So it's a bit of a running joke to me that I'd never tried this classic and I'd started to resent the fact and the people who had. All they'd really done was to buy massively expensive bottles and flex, you know who you are! Anyway....A very kind perfumista friend of mine once sent me a sample of PRIVE the flanker of this but sniffing out the original had still always alluded me, until another wonderful perfumista friend sent me a sample of this recently, Thanks. (you also know who you are) Well, I found it a little disappointing if I'm honest. haha...AFTER ALL THAT!!!! Perhaps because of it being built up on this pedestal I'd had it on, being the forbiden fruit? Perhaps it was simply the fact that it's just an old vintage and a little deplete of top notes and vigour? I don't know? It's clearly great, leathery, woody, spicy, mossy, masculine outing as expected but is it really any better or worse than much of it's time? ... not really. Wearing it I could feel the depth of animalic sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli all the stuff you'd expect to remain strong and get ever deeper has, but that's not what is in question here. I want some of the perfumers original intent, some of the top, mid, detail to remain and some vintages can achieve this through lack of oxidation, good storage etc... but it's unfair of me to expect it of such an old boy. So the wear was a touch lack lustre, however my long suffering partner (god love her) picked up the vial in my car on the way out somewhere in a hurry and said... "I'm putting this on." and I only marginally recoilled because... as I mentioned above this took me an age to finally try, and (dear...) that little spritz you had at today's prices probably cost about fifteen quid, so yeah...knock yourself out lover! I will say this though, she smelled far better than I, and I got new perspective on the fragrance smelling it on someone else. I mean it was quite butch or a petit lady but was quite the turn on for me...perhaps that says more about me...hmmmm.... but yeah I definitely perceived more going on. Don't think I'm gonna be dropping £800 on a bottle anytime soon.