Venetian Bergamot by Tom Ford

Continuing through my review of a whole lot of Tom Ford fragrances, we have a 2015 release, entitled: Venetian Bergamot. I want to take a closer look at this fragrance after I’ve been testing it out for a while. How does it smell? What are the notes? How does it perform? Is it worth a purchase?

What does Venetian Bergamot Smell Like?

Notes include: bergamot, pink pepper, black pepper, amber, sandalwood, tonka bean, ylang ylang, ginger, magnolia, gardenia, cedar

Click here to try: TOM Ford Private Blend Venetian Bergamot EDP Spray 3.4 Oz / 100 Ml Sealed

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Venetian Bergamot obviously features that familiar citrus bergamot opening, but this one definitely doesn’t take the familiar route with it. Not only is there a spice to the aroma, there are also floral notes, which create something that is quite unique.

However, even with the other elements being involved from the jump, it is still mostly the juicy and somewhat sour citrus smell with sandalwood peaking through. The start is much more of a tropical scent than what you get during the rest of the wear and I find it really enjoyable.

As it dries down further, Venetian Bergamot, becomes less of a bergamot scent and the floral notes being to take over the composition.

This is mainly gardenia with some ylang ylang. So, at this point it is the floral notes, pink and black pepper, sandalwood, and a fading bergamot. It is smooth and creamy with bright elements that really perk up the senses.

I think that the most interesting aspect of this Tom Ford fragrance is the spicy notes in here. They aren’t heavy spices however, the white ginger is a nice addition to the warm pink pepper, and the hint of sharp black pepper sprinkled throughout.

This is what keeps the fragrance in the unisex category, even as the white floral notes pull it toward the feminine side of things.

What I ultimately get from Venetian Bergamot when all is said and done is, a gardenia/ylang ylang combo sitting on top of sandalwood and cedar, with a mix of bergamot and spices floating around this core composition.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise it’ll be in the 3-6 foot range. The sillage of this one is pretty moderate, and works down into something light and close to the skin. So, the first 3-4 hours, it will be a moderate scent. Then for the rest of the time, VB is much more of a skin scent.

It does last in the 7-8 hour range on my skin, so the longevity ain’t too shabby. For a lot of that wear, it’ll be the woods with some light floral touches. The bergamot doesn’t completely last all that time, but the blend is fairly creamy and has a clean soapy quality.

Seasonally, Venetian Bergamot is one for the spring and summer months. Between the citrus and floral notes, it begs to be worn in the warm weather. As I said, it is unisex that leans more towards the feminine side of things, but this is still completely safe to wear for men.

It’s classy and has an expensive air about it. Not really a sexy fragrance but one that smells nice and can be worn in dressy casual or more upscale scenarios. It is completely office safe.

This one is better worn when dressed up or for at least more semi-formal occasions during the spring and summer.

Overall Impressions of Venetian Bergamot

Overall, do I like Venetian Bergamot? I do like it. It is a bit too floral for my taste and I wish it stayed closer to what it is at the opening, rather than, drying down to gardenia, ylang ylang, and magnolia.

That being said, it is still a very nice perfume, that has a unique scent and decent performance.

I do like the bergamot, ginger, and spiciness of that opening. With the name, I was expecting to get more of a pure bergamot, but it ends up with a greater use of the gardenia. That’s fine, just not what I was expecting when I first tried Venetian Bergamot.

It’s by no means a beast in terms of its performance, so at this price point it might be a pass. Though, it isn’t entirely terrible either. Value is okay, but that’s your call.

However, if you’re looking for a citrus or floral fragrance and want to try something different, Venetian Bergamot is worthy of consideration. It’s not one of the top tier Tom Ford perfumes, but it’s in the upper half or even third, for sure.

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.