all the aspects of the original fragrance. However, It feels slightly more disjointed than the original in so much as you can smell individual natural raw materials and the quality of them, the original has something of a more cohesive feel and for lack of a better term feels more gelled together, diffusive, more sparkly, less heavy, but somehow stronger and longer lasting in some sense. I think this oiler version reaches a critical mass and falls into the trap of many 'parfum' versions of stuff do, they're glorious and richer, deeper in some respect but somehow sit closer to the skin and over the long haul of the experience are counterintuitively less powerful over all. It's not all about lasting power and strength though and what this version does is give a very vivid elemi/frankinsense in the opening which has a much more camphor topped bite to it, I know this is from some of the very highest quality of these materials possess this, even if it's not my favourite facet, you can smell it. Another thing which feels more naturalistic is the patchouli. Often people would state that Jubilation is a big patchouli fragrance and while patch can manifest in many ways and I definitely feel it's presence in the EDP, this version has a positively visceral patchouli note, which despite how different I'm saying it is, doesn't effect the perfume or change it too much from the original. The fruity berry accords and such which are mainly Berty's AC trickery I thought were very well rendered and had the characteristic sparkle of the original formula too. The opening of this and first half hour are glorious! Like a reimagined, technicolour version of what is a fantastic perfume, but it's very expensive and I get how some people will be less than enamored. I feel this does live up to the hype, although I was told recently not to celebrate the mediocre fact that 'Well it could've been a lot worse' but the truth is it could of. I like this a lot but can't shake the fact that I'm lucky enough to have the original formula Jubilation and as such don't desperately need to get this.
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A sledgehammer assault version of the original which will appeal to people who like Oud for Greatness, Parfums de Marly and other such sludgy dross. Don't get me wrong, this is better than those, but only just. This is for the next gen brahs who have only just discovered Amouage and those who shell out big money on crap like Fragrance du Bois and Bodicea the Victorious. To say this is similar to the original Jubilation XXV is to completely miss the point and the beauty of the original.