Gruhme No.14 – Aftershave From A Well Dressed Lawyer

Gruhme No.14 Above The Ankles Review

Aftershave is not my field, I don’t know much about them or how they work. Although saying that, I couldn’t survive without it. I thrive off of aftershave and never stick to just one. I’m always jumping around trying new ones, looking for scents that will make people stop and comment. I’m an attention seeker, sue me. When I got the opportunity to review a new aftershave brand, I jumped at it with both hands. It’s a brand that is new and according to the world of the internet, Gruhme is doing really well. They have some fantastic reviews online from huge brands like GQ, Men’s Health & Esquire.

First Impressions

Gruhme No.14 Above The Ankles Review

Gruhme No.14 Above The Ankles Review

Gruhme No.14 Above The Ankles Review

My first impression was probably the same as everybody else’s. Everything Gruhme do seems to be at a high standard. The delivery came within 48 hours. The box was standard but in good condition. The bottle to put it simply, is incredible. It is a brilliant solid black cover with a lovely matte finish to it. It has that ‘real deal’ feel to it, very heavy, very solid – well made. The bottle isn’t over decorated nor is it covered in text, just a simple classy bottle.

The way I see things, first impressions are incredibly important, and i mean that in a general sense across all fields, haircut, outfit, CV, speech, texts – everything. Likewise that all important first smell, I wanted it to be strong overpowering and authoritative. Gruhme didn’t disappoint. It’s a very masculine smell, smell a lot like ginger and spices. Kind of makes me feel like I’m out in nature with the wind in my hair (whatever that means.)

About Gruhme

From what I can tell Gruhme is a small new brand, less than three years old and started by an ex lawyer with a vision. I asked a few people in the West Midlands about the brand and funnily enough they knew Rob (the founder.) Rob apparently mixes in with business networking groups and from what I’ve gathered “he’s a straight up guy.”

Gruhme as a brand is designed and positioned exactly as I want my brand to be. Elegant, simple and effective.
According to their website Gruhme believe fragrance designers have lost what it means to be daring and now just play it safe. How true this is, I don’t know, I’ve owned over 30 different bottles of aftershave and while some have smelt the same, I find the majority to be different and distinct. I’d like to see Gruhme do well and as a brand I think they’re doing a brilliant job. Below is an excerpt from their About US page and I think it sums up things wonderfully.

Attention to detail and aesthetics are more important to us than just daily profit and spend. Welcome to our world and we hope you’ll stay with us on this journey from one-man start-up to industry changer. After all, without you there is no us.

The Difference Between EDP & EDT

Eau de Parfum and Eau de Toilette are French words, indicating the rise of the perfume industry in France. The terms themselves indicate the way that these products were generally used. Eau de Parfum was meant to create an aromatic experience, with a lasting fragrance that remained throughout the day. Eau de Toilette refers to a ladies’ toilette, or grooming ritual, and indicated the product was used for freshening up over the course of the day. The varying concentration levels of these fragrances means that they can still be used in this manner.

Read more here.

The Fragrance

Gruhme No.14 Above The Ankles Review

Here’s where I actually have to strive to put my smelling ability into words, here comes the artist me. The best way I can describe Gruhme No.14 is as a spicy ginger natural fragrance. It’s almost like you’re standing in the woods thinking about life. The scent is very masculine, strong and makes me feel like I have more money than I do. I think this picture describes it best;

Picture Describing The Smell Of Gruhme No.14

Stick-ability

This Gruhme No.14 is their new and improved fragrance. This new fragrance is designed exactly as their original fragrance was originally designed with three years ago. The only difference between the original and the new No.14 is that Gruhme have increased the concentration from 10% to 14%. I think this shows that they had an issue with stick-ability and not the scent of the aftershave.

Gruhme No.14 Above The Ankles Review

I think  even now there is a problem  regarding the ability of Gruhme to last. I find myself spraying all my clothes and body with the spray and then within an hour it’s gone. I have asked people to describe the fragrance I’m wearing after meeting them outside and they have struggled. I even tried to google how to get my aftershave to stick around more – if you’re interested it’s a pretty decent post here.

Price

Gruhme No.14 is priced at £45, making it an average priced fragrance. You could purchase the Paco Rabanne 1 Million and many of the other well known aftershaves for that price. This begs the question: is £45 worth it for a 100ml of Gruhme? Well if you’re looking for a great new scent then Gruhme is for you. If you’re looking for a scent that will make people think about “Oooo this reminds me of…” then Gruhme is for you. Gruhme is most definitely remarkable in everything but it lacks massively in its ability to stick around.

Compliments, Comments & Complaints

Wife: Yeah it’s nice, I prefer it to all your feminine sprays, it’s like a real masculine smell, reminds me of smell of the woods.

Friend: Oooo reminds me of one summer when we was going hyde park, it’s got that freshness smell to it.

Friend: I’d say it’s like ginger, it’s very strong scent.

Other Reviews Online

I searched through the internet and found a whole army of reviews regarding Gruhme. Most are very short and concise, I suppose most people probably wouldn’t want to read too much into things. I did find however that most reviews only told half the story. If you focus on the scent and the brand image, then honestly I don’t think many fragrances can compete with Gruhme. I can imagine the problem with many bloggers is they don’t want to give a negative review for fear of offending the brand and potentially ruining any further opportunities. I differ from this view, I hope that Gruhme will be back with a stronger more lasting scent.

Customers who have paid for a product always give the best review and that’s why brands like Amazon do so well since potential customers can read honest reviews. I found a customer review online in which I can relate to on every level. Please see below.

Although I give this fragrance a neutral it has more to do with performance than the quality of its smell. I find this to be a rather beautiful green offering which oozes class. Smells like a walk in a dewy forest on a fresh early morning. It is masculine and gives me the impression that good quality ingredients have been harnessed. I imagine this would be a good office scent; however while longevity is almost average the silage is really poor. I used several sprays and a friend didn’t realize I was wearing it!

Found here.

Final Words

I’m hopeful the guys at Gruhme will read this and think I’m right and maybe in the near future I’ll get the third version of Gruhme No.14. They have gotten literally everything else right. The bottle is beautiful, the website is aesthetically pleasing & functional, they have been endorsed by big online players, much bigger than I, but unfortunately for me, they are lacking in probably the second most important part of an aftershave: its ability to stick around.

Customers can order a bottle here;
Gruhme No.14 (EdT) 100ml

Gruhme No.14 (EdT) 100ml