Yes — But Not On Day One
Lattafa Asad Bourbon is one of the best sub-£25 winter gourmands on the UK market — a cocoa-vanilla-nutmeg scent that reads far more expensive than it costs. The catch is that a fresh bottle needs four to six weeks in a drawer before it shows you what it can do.
Our verdict
This Asad Bourbon review is based on a full autumn-winter season of real wear: office days, family lunches, dinners out, and a lot of wool coats that still smelled of it days later.
At a Glance
Is Asad Bourbon Good? The Honest Answer
Asad Bourbon is good in a specific way. It is not a loud, compliment-farming beast that announces you from the other end of a corridor. It is a close, warm, slightly boozy scent that makes people want to stand nearer to you.
If you have been buying Lattafa for the big projection monsters, adjust your expectations. This is the quieter, better-dressed member of the family. That restraint is exactly why it works in an office or at a family dinner where a stronger fragrance would be a problem.
What genuinely surprised us was the quality of the dry-down. The vanilla is a proper bourbon vanilla — boozy and oaky rather than sugary — and the cocoa stays slightly bitter instead of collapsing into chocolate syrup. That is the part that reads expensive.
How It Smells, Hour by Hour
Fresh-sweet and a little sharp. On a fresh, unmacerated bottle it can read almost boozy-harsh. This is the part that puts some people off — and the part that improves most with time.
The heart arrives and the fragrance finds itself. Cocoa comes through rich and dry, nutmeg adds warm spice, davana gives a fruity-tobacco depth underneath. This is the stretch where it smells most like something from a designer counter.
Creamy, warm, slightly smoky, and very close to the skin. On a wool jumper it is still clearly there the next morning.
Longevity and Projection — Tested
Dry skin sits at the lower end of the range. Two to three sprays is the sweet spot — one either side of the neck, one on the jacket. Going heavier does not make it louder, it just makes the opening sharper.
The Maceration Warning Nobody Reads
Straight out of the box, the alcohol has not settled and the opening comes across thin and sharp. Leave the bottle in a dark drawer for four to six weeks. The opening rounds out, the cocoa thickens, and the performance noticeably improves.
Almost every negative opinion of this fragrance online comes from someone who sprayed it on day one and wrote it off. Our full maceration guide is here →
Asad Bourbon vs Azzaro The Most Wanted Parfum
Asad Bourbon is Lattafa’s take on Azzaro The Most Wanted Parfum — the darker vanilla-cocoa flanker, not the older Azzaro Wanted. The DNA match is real, and it lives in the base.
| Asad Bourbon | Azzaro The Most Wanted Parfum | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (100ml) | £22.99 | Around £102 |
| Character | More chocolatey, more distinctive | Fruitier, more polished |
| Projection | Personal after hour one | Harder — higher oil concentration |
| Where they match | The base — bourbon vanilla, cocoa and amber. That is where the DNA lives. | |
The question is not whether they are identical. It is whether you would rather own one bottle you ration, or four bottles you spray freely.
Who Should Buy It — and Who Should Not
- You want a cold-weather signature that works at the office
- You like gourmands that stay warm rather than sweet
- You want the Azzaro character without the designer price
- You need heavy projection
- You mainly wear fragrance in hot weather — heat amplifies this one badly
- You dislike cocoa and vanilla notes
Final Verdict
Asad Bourbon is not the loudest thing Lattafa makes, and it is better for it. A well-constructed cold-weather gourmand that punches far above £22.99 — provided you give it the maceration time it needs.
If you already own Asad Original, Bourbon is the winter counterpart rather than an upgrade — the two do genuinely different jobs. See how all four Asads compare →
Lattafa Asad Bourbon 100ml EDP
£22.99 · 100% authentic · free tracked UK delivery · 30-day returns
FAQs
Is Asad Bourbon good for beginners?
Yes. It is easy to wear, hard to over-apply badly, and inoffensive in close quarters. Just let it macerate first.
Is Asad Bourbon a compliment getter?
In cold weather, yes — but from people standing close to you rather than across a room. The sillage is intimate by design.
How long does Lattafa Asad Bourbon last?
6–10 hours on skin and 12+ hours on clothing, improving noticeably once the bottle has macerated for 4–6 weeks.
Is Asad Bourbon unisex?
It is marketed as masculine, but the cocoa-vanilla-nutmeg accord is soft enough that anyone can wear it.