Best Smelling Winter Colognes 2018-2019

While I personally don’t enjoy cold weather for the most part, I absolutely do love the winter season, for the fact that I get to wear some of the best fragrances. There are certain men’s colognes, that are simply fantastic, but really don’t work too well when the heat is out in full force. So, here we are again in this hemisphere, about to venture back into the depths of winter and I can officially break out the scents for freezing temperatures. Now, not every scent on this list is limited to cold weather, but some very much are. This is the time of year that we can wear the sweet gourmands, heavier spices, and bold enveloping scents that hang in the crisp air.

Paco Rabanne 1 Million Prive Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce– When I wrote my initial review of Prive, I thought that this one would definitely be getting me complements and have a solid presence in a winter rotation. After wearing it time and time again for a year, I can confirm my theory. To me, this is the best of the 1 Million fragrances (and I like all of them), and the most mature. Prive has more of a smoky darkness underneath the obvious sweet heart and less of the in your face boldness of the original.

1 Million Prive opens with cinnamon spice and the familiar fruity appeal of crisp apple. It’s always kind of reminded me of cinnamon applesauce, in that regard. Then, notes of myrrh of tobacco are added, and I think that this is what separates this one from it’s Paco Rabanne brethren. The myrrh gives it a sort of exotic appeal and an added depth to the body. The dry down period I get the cinnamon note and the sweet tobacco, as the main attractions.

Prive isn’t a scent without any power, as I can get double digit hours of wear out of this one. I’m actually wearing 1 Million Prive, as I’m doing this post, so I definitely enjoy the stuff.

Angel Men Pure Malt by Thierry Mugler Eau De Toilette Spray (Limited Edition) for Men, 3.40 Ounce– Pure Malt is a very interesting and unique fragrance from Thierry Mugler’s Angel Men line. As the name suggests, this one has a very malted aroma. Warm boozy fruit notes, whiskey, peat, and vanilla create an enveloping aroma that targets the winter weather perfectly.

This is one for guys who want a very rich full bodied cologne and who enjoy the whiskey note, in particular. Pure Malt has great performance in terms of longevity and the sillage is very solid as well. It won’t be great outside of the colder months, but it is fantastic during these cold days and nights. Pure Malt Review

Dirty English Cologne 3.4 oz Eau De Toilette Spray Mens– Dirty English is a men’s fragrance by Juicy Couture, that sort of still flies under the radar. That’s a good thing too, as finding a bottle for cheap is fairly easy, because not too many people know about it. This is a shame, Dirty English is great, and one that I keep a full bottle of for when the temperature drops outside.

I’m usually not super crazy about colognes with a really prominent oud note, but this one is blended so well off of the other ingredients, that I can’t help but love it. It’s a very woodsy cologne with cedar, sandalwood, cypress, and ebony wood. However, this is offset by a beautifully rich leather note. It is dark, warm, woody, with a nice bit of spice. Overall, Dirty English has a very dry profile though there are just enough citrus notes added to give it a certain layer of juiciness. I get very good performance from this one. Dirty English Review

Giorgio Armani Code Profumo EDP Spray for Men, 3.7 Ounce– Code Profumo is a more recent release by Armani. This scent is magnificent flanker to the original Armani Code and even better than that fantastic fragrance, in my opinion. Smooth, sexy, and warm this Armani cologne is a sure fire winner for the colder months of the year.

Code Profumo opens up with that familiar warmth of amber and this is paired with a smooth creamy tonka bean note. This one is sweet, especially at the start, but it does become much smoother and masculine as it dries down. There is a very slight zesty orange note and spices from both nutmeg and cardamom. All of this is wrapped up in rich leather. It ends up having a smooth, creamy, almost powdery aroma. The sillage while not monsterous, is quite good, and the longevity for this Armani scent is excellent. My Code Profumo Review

Carolina Herrera Ch Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce
This is a beautiful fragrance by Carolina Herrera. It features notes of grapefruit, bergamot, nutmeg, jasmine, violet, leather, and amber. It is a sweetly sugary aroma with  vanilla and leather, which gives it  a rich and warm smoothness. The dry down is quite lovely.

However, the main attraction in CH Prive is the whiskey note, which creates a masculine and boozy air. The whiskey is there throughout the wear and pairs quite well with the leather, it’s got a similar vibe to Man in Black with the liquor/leather combo, but which much less spice. This one takes the whiskey in a much different direction than does the aforementioned Pure Malt.  The leather and whiskey are heavily featured in the dry down and are supported by the vanilla/tonka bean, mostly.

CH Prive is a sexy and masculine fragrance that is safe enough to be worn at the office, while also having a rightful place in the nightlife. CH Prive Review

Thierry Mugler Eau de Toilette Spray, Angel Men Pure Havane, 3.4 Ounce
Pure Havane is an amazing mixture of masculine sweetness featuring notes of tobacco leaf, honey, amber, and bitter cocoa. Havane is like a fine cigar dipped in honey and sugar with a helping of chocolate. Completely warm and gourmand and awesome. This is another cold weather winner from Thierry Mugler and the honey/tobacco blend really stand out perfectly against a frigid backdrop.

This is a really sweet cologne but the honey and cocoa notes make it different from many other sweet or fruity men’s scents. Pure Havane by Thierry Mugler Review

Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male for Men Intense Spray, Eau de Toilette, 4.2 Ounce

Ultra Male is one of the flanker fragrances that was spun off from the original best seller, Le Male. However, this is the one that has exceeded its predecessor, and just strikes me as better in every metric.

Ultra Male features notes of pear, cinnamon, mint, vanilla, and citrus. The opening is sweet and candy-like but settles into something that is both warm and smooth. This is a super fresh sweetness that has that slight spice given off my the cinnamon and mint combo.

With 1-3 sprays, Ultra Male isn’t overwhelming, and has very good projection. I always seem to get around 9 hours from my bottle. This is a great fragrance for the nightlife, as its spicy sweetness has a boldness, and an ability to hang in the air. One more thing to add, JPG has discontinued this from what I understand, so one would do well to pick up a large bottle from what’s still on shelves. Ultra Male Review

Bvlgari Man in Black Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce– Man in Black has become an absolute go to cologne during the winter. It usually last between 4-6 hours, which while not great, is enough for the nightlife. It also starts off strong but becomes much quieter into the wear. What’s the deal then? This one while not universally loved, get highly complemented by a certain percentage of ladies. Like, this is one of those scents for me, that has gotten the most intense reactions and opinions about how sexy it smells. Again, not always the case, but when it lands its freaking lands big time.

So, while it’s not universally as popular as some of the other scents on this list, Bvlgari’s dark and boozy fragrance can do work when out in the field. It starts off with rum and cinnamon spices that is tempered by a smooth leather note. There is a oud base which amps up the masculinity and floral notes lingering around to give it a bit of sweetness. Again, it actually projects pretty moderately, but does the job when someone gets close to you. This isn’t one that I wear everyday, but on night’s when I head to the bar, it’s among my first selections. Man in Black Full Review

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.