1697 Frapin for women and men

I am really surprised by most of the reviews here. I received a sample of this one and only just sprayed it on a card.

This is the first time in a long time that I just couldn't take the card away from my nose. And this even though I don't drink any alcohol, lol.

I love the warm notes, without trying to distinguish each individual one. I will try it a couple of times and then decide whether I need a bottle. Doesn't seem like it's a scent you will come across at every corner which makes it even better.

I didn't get the lovely boozy notes or any of the complexity promised by the huge list of notes. It's mostly a citrus-toned powdery wood on me. It's quiet pretty, with those light notes on top and a developing heavier wood base with light spices. But not the boozy rum-fest I sort of wanted it to be.

1697 quickly goes from a blessed matrimony of Rum & Cognac, to generically candy-sweet, flowery annulment. Nothing complex at all, as its notes and price tag would suggest. FYI: Just because a fragrance has a myriad of notes, this does not automatically qualify it as complex, as some have suggested. It actually smells like this same nose's Enchanted Forest (unimaginative), minus the Minute Maid Fruit Punch [note]. It doesn't inspire me to sample any other Frapin fragrance. I'll stick with Dyptique Volutes and Lubin Idole for my brown liquor fix.

I must say, I understand what people talk about when they mention a boosy opening. But if you can get past that, it has some good stuff going on.

BOY HOWDY! I purchased one of the original run of 1697 in the square bottles and I understand that it is a little higher concentration than the current one. I agree with Jack Hunter. This is one perfume that comes rushing out of the bottle in a blaze of notes, takes you by the shoulders and shakes you. You can't miss it and I really enjoy it.

The most dominant first note is the booze. Think of a truly fine dark rum married to a fine old cognac. Loud, alcoholic, dark and heavy. A real stomach warmer. Mulling spice, dried fruit come next. Sweetish, jammy and wonderful. Next a bit of wood-the patchouli probably-starts to temper and round it. Less sweet and more spice. Dry down has a hint of tobacco and the alcohol comes back a bit making it seem that you have reached the end stage of a fine meal.

One to try a sample of for certain. Mr D. is one very extremely talented nose who manages to have a very diverse stable of fragrances. Truly wonderful.

Was so looking for rum, instead was suffocated with something very blunt, way too sweet and complex... This smell is so complicated that the collection of notes seems to be a mistake of the designer. It is not a pleasant scent to me at all.
Blind buys are not recommended. Rum note is very deceitful altogether in this fragrance.

Jack Hunter's review +1

Except to add that during the first 10 minutes or so I get an interesting impression of unripe, almost tart apples being sliced open on a freshly cut tree stump mixed with an overly ripe fruit compote.

It all smells very natural and complex. Very nice.

On first application I am getting a shot of rum which gives way to a peppery dried fruit accord. It's spicy and boozy then it becomes more sweet and flowery.

As time moves forward the flowery sweetness becomes a little musky and I can smell patchouli coming into the mix. The fragrance is now becoming soft on the skin and starts to smell like a very soft vanilla with just a hint of pepper and rum.

This is a very complex fragrance with a lot of notes. When you first spray it onto your skin there is a lot of notes coming at you from all directions. But when it settles you get a slightly buttery boozy vanille accord on your skin.

It's a nice fragrance but just a bit all over the place with the different notes before it settles.

Imagine spilling whiskey all over yourself and a granny smith apple exploding in your face. That is what the opening smells like.

After a few minutes the spices come through with the tonka and amber.

The labdanum is bitter and makes this a no go for me...

Too much going on in this fragrance. Some of the notes are in conflict to my nose.

I've worn Frapin 1697 a couple of times now, and it invariably evokes memories of Sonia Rykiel RYKIEL WOMAN. It's not the boozy opening of 1697, which RYKIEL WOMAN lacks, but the later sensation of something like leather fruitcake. There is something about the dried fruits mingling here with the woods and spices which is reminding me of the odd date-leather complexion of RYKIEL WOMAN.

Frapin 1697 is a lot less flowery than RYKIEL WOMAN, which in a side-by-side comparison I realized that I rather like. I used to think that I did not really like RYKIEL WOMAN, that it was an acquired taste on my "yet to acquire" list. But I have to admit that I prefer the scent of that to this. My favorite part of 1697 is the boozy opening, but it is all too shortlived.

I want it..but sadly I cannot find it!! :@

My first impression of this fragrance was of COCOA! While it's not a listed ingredient ...it's the first thing comes to mind... a sweet dreamy chocolaty experience. Possibly the most luxurious of scents!!

I adore this perfume, I could not wait for my full bottle to arrive. Woody, boozy, spicy with a gorgeous dry down, this is nothing like 1270 but I would say if you liked 1270, the chances are you will love this one. Both full bottle worthy to me.

