Atkinsons — The Excelsior Bouquet
Essence
The Excelsior Bouquet is a cool, green aromatic leather released in 2015. Flint, sage, spice, vetiver, and soft smoked leather create an airy, mineralic fragrance built around a hot/cold aviation idea rather than a heavy leather fantasy.
Scent Profile
The opening is sparkling and cold, with mineral flint, herbal sage, and citrus-aldehydic lift giving the feeling of metal and air. Warm spices add contrast without making the scent heavy. The drydown is restrained leather and vetiver, faintly smoky, polished, and green. It is one of the softer modern leathers: elegant, distant, and clean rather than animalic.
Performance
Projection is moderate to soft, but longevity can be better than expected because the leather-vetiver base holds quietly. Its understatement is part of the style; it is not meant to fill a room.
Wearing Context
Best for office, smart casual, daytime, and professional settings. Spring, summer, and early autumn suit the cool aromatic opening, while the leather base gives it enough structure for mild cooler weather.
Comparisons & DNA
Cabochard is the most useful reference, with Excelsior smoother, fresher, and less raw. Tom Ford Grey Vetiver and airy Hermes garden-style freshness help frame the green, mineral, and vetiver aspects.
Reception
Wearers tend to praise its blending, dry freshness, understated luxury, and unusual soft leather. Criticism focuses on the misleading “bouquet” name and the fact that it is quieter than many leather fans expect.
Versions & Reformulation
It is a 2015 Legendary Collection release and is now discontinued. No later reformulation is documented. Concentration and perfumer credits vary by source, but the scent profile remains stable.
Acquisition Notes
Buying now means remaining stock, decants, and secondary-market bottles. The usual size is 100 ml. It is worth sampling if possible because the appeal is subtle and stock is thinning.
Notable Facts & Lore
- The concept commemorates Alcock and Brown’s first non-stop transatlantic flight.
- Atkinsons frames the scent through cold air, cockpit heat, and aviator leather.
- Some accounts also connect the name to the Hotel Excelsior near Naples.
- It belongs to the house’s heritage-revival Legendary Collection.