My English grandpa

I have no grandpa to remember but I know a perfume that comes close to the ideal of my grandpa’s fragrance. My real grandpa died in the forties in Germany somewhere in an army hospital in the midst of the last grand war, not fighting but rather being a victim of tuberculosis and of the war’s effect on public health, I guess. Thus no memories of curling his enormous white moustache, watching these shining blue eyes in a happy face full of wrinkles and of lived memories, no pleasure of sneaking into the smoking lounge and watching the old men enjoying his Monte Christo with a Cognac which brilliantly reflects the candle lights and the little flames in the open fire place. My dream grandpa probably was very English, wealthy of course, educated and a lovely man. My dream grandpa must have had Knize Ten, this leather scent that I adore and admire so much. This scent is in its 60-ies by now and it is not one of those modern scents that you get in your shop around the corner; but in a sense, I am like a child and do not care about the age of someone. (Children do not really care for ones age, maybe because they do not have any standard to compare, but they rather have a sense for the inner spirits that light a human being irrespective of age) What I admire about Knize Ten is how well it is structured and composed. It is admirable in this respect and I learn a lot from it; it is a composition that will never leave the trail, maintaining the power of a leather scent which is never turning towards dry tobacco leaves where many other leathers in the end will direct you. It is full of freshness and incredible intensity, somewhat crispy even at the beginning (lavender?) with a wonderful chorus of yellow citrus. There is a very elegant line in it, with its backbone being woods such as sandalwood (leaving hints of Eaglewood as the dry out note), which nicely underline the scent of birch tar that is so present, yet never isolated. For me this is the most admirable part: How the perfumer managed to build a perfume which is strong relying on birch tar without falling apart. It is a masterpiece, the ideal leather scent, lasting for hours on the skin, always very present, but never dominating. It is time to rediscover grandpa’s secrets.