I luv "Frapin 1270", therefore I so looked forward to "1697", with it's lovely list of notes, and expecting something along the richness of it's sublime sibling "1270". ... Well, my advice is NOT to expect anything along the lines of "1270" and then you might actually enjoy it for what it is all the more. Whilst "1697" is certainly pleasant enough, personally in comparison I found it rather disappointing, thin and sort of unsubstantial. All I got was a refined, fine yet thin (not rich) booziness (more "oaked-vodka" than dark-rum) floating atop a silky white-musk diluted diet-tonka and pale-woods. (Where's the spices ??) And pretty much little else.
In fact, I highly recommend it to those who thought "1270" just far too boozy, warm and rich for them. As I suspect it will probably appeal much more to those for whom "1270" did nothing for.
At the end of the day I think it could be a really nice and even somewhat luxurious "office-scent". But just a little too wan to be comfortably warming on cold winter evenings, as I had been expecting from it's notes list. (It's certainly NOT a warm "sit-in-front-of-the-fireplace" type scent like sibling "1270". I see him rather much more like his sophisticated, yet younger, more serious and chillier no-nonsense "cold-shouldered" brother.)
~ It's nice but that's it, ... just not as special as I expected unfortunately.

Sillage ~ Average to below average. (Sits rather close, though I suspect this could be greatly helped by spraying more liberally).
Longevity ~ Excellent (easy 8 to 10 hrs on my skin.)

I first smelt it in a pub..I did not think that smell come from a perfume!!

Then I realized it's a perfume!!

Can't deny I liked it..it's rum + cinnamon combination really good.

I am happy I could get my hands on a bottle of this limited scent. Nice one, gladly so as I ordered it blindly just upon researching about its notes.

What is 1697 like ?
IMHO this is a mixture of Baiser du Dragon, Spiritueuse Double Vanille and Havana Vanille, mixed with some tobacco and spices.
I do not know many fragrances which change so much from the top to the base notes.
At the beginning there is this very noticeable cognac/rum note which really smells boozy and drunk :-) But that fades within 15 minutes (at least on me). Then the spices and the buttery smoothness take over. It has a creamy quality to it, staying close to the skin. Powder alarm ! :-) If you dislike powdery scents this one might not be for you.
The final drydown (unfortunately, it comes too soon) is sweet tobacco with a vanilla hint.

All in all a very delicate and delicious fragrance but its longevity does not quite make me happy. Given the enormous price I am used to a scent that sticks around for at least 6 hours, if not more.

Anyway, I do not regret my blind buy in a way that would make me getting rid of my bottle, no no, I will gladly wear this scent knowing it suits my taste. Will have to re-spray during the day though.

This scent is limited to only 1697 bottles so you should hurry up if you would like to get a sniff of it.

It definitely made me curious about the other Frapin scents.

I feel more relaxed mood in this fragrance, not luxury.
Woody, fruity-sweet, with liquor, but not drunk.
Small garden party like atmosphere, only with the close friends.
It is almost against so-called image of Louis #14 who lived in luxury.
Not like a story happened in the Palace of Versailles.
As for the palace, it was far from my taste, too much gorgeous almost felt danger!
But the garden…I wished I could have slept in the garden for a night!

Not sophisticated, but very friendly and cozy mood in the bottle.
Like a king’s escapism.

To fragrantica,
In 1697, Louis 15th was not born.
#14 might have been died earlier than 1715, who cares now!?

Very rich and spicy it only comes in a 50ML and its $215 Canadian a crack. I can only afford to use this on special occasion. lol

1697 is super-boozy. It opens with an incredibly realistic blast of Rum that overwhelmes anything else. In a bunch of minutes it settles down leaving space to candied dry fruits, spices, vanilla, tonka bean, woods and resins with a gentle floral accord laying in the back. There's a lot going on in this phase as 1967 is quite a complex and deep fragrance indeed, maybe too much. Everything is happening at once giving me a sensation of chaos. Don't get me wrong, this is an interesting fragrance and surely remarkable but to me it's kind of unsatisfying and messy.

Try it!

Rating: 6.5-7/10

It's perfect! How obvious, since Mr D. has done it.

This is just unbelievable - how well the woody rum and mulled spicy wine notes are blended and turned into perfume. Intoxicating, smoky, plummy, so strong and lustful. Must-have.

Another beauty by Frapin! When smelling this fragrance I see a luxurious appartment after a good party. The appartment is empty, no people there anymore. Twilight. The room is kind of messy. Heavy gobelin pillows from the sofa are thrown all over the floor. There are some alcohol left in the crystal glasses on a heavy oak table (Amaretto liqueur, dark rum and vodka for sure), the table itself is poured all over with alcoholic drinks, there's an ash tray with cigarette-ends, expensive cigar-stubs and cigarilles. And this mixture of alcohol, smoke and wood lingers in the air...
I get bright notes of Amaretto liqueur at the very beginning, then comes the scent of rum, killing all the sweetnes of liqueur, suddenly vodka comes in and slowly lets Amaretto back again. What an interesting game of notes! There is some smoke in the middle and base notes. The base is a dusty and smoky wood with mild sweet alcohol note (a far away hint of Amaretto?) on me. I find it more masculine than feminine. The staying power is great. Another must try!