Worth It? Yes, But Not on Day One
Lattafa Asad Bourbon is one of the best winter gourmands in the Lattafa range, a cocoa-vanilla-nutmeg scent that reads far more refined than you would expect. 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: 8.5/10.
Yes, Lattafa Asad Bourbon is worth it, if you want a close, warm cold-weather scent rather than a loud one. It smells of cocoa, nutmeg and boozy bourbon vanilla over amber, lasts six to ten hours on skin and twelve or more on clothing, and stays personal after the first hour, which makes it one of the few Lattafa gourmands that is genuinely office-safe. It is Lattafa’s take on Azzaro The Most Wanted Parfum, more chocolatey and quieter. Two conditions: let a new bottle rest four to six weeks before you judge it, and do not buy it for summer. At £17.99 for 100ml, we rate it 8.5/10.
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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 owners praise most is 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
Nine published notes, three clear stages on skin.
Longevity and Projection
Figures from two to three sprays, as reported by owners and the Fragrantica community.
The Maceration Warning Nobody Reads
Do not judge a fresh bottle. 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.
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 family resemblance is real, and it lives in the base.
| Lattafa Asad Bourbon | Azzaro The Most Wanted Parfum | |
|---|---|---|
| Character | More chocolatey, more distinctive | Fruitier, more polished |
| Projection | Personal after hour one | Projects harder |
| Where they match | Bourbon vanilla, cocoa, amber | Bourbon vanilla, cocoa, amber |
The question is not whether they are identical. It is whether you want the polished original or the warmer, more chocolatey take you will reach for every day.
A third bottle often comes up in the same conversation: French Avenue Liquid Brun, which opens on cinnamon and bergamot over a praline and vanilla base. We compare all three side by side in Asad Bourbon vs Liquid Brun vs Azzaro The Most Wanted.
Royal Scents is not affiliated with Azzaro. The comparison describes scent style only.
Who It Suits, and When to Wear It
✓ Buy it if you want a cold-weather signature that works at the office, you like gourmands that stay warm rather than sweet, or you want the Azzaro character in a softer, more wearable form.
✕ Skip it if you need heavy projection, you mainly wear fragrance in hot weather, or you dislike cocoa and vanilla notes.
Final Verdict: 8.5/10
Asad Bourbon is not the loudest thing Lattafa makes, and it is better for it. A well-constructed cold-weather gourmand that punches well above its weight, 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. For a side-by-side of every Asad, see the Asad collection compared.
Not Quite Right? The Rest of the Asad Line
Four Asads share a name, not a scent. If Bourbon is too quiet or too wintry for you, one of these will be closer.
Which one to buy first is covered in detail in Lattafa Asad Collection Compared: Original vs Elixir vs Zanzibar vs Bourbon.
If You Like Asad Bourbon, Also Try
- Want it louder, all year?Asad Original →
- A sweeter winter gourmandLattafa Khamrah →
- Smoky tobacco for eveningsAsad Elixir →
Buying a Genuine Asad Bourbon
Check three things on any bottle: the Lattafa holographic seal on the carton, a crisply printed batch code on the base of the box, and evenly aligned labelling on the bottle. Counterfeits usually fail all three. Our full Asad Bourbon real vs fake checklist →
Lattafa Asad Bourbon 100ml EDP · £17.99
100ml Eau de Parfum · 100% authentic · free tracked UK delivery · 30-day returns
Asad Bourbon is one of the winter picks in our best Lattafa mens perfume guide, which is worth a read if you want something for the warmer months as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Related Reading
- Lattafa Asad collection compared: Original vs Elixir vs Zanzibar vs Bourbon
- Asad Bourbon vs Liquid Brun vs Azzaro The Most Wanted
- Lattafa Asad Bourbon real vs fake
- Perfume maceration: how long Lattafa needs to rest
- Best Lattafa winter perfumes
Sources
The note pyramid in this review was cross-checked against the independent fragrance database below.
- Fragrantica — Lattafa Asad Bourbon: published notes, community longevity and sillage votes